HL Deb 04 July 1983 vol 443 cc492-4WA
Lord Blease

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in view of the importance given by the Northern Ireland Office to the Action for Community Employment Scheme (ACE), they will publish details of the employment projects in which the 2,050 persons officially stated on 6.6.83 are temporarily employed under the ACE Scheme, with respect to:—

  1. 1. The total number employed—
    1. (i) (a) male, (b) female;
    2. (ii) by each of the district councils;
    3. (iii) in each of the "travel to work areas";
    4. (iv) by the public sector (a) Government departments (b) statutory bodies;
      5. 493
    5. (v) by private industry in (a) manufacturing, (b) agriculture; (c) transport, (d) distribution, and (e) services;
    6. (vi) by voluntary/community groups (a) church organisations (b) sports clubs/associations, (c) welfare/care bodies (d) trade union/industrial organisations.
  2. 2. A numerical pattern of the age groups employed; and,
  3. 3. A profile of the type of work/skills and occupational qualifications required and/or acquired by persons directly employed by the ACE Scheme, other than those involved in the administration.

The Earl of Mansfield

It is regretted that the information requested cannot be provided in full in the form requested without incurring disproportionate expense.

At 17th June (the latest date for which total figures are available), a total of 1,053 projects had been approved, involving the employment of 3,496 longterm unemployed: 777 projects had actually commenced, providing 2.548 places. A breakdown of the approved projects and places by type of sponsor is as follows:

Projects Places
District Councils 112 837
Other Public Bodies 41 159
Voluntary Bodies 895 2,483
Private Sector 5 17
1,053 3,496

Of the 41 projects being undertaken by other public bodies, three (involving five jobs) are directly related to the work of the Department of the environment in the areas of historic monuments, conservation and the design and construction of archaeological exhibitions. The private enterprise sector has sponsored five projects, involving a total of 12 jobs in the field of environmental/restoration work of benefit to the community.

A more detailed analysis of the location and types of work generated was last carried out on 6th May 1983 and showed the following, in respect of 3,051 approved places:

LOCATION
Belfast 1,043 North Eastern
Outer Belfast Ballymena 161
Bangor 32 Coleraine 133
Carrickfergus 35 Western
Larne 19 Cookstown 89
Lisburn 34 Dungannon 194
Newtownards 36 Southern
North Western Armagh 132
Londonderry 246 Craigavon 222
Strabane 87 Downpatrick 137
Enniskillen 104
Newry 225
Omagh 122
TOTAL 3,051

TYPE OF WORK/SKILLS INVOLVED
Type of work No. of places approved
(1) Clerical 151
(2) Community work 755
(3) Environmental 802
(4) Building and repair 1,219
(5) Exhibitions 44
(6) Survey/research 80
TOTAL 3,051

Records are not presently kept of the sex or age pattern of those recruited under the scheme. The scheme has been highly successful so far, and additional funding enabled the target number of places (2,050) for the 1982–83 financial year to be raised to 3,500 (full-time and part-time) jobs for the year ending 31st March 1984.