38. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 176 to 178, inclusive, of 24 February 2015, if she will confirm that there was a decrease of 13% in the number of women client participants between December 2012 and December 2014. [13759/15]

39. ...if she will provide an explanation for the significant decline in women client rehabilitation participants. [13760/15]

40. ... if she will confirm that she included 220 employed support workers in her response and in her confirmation of the number of places dedicated to drugs rehabilitation participants as on community employment at December 2014. [13762/15]

41. ... the reason she included 220 support workers in her confirmation of places dedicated to drugs rehabilitation on community employment; and the reason she specifically confirmed 1,156 allocated spaces dedicated to drugs rehabilitation on special community employment participants, as at December 2014. [13763/15]

42. ... if she will confirm that support workers are not referred through addiction services and therefore may not be counted in the 1,000 ring-fenced community employment rehabilitation places. [13764/15]

43.... if she will confirm it is established and long-standing policy not to include support workers as participant places in the 1,000 ring-fenced community employment rehabilitation places. [13765/15]

44. ... if she will confirm the gender breakdown of the 220 support workers she confirmed were employed on community employment drug schemes in December 2014. [13766/15]

44. ...if she included support workers employed by the schemes in her comparison figure of 824 community employment drug scheme participants, provided as at December 2012. [13767/15]

45. ...the number of actual support workers employed by the schemes in December 2012, in addition to stated participants, as at December 2012. [13768/15]

46. ...if she will provide a breakdown of the gender of the total support workers employed by the schemes in December 2012. [13769/15]

47. ...if she will confirm that specific categories of rehabilitation participants were in fact considerably down in December 2014. [13770/15]

48. ...the reason all 1,000 ring-fenced participant rehabilitation places, which should exclude support workers, are not allocated and filled. [13771/15]

49. ...if she will confirm the person who organised the workshops; the number, locations and cost of the workshops held; and the number of scheme supervisor attendees. [13772/15]

50. ...if she will provide a specific list of referrers to community employment drug rehabilitation schemes, which she refers to in her reply, and a breakdown of the source of all referrals for drug rehabilitation places. [13773/15]

51. ...if she will provide an explanation and reconcile her reply with her Department's reported figures for December 2012, of 824 places, broken down as 461 males, or 56%, and 363 females, or 44%. [13774/15]

52. ...if she will confirm that the number of women rehabilitation participants on special community employment schemes is in fact considerably down. [13775/15]

53. ...if she will confirm that the number of rehabilitation participants over 25 years of age is considerably down. [13776/15]

54. ...if she will provide an explanation as to the reason the over 25 age group of participants is considerably down. [13777/15]

55. ...if she will confirm the breakdown of gender of the over 25 age group participants as at December 2014. [13779/15]

56. ...if she will provide a breakdown of the gender of the over 25 age group participants as at December 2012. [13780/15]

57. ...if she will confirm the gender breakdown of 257 participants confirmed as being under 25 years of age as at December 2014. [13781/15]

58. ...if she will confirm the operational effect the entry requirement changes to special community employment schemes and, in particular, the entry reduction requirement to 18 years have had on special community employment schemes. [13782/15]

59. ...the changes that are planned to take place in the special community employment schemes to meet the service needs of the 18 to 25 age group. [13784/15]

60. ... the additional resources and training that are being provided to special community employment schemes to allow them to adapt and service the 18 to 25 age group. [13785/15]

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection (Deputy Kevin Humphreys): I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 to 61, inclusive, together.   

Considerable progress has been made in increasing the number of participants on the community employment (CE) drug rehabilitation scheme. Table 1 shows that in December 2014, there were 936 referred clients on drug rehabilitation places (644 male and 292 female) and 220 support workers (103 male and 117 female). In total, in December 2014 therefore, there were 1,156 places taken up on CE drug rehabilitation schemes.   This compares to December 2012 when there were 655 referred clients on drug rehabilitation places (407 male and 248 female) and 169 support workers (59 male and 110 female). In total in December 2012 therefore, there were 824 places taken up on drug rehabilitation schemes. Overall, there has been an increase of approximately 14% in the number of females (clients and participants) from December 2012 to Dec 2104.   Support worker places are additional to the 1,000 ring-fenced drug rehabilitation places as these participants assist in the delivery of the CE Scheme while at the same time having their own job seeking needs addressed. These participants must comply with normal CE eligibility conditions and are assigned tasks associated with the work of the projects.   At December 2014, there are 936 referred clients on drug rehabilitation places which is close to full capacity (1,000 places). The Deputy will appreciate that during any given year, participants may exit for many reasons, including illness/relapse, gaining employment, maternity leave, retirement, emigration, transfer to another scheme, exit to a training programme or completion of CE. There is, therefore, a cycle of places becoming vacant and being filled on an on-going basis on CE schemes.   

Table 2 and Table 3 show a gender and age breakdown for referred clients in December 2012 and December 2014. In December 2014, there was an increase in the number of referred clients in all age bands compared to December 2012.   There has been no change in the entry requirements for CE drug rehabilitation schemes. These places are available only to service users who are in drugs rehabilitation and referred to a place by an addiction service practitioner. Referral practitioners are Key Workers or Case Managers, Counsellors, GPs, Treatment Centre practitioners, and Health Service practitioners.   A Drugs Stakeholder group chaired by the Department was set up in May 2013 to inform and advise on the delivery of the drugs rehabilitation response within CE. Membership includes representatives of the community and voluntary sectors, Drugs Task Forces and statutory organisations. Two workshops have been held for CE Scheme Supervisors and Departmental staff to support and advance the CE drugs response. The workshops were organised and delivered by the Department's CE Policy Unit and representatives of the Stakeholders Group and were held in the Department's offices. This ensured that costs were kept to an absolute minimum. There were approximately 30 CE scheme supervisors in attendance.

Table 1: Referred Clients and Support Workers: December 2012 and December 2014

Source: CSM IT Extracts

Table 2: December 2012 - Ring-fenced Drug Rehabilitation Places by age and gender (Referred Clients)

December 2012: CSM IT Extracts (Referred clients)

Table 3: December 2014 - Ring-fenced Drug Rehabilitation Places by age and gender (Referred Clients)

December 2014: CSM IT Extracts (Referred clients)