The Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party has strongly backed calls for more jobs to be provided under Community Employment schemes.
Junior Minister Frank Fahey, who has responsibility for the Scheme, told a party meeting in Leinster House tonight that he favoured restoring places which had been cut back in recent years, and urged the Government to provide the necessary funding.
Mr Fahey received sustained applause for his contribution to the meeting.
Community Employment schemes have faced serious cutbacks in recent years, losing five thousand places since 2002.
Although the Estimates provided enough money to maintain the current level of twenty thousand places next year, Fianna Fáil backbenchers want the cuts reversed.
Limerick West TD John Cregan got forty TDs and Senators, one third of the total, to sign his motion calling for extra places to be funded.
But the Minister responsible for Community Employment told RTÉ that he also wants more people employed on the schemes:
Frank Fahey strongly repeated those comments at this evening's Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, receiving a number of ovations for his remarks.
Thirty TDs and Senators spoke, all of them supportive of the demand for more Community Employment places.
The party is now demanding action from the Government on the issue, giving Charlie McCreevy an extra headache in the run-up to next week's Budget.
