Ms Niamh O'Donoghue:

It is a multifaceted approach. There is far greater attention on this issue, particularly in the wake of the agreement on the youth guarantee and the Government's commitment to developing a plan for implementation of same by the end of this year.

There are a number of elements to this, of which one is that some of the primary payments have staggered rates and there is a sense that they can only be paid at the full rate if the individual participates. That was introduced a number of years ago specifically to provide a monetary incentive for people under 25 years to engage in training, a work placement or something along these lines. We work very closely with a number of other agencies. We work with FÁS in the provision of training and the Department of Education and Skills in accessing various education and training courses. We work with other providers such as community employment schemes to specifically target young people. There are a number of initiatives in place and the youth guarantee will bring a real focus to that age group as opposed to the entire cohort of the unemployed. There are various schemes in place, including education and work schemes and training measures, and they have all been increased in recent years, with additional places for young people.