Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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376. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the success of JobsPlus to date; the amount of funding available; the number of positions it covers; her plans to extend or increase the funding available to increase the number of places; if she will consider reducing the eligibility requirements to less than 12 months but with less of a subsidy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31033/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 378 to 380, inclusive, together.

JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit employees from those who are long-term on the Live Register. The incentive is payable, on a monthly basis, over a two year period if the employee is retained in full-time employment for two years. JobsPlus is biased in favour of those who are longer term unemployed. The value of the aggregate monthly payments is €7,500 for employing a jobseeker 12 to 24 months on the Live Register and €10,000 if the jobseeker was on the Live Register for over 24 months.

Since its launch in July 2013 to the end of June 2014, JobsPlus has supported 2,634 jobseekers in full-time employment with 2,007 employers nationally. Around 60% of jobseekers being supported had been on the Live Register for over 24 months at the time of recruitment. Up to the end of June 2014, payments under the JobsPlus scheme have amounted to just over €4.4 million. Overall, payments under the scheme have amounted to €5.5 million since the first payments were made in August 2013. The table below gives a breakdown of expenditure on a monthly basis since the scheme commenced.

A provision of €13.5 million has been included in the Vote for the Department for the scheme in 2014. On the basis of the current pace of applications and expenditure, this provision is considered to be adequate to meet projected costs of the scheme in 2014.

In line with Pathways to Work, jobseekers on the Live Register are a particular focus for intervention and the JobsPlus Incentive is, therefore, exclusively targeted at this cohort. As a result, a person in receipt of a one parent family payment is not considered eligible. The Department is completing a review of the initial phase of implementation of JobsPlus and this will inform any proposals for its development and expansion. The review will consider a range of matters, including uptake, costs and benefits, altering eligibility requirements, and if changes are need to improve access and administration. Any changes will, of course, be subject to budgetary considerations.

Table: JobsPlus - Number of Employee Supported