Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are aligning the definition of long-term unemployed with the Department of Social Protection's definition, which is 15 months. In practice, it regards somebody who has been unemployed for 12 months or longer as long-term unemployed. Bringing it lower than this figure would be to move in advance of the Department of Social Protection. I am not ideological in any of these matters but doing nothing is not an option when so many are long-term unemployed. Therefore, we will try a series of initiatives. If they work, they work; if not, we will drop them. If this measure works well, I will consider the suggestion that the period be nine months.