Mr. Niall Egan:

To add to what Mr. Kane has said, it is important to acknowledge that JobPath was procured to provide an unemployment service and assistance for 12 months' duration. That is the metric we need to use. It is the same with our other service partners. Looking at just the long-term, 12-month job sustainment level would be too narrow a focus in relation to the overall supported offers. JobPath has provided over 70,000 people with access to employment and helped people progress closer to employment, akin to our other service providers. It is certainly the provider for which we have better metrics and visibility. The costs are closer to €275 million at the moment, just to let the Deputy know.

On the Deputy's question on the post-tender public employment service, the Department's policy on this is that Intreo will continue to act as the central hub of the public employment service. It will continue to provide walk-in services to individuals and also focus predominantly on the short-term unemployed. Individuals who have been unemployed for 12 months and become long-term unemployed will then be referred to a new national employment service for a 12-month duration. If they remain unemployed at that point, they will then be referred to the regional employment service, at 24 months or longer, for another engagement of between 12 and 18 months. As part of that, they be prioritised and engaged, with a view to achieving progression that best suits their personal requirements. That may include community employment or other similar schemes.

I do not accept that from the Department's perspective, we are getting rid of or closing the door to not-for-profit provision. What we are contracting for is what we currently have contracted for, namely, employment services. We are creating separate streams within the existing employment service structure for those who are long-term unemployed and those who have been unemployed for 24 months. We acknowledge, recognise and require a dedicated support level, one which we have at the moment and want to expand across the entire country through the provision of services in areas that do not currently have a local employment service. That is what the regional employment service is trying to achieve. It is actually creating an integrated customer journey between the different service partners we currently have.

On the mandatory turnover not being mandatory, I apologise to the Deputy but I may have inadvertently misled her on that. The mandatory requirements in phase 1 are mandatory. I was alluding to the fact that partnerships, collaborations and tenders from each area can cumulatively add up to that mandatory requirement. For argument's sake, if two partnerships come together with three reference contracts between them, cumulatively the value will be accounted towards that turnover requirement under phase 1. That is something we will look at in relation to phase 2 but we will have some sort of turnover requirement in phase 2.

On the external review, as I said, there is sensitive material within that in terms of the lot sizes and costings. That is a significant component of that report. There is very little in that report without that at the moment. We are happy to share that with the committee but a lot of the material will be redacted on foot of the procurement. I am just acknowledging that at the outset.