Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will ask the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to deal with the CES, Tús and RSS. As to JobPath, some 324,000 customers have engaged with the service. The average cost per participant is €873, excluding VAT. A total of 69,000 people found full-time employment. The fees are paid when an individual gains and sustains employment. The local employment service request for tender is a completely different contract. It is totally different to JobPath.

I know some people do not like the JobPath model. I have spoken to our advisors on the Labour Market Advisory Council and they have said that JobPath works. In a recent report by the OECD, in January 2022, it reiterated the point that JobPath led to a higher employment and earning outcomes for those who engaged with the service. We are not going to agree on everything. This is one area in which we believe we get results. It is important to help people get back into the workplace, more so now than ever.

The Department has undertaken extensive reviews of the JobPath service. It has been the subject of independent customer reviews, and econometric reviews and analysis by the OECD and the Comptroller and Auditor General, and it was consistently found to perform at a high level. However, I continue to review all our employment service provisions, including JobPath. As the Deputy knows, JobPath services finish at the end of June.

The legal advice was clear in that we had to put the local employment services out to tender through public procurement. I did not have a choice; I had to do that. We have engaged extensively with stakeholders during that period. The request for tenders has been made at this stage, therefore, I cannot say any more on that. I will hand over to the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, who will speak about the community employment schemes and Tús.