Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 7 December 2017
Public Accounts Committee
Comptroller and Auditor General 2016 Report
Chapter 16: Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 17: Management of Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 18: Department Reviews of welfare Schemes, Social Welfare Appeals Process, Social Insurance Fund
9:00 am
Mr. John McKeon:
On the employment outcomes, the employment targets were set. When we went to tender we looked at the progression outcomes for people who are long-term unemployed in terms of employment outcomes in the next 12 months. We set a minimum target of exceeding that by 60%. That is the providers' employment target and they are paid if they hit that target in respect of each person. Our prices are reduced as employment grows. Obviously it gets easier to hit the target as employment is growing in the economy, so our prices are automatically reduced. We have reduced them as the economy has recovered.