Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I share the concern expressed by Deputies about the social and economic impact of rising unemployment. We are all conscious that behind the latest live register figures lie real people with families who have mortgages and concerns about the future. I assure the House that the Government is determined to do all it can to help people get back to work as quickly as possible.

The longer people spend on social welfare, the more dependent they become. The main welfare to work measure is the national employment action plan, NEAP, under which people who are approaching three months on the live register are identified by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and referred to FÁS for interview with a view to job placement or an offer of training. Slightly more than 30,000 people were referred to FÁS under the NEAP in the first six months of 2008. Of these, 13,350 or 44% have left the live register. I have also discussed with FÁS ways in which we can increase uptake of this process.

A team of facilitators is in place in the Department to provide additional, more intensive assistance for those who need it, including those who have been identified by FÁS as needing further support. As part of the priority now placed on activation, the Department's facilitators are working closely with FÁS and other agencies at national and local level to target their assistance at such groups. A particular priority is being placed on younger people, significant numbers of whom are losing their jobs, those signing on for the first time and those who have completed the employment action plan process but remain on the live register. As I indicated, it is important that people do not become dependent on social welfare for extended periods.

The facilitator programme is designed to be a targeted approach, involving active case management and the development of an individualised personal progression plan. The facilitator and individual will work together to identify the most appropriate method of progressing to training or employment. The Department appointed additional facilitators in September to support the process.

We are also committed to eliminating poverty traps and removing barriers to work. Significant progress has been made in this regard in recent years through improvements such as changes in means testing arrangements for certain payments and the tapered withdrawal of benefits. The back to work allowance provides a monetary incentive for people who have been dependent on social welfare payments for long periods to make return to work financially attractive and viable.

Deputy Enright referred to a number of additional benefits available to people who are unemployed. While the benefits in question support those who are unemployed, they can also deter people from returning to work.

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