Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have received a draft copy of the Indecon report. It confirms the initial figures that more than 50% of people who took a JobBridge internship in the private sector have proceeded on to further work and approximately 40% in the case of those in public sector internships. These are preliminary results but they are positive and are in line with the initial survey carried out by Indecon.

The Deputy asked a question about JobBridge. Since last May the JobBridge scheme has been open to people with a disability and to lone parents. Initially JobBridge was confined to people on the live register for at least three months. On the question whether the requirement of a period of time on the live register should be dropped, I will have to think about that. The Deputy will know that some people have been unemployed for a very long time, out of work for two and three years. These people are now quite far removed from the labour market. As well as offering JobBridge-type opportunities to people who have been unemployed for a very short period of time, it is also necessary to consider the people who are out of work for a very long time, particularly those out of work for more than two years.

We are reviewing continually all the various opportunities to ensure people get a chance. It may be a chance to return to education or training, but this does not suit everybody. There is a demand for community-based employment according to the terms of the community employment scheme. As one will know, those concerned do tremendous work in various communities throughout the country.

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