Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

With regard to additional provisions this year, the Deputy may have heard a Government initiative being advertised in the media. The Momentum programme is a scheme for education and training interventions, with training targeted at areas where employment is available. A review was done for my Department of the various schemes which it supports, and it indicates that we are spending approximately €200 million this year as part of a €1 billion plus package on employment supports, with the €200 million being used to support people returning to education.

One of the important points in supporting people in returning to education is that we all be aware that there are areas where there are job vacancies – most obviously in the IT sector, for example – and that we should seek specifically to help people to return to work subsequent to their having returned to education. Prior to the changes I have been making, the Department of Social Protection was largely a passive Department. If one qualified for a payment, one received it and could be left alone forever after. We have been changing that to have an active service, not just to help people back into education in the new Intreo offices, but also to help them to return to employment. Thus, it is part of a coherent structure and framework to help young people to get a job, particularly their first one.

See this speech in context