Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is why we choose very carefully who is sent to JobPath, the commmunity employment programme or Tús. With respect, each of them provides a different level of training or work experience to make sure people are job-ready. JobPath provides participants with a guaranteed service which includes not only one to one support and training but also a continual counselling and advice service to make sure they will be matched with the jobs available or that they will be retrained in order that they can make themselves available to fill the jobs available. However, there is no competition across the range of employment schemes. Each has been designed to specifically address a particular section of the market.

There have been some complaints in recent months that people are finding it harder to fill CE schemes because people are on another activation measure, but no one has ever told me that there is a problem filling CE schemes because they are on Tús, the rural social scheme, RSS, a partial capacity payment or an invalidity payment. There is no draw here from one section to another. We offer services in this Department which suit the needs of particular people at particular times. JobPath is doing its job particularly admirably, considering that it has a 16% rate.

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