Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can inform Deputy Brady that the report has not been published in full. Initial results were published in April. We hope the report will be published in the coming weeks or months. We do not have an exact timetable for it yet. NUI Maynooth is undertaking research, the purpose of which is to examine the effectiveness of the reduced rates in encouraging young jobseekers to avail of education, training, employment programmes and other opportunities. My Department has not commissioned this research. Rather, as part of an effort to encourage and promote research, it has facilitated the university with access to the data in order that it might undertake the research. Initial results were published in the form of a working paper in April and that is available on the university's website. The Department is currently considering the contents of that research. Among the initial findings is an indication that the reduction in jobseeker's payments for 18 and 19 year olds in 2009 led to reductions in the duration of unemployment, although only the effect on 18 year olds is statistically significant.

Under Pathways to Work 2016-2020, my Department is committed to review and report on the impact of the reduced payment rates for jobseekers aged between 18 and 25. The review will be finalised shortly and will take account of the results of the NUI Maynooth research. Jobseekers under 26 years of age who have qualified children and those who were in the care of the HSE immediately before they turned 18 are not subject to the reduced rates of jobseeker's allowance. Similarly, those transferring from disability allowance or jobseeker’s benefit are not paid at the lower rates. Furthermore, should a young jobseeker on a reduced jobseeker's allowance payment participate on an education or training programme, he or she will then receive the maximum personal rate for jobseeker's allowance. In budget 2018, we are providing for an increase of €5 per week in the maximum personal rate of jobseeker's allowance for recipients of all ages. Those aged under 26 will also receive the €5 increase. This means that a jobseeker's allowance recipient aged 18 to 24 will, from March 2018, receive €107.70. For those on the maximum rate, their payment will increase from €193 to €198 per week. Also as part of budget 2018, I announced the introduction of the youth employment support scheme, which is targeted at young jobseekers.

I will conclude on this point because we are all anxious to finish the Bill tonight. The Central Statistics Office figures on unemployment are encouraging. They show that unemployment fell to 14% in October. That is a significant decrease of almost six percentage points, from 19.7%, in the past 24 months. The overall unemployment rate fell to 6%, which is very encouraging. I ask Deputy Bríd Smith to withdraw her amendment.

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