Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 84: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the large percentage increases in people signing on at certain social welfare offices; the extra resources she will provide for the job facilitation service to meet the growing demand at these offices; and the work of her Department in co-ordinating welfare to work measures with other Departments and State agencies. [18627/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the increase in the national live register in recent months and I am satisfied that the Department is monitoring the impact of this on local offices on an ongoing basis.

At present a network of 40 facilitators work closely at local level with social welfare customers, including those on the live register, in order to determine training and development needs. They arrange, through direct provision or jointly with other agencies, appropriate training and developmental programmes to equip recipients to progress to employment, enhance their parenting skills or otherwise improve their life opportunities. This service will shortly be enhanced with the assignment of an additional 30 facilitators over the remainder of 2008 as part of a wider activation programme provided for under the national development plan.

This social and economic participation programme is aimed at all people of working age regardless of the circumstances that led the person to require income maintenance. The cost of the programme will be €50 million over the duration. In the first three years €13 million will be invested, following which it will be reviewed and a decision made on the extent and content of the programme over the following years. The enhanced facilitation service will build on the Department's existing experience and income maintenance relationship with the people concerned, in co-operation with other relevant service providers such as FÁS, the VECs, the HSE and other local agencies. The vision is of a single transparent system with a primary focus on the customer and a route map starting at the first point of engagement with the Department.

For those on the live register, the main welfare to work measure is the national employment action plan, NEAP. Under this plan, people who are approaching three months on the live register are referred to FÁS for interview with a view to job placement or an offer of training. Almost 9,400 people were referred to FÁS under the NEAP in the first two months of 2008. Of these, 33%, or 3,060, have left the live register.

There is also a range of support services in place to assist unemployed people, particularly the long-term unemployed, lone parents and sickness-related welfare recipients to return to the active labour market either by taking up employment or becoming self-employed. These are provided through the operation of the back to education and back to work allowance schemes, the technical assistance and training grants and the PRSI exemption scheme.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

The activation and family services programme and the second chance education opportunities scheme also offer supports to social welfare customers and other disadvantaged persons to assist them to improve their employability and personal and family circumstances. At the end of March 2008, 43,000 people were availing of employment and training supports offered by the Department.

Overall, I am satisfied that existing arrangements, together with the proposed wider activation programme under the NDP, provide a satisfactory level of co-ordination to ensure that the needs of the most marginalised are met in a positive manner.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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The increases on the live register in some districts throughout the country are truly astonishing. Portlaoise has had a 70% increase in people signing on, Monaghan and Kells have had increases of 51%, Trim and Portarlington have had increases of 55%, Navan has had an increase of 41%, Ballybofey has had an increase of 48% and Carlow has had an increase of 44%. Some of these places are in the constituencies of Fianna Fáil Ministers. These are astonishing figures in this downturn and the Cowen recession we are possibly entering.

Does the Minister have any intention of undertaking strong locally targeted initiatives with FÁS in areas such as Portlaoise, Portarlington and the other areas I listed where we seem to have had a massive collapse in employment? This is an urgent matter. It is necessary for the Minister, with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coughlan, and the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, to come up with answers.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is being a little bit dramatic. While he is right to state increases have taken place in certain offices, such as Clones, Portlaoise and Macroom, the overall live register saw a reduction on last month.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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That is cold comfort to those in Portlaoise.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There is no crisis.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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The annual figures——

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It is not fair to say the employment situation has gone out of control, far from it as more jobs continue to be created than are lost each time. Having said that, these activation policies to engage with people coming on the live register are a major part of our policy. Facilitators interview them and work with them. During the first two months of this year 9,400 people were referred to FÁS for interview and to have their details checked to establish whether they would be appropriate for support to enter education, work or enterprise.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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How many of them were appropriate?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Of that figure, 4,270 were interviewed and not placed, 1,332 remained on the register and the rest, which is more than 3,000, came off the live register.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Some 50%.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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It shows there is potential. When I entered the Department the first thing I saw was a big sign stating "Interviews for facilitators" on the same floor as the Minister's office. The Department will employ 30 more to actively engage with these people quickly to enable them to take up other options.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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There is no embargo in the Minister's Department.