Seanad debates

Tuesday, 21 March 2017

2:30 pm

Photo of Rose Conway WalshRose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to discuss this very important issue. I will come straight to the point as I know the Minister is a busy man.

I have a number of questions, to which I have been unable to get answers, despite numerous attempts. How much has the JobPath programme cost to date? I want a figure for the cost of the whole tendering process, the use of economic research specialists and the legal costs around it. Will the Minister please give me a figure, as I am sure the Minister has the figure with him today, knowing that we were discussing JobPath.

How much will the programme cost the taxpayer by the end of the four year cycle, and the five year cycle? Are there break or penalty clauses, should the Government decide to pull out of the contract early?

Will the Minister explain how it could be acceptable that the basic requirement, even to be considered eligible to bid for a contract to provide the JobPath programme was that the company have a minimum turnover of €20 million per year, which excluded many local Irish companies and voluntary organisations from the scheme? Were these companies driven by profit and wanting to ensure the full payment can be drawn down? There is a danger that the long-term harder to reach unemployed are overlooked in favour of those who are more ready to slip back into certain employment sectors.I am particularly concerned for those who are most distant from the labour market or individuals who have issues with alcohol, substance misuse or mild depression. I ask the Minister to confirm that if a client has a mental health issue or any kind of disability, he or she is referred back to the Department.

I am also concerned that outlying rural areas will be abandoned in the drive for profit maximisation and in the name of efficiency, effectiveness and value for money. Did the Department consider reviewing the LES contracts at the time to deal with the demand generated by the recession?

There is also the issue of those selected for JobPath. They are being forced to travel miles to access services that are provided in the local LES offices. This does not make sense. It also does not make sense to have two British companies opening offices here to duplicate the work that is being done by LES offices. I have worked in this area myself so the duplication of such work does not make sense to me. I heard the figures that were presented by a previous speaker here but they belie the anecdotal evidence that has been conveyed on the ground. We need to take a proper look at the figures and the report . We must determine how many cases were sampled and for what duration, etc.

How can we expect the local employment services to compete with companies that are for-profit and are being widely promoted to third parties by the Government and the Department of Social Protection? It seems that all of the referrals have been sent to JobPath rather than the LES.

There is another issue with the Youth Guarantee. The Government has secured substantial EU funding under the Youth Guarantee to put in place innovative measures and preventive programmes to address issues regarding training, education and employment for the under-25s to prevent long-term unemployment. It now appears, nationally, that the under-25s who are unemployed for more than 12 months are being sent to JobPath. I ask the Minister to clarify the matter. My issue with the initiative is that the under-25 target group was not part of the original JobPath contract. What was the EU funding from the Youth Guarantee scheme used for? What results were achieved? What value for money audits have been carried out?

I want the Minister to know that people want real jobs, particularly in rural areas and in my own area. It has been repeatedly said to me that all that we need in this area is for a sufficient number of people to be provided with a wage packet at the end of the week that would, in turn, stimulate the economy and put money into households.

Is JobPath the activation monster to follow the Irish Water monster? How much does JobPath cost? How much has it cost the Government to set up? Why are two British companies delivering what can very well be delivered by the local employment services in this country?

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