Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 144: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the work to improve information on the profile of existing and new entrants to the live register. [34879/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Department collects information from people on the Live Register to establish entitlement to payments, to ensure that conditions for receipt of payment continue to be satisfied and to assist in the activation of those who are not progressing into employment or accessing training opportunities.

The Live Register is profiled by scheme type, gender, age, duration on the Live Register, nationality, occupations, regions and local office. Composition of the Live Register can also be profiled with reference to whether or not a registrant receives a payment and by reasons for not receiving a payment.

In September 2006 the Department and the ERSI initiated a major profiling study of the Live Register, this following on from earlier research in this area. Its aim is to develop a model which could facilitate the introduction of a system to identify people at the point when they first register as unemployed who are at risk of becoming long-term unemployed. Over a 13 week period from 11 September 2006, additional profile information was gathered nationally, on a voluntary basis, from 45,000 customers who made unemployment claims. Since then, the claim status of each of these customers has been monitored by the project team in the Department.

A profiling system would facilitate early, targeted interventions for those who need them most, while not devoting resources to providing interventions to those who will progress of their own accord. Introducing a profiling system would be a major undertaking, requiring primary legislation and substantial changes in procedures and schemes, both within the Department of Social and Family Affairs and in other agencies that provide services to people on social welfare. The scale of change is such that it would necessarily take some to time to implement.

The final report from the ESRI is due at the end of 2008. When the report is received, it will receive detailed consideration.