Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the way she envisages profiling first time jobseeker claimants that incentivise people back to education or training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17030/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Department collects information from jobseekers 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.

Claims for jobseeker payments are processed in the department's local offices. Each claimant is advised of the range of employment support services operated by the department and of relevant services provided by other agencies. Claimants are also advised that there are facilitators available who can help them to explore the range of work and educational options available from the department and other agencies.

The department's facilitator network works with social welfare recipients to identify appropriate training or development programmes which will enhance the skills that individuals have and ultimately improve their employment chances as well as help them continue to develop personally. Facilitators are working closely with FÁS and other agencies at national and local level to identify appropriate education, training and development opportunities.

The National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) operated jointly with FÁS is the main activation measure for jobseekers. Under the Plan, all persons between the ages of 18 and 65 years who are approaching 3 months on the Live Register are identified by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and referred to FÁS for interview with a view to assisting them enter/re-enter the labour market. FÁS will also provide a range of certified, short, flexible, modular programmes designed to upskill redundant workers so that they can enhance their prospect of securing employment. The frequency and range of programmes in place will be expanded over the coming months.

The department has been engaged in customer profiling with the ESRI, the objective of which is to identify metrics other than duration of unemployment to target additional supports for people at risk of becoming long-term unemployed and to do so much earlier than is possible at the moment.