Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 459: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she is taking on foot of the recent Economic and Social Research Institute report, National Profiling of the Unemployed in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37302/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The objective of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report "National Profiling of the Unemployed in Ireland" is to identify metrics other than duration of unemployment to target additional supports for people at risk of becoming long-term unemployed. The report quantifies the relative impact of a range of factors which contribute to long-term unemployment. These factors include low education levels, poor literacy or numeracy, advanced age or a history of unemployment periods in recent years. Accurate and relevant profiling can lead to early, targeted interventions for the prevention of long-term unemployment.

This comprehensive study, which also looks at international practice in the area of early intervention and profiling models, will prove very significant in targeting scarce resources at those who are furthest from the labour market. In order to ensure the progression of the profiling initiative, legislative provision for capturing profile data and for its use in selecting claimants for intervention was made in the Social Welfare Pensions Act earlier this year. The Department is examining the other process changes required for the implementation of profiling of the unemployed, such as capturing relevant information at initial claim stage.