Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 96: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the additional supports that have been given to job facilitators to deal with the increased demand for access to support [15433/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The Department's facilitators work with social welfare recipients of working age, including people in receipt of jobseekers payments, people parenting alone, people in receipt of disability welfare payments and people providing care, to promote participation and social inclusion.

Facilitators help people to identify appropriate training or development programmes which will enhance the skills that the individual has and ultimately improve their employment chances, as well as help them to continue to develop personally. Facilitators develop individual progression plans with the customer. They are located throughout the country and are assigned to cover defined geographical areas. They work closely with FÁS and other agencies at a local level to identify and target appropriate education, training and development opportunities.

In the current economic climate the demand for the facilitator service is elevated. Facilitators make every effort to contact customers as quickly as possible.

A formal targeted programme of activation was introduced under the National Development Plan (NDP). Under this programme, the Department actively selects cases for referral to facilitators. Over 22,000 cases were referred to facilitators during 2009.

The facilitator service was enhanced under the National Development Plan (NDP) Social and Economic Participation Programme. 24 additional facilitators have been appointed since September, 2008. There are 62 currently serving (full time equivalent 60.4 posts). It is intended to increase the number to 70 posts. Clerical support for facilitators is provided centrally by Employment Support Services section.

Under the Technical Assistance and training scheme (TATS), a welfare recipient may qualify for a grant up to a maximum of €1,000. The grant is mainly targeted towards certain business start-up expenses of clients in receipt of the back to work enterprise allowance scheme. This fund is designed to enhance the person's prospects of succeeding in becoming independent of the social welfare system through support for training in the areas of starting a business, book-keeping/accounts, preparation of business plans, marketing, literacy and computer training or assistance with the purchase of small items of equipment.

A total of €3.5m was spent under the technical assistance and training scheme in 2009.

The number of facilitators in place, their workload, and the effectiveness of the service will continue to be monitored.