Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 201: To ask the Minister Social Protection the number of persons on the live register in each area throughout Co Kildare at present; the extent to which this has fluctuated over the past five years; the measures he has taken or proposes to take to address the issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19670/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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The table at Appendix A sets out the number of persons on the Live Register in each local Department of Social Protection office in Co Kildare at the end of April for each of the years 2005 to 2010. Year on year fluctuation by office at the end of April for each year during that period is also shown.

Income support for those who have lost their jobs is provided by my Department through Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance. While the primary responsibility for job creation rests with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, my Department has a role in supporting people from welfare to work.

Apart from providing people with access to financial support after losing their jobs, it is important that as many people as possible are kept in work and that support is available to help people move from welfare back into employment.

The National Employment Action Plan (NEAP), operated jointly with FÁS, is the main activation measure. Under the NEAP, everyone who is approaching three months on the live register is identified by the Department of Social Protection and referred to FÁS for interview with a view to assisting them enter/re-enter the labour market. In the period January to end of December 2009, a total of 86,782 persons were referred to FÁS under NEAP, an increase of 26,522 (44%) over the same period in 2008.

The Department also provides jobseekers with one-to-one assistance through its facilitator service. Facilitators work closely with FÁS and other agencies at a local level and help jobseekers develop individual progression plans to enhance their skills and ultimately improve their employment chances. From September 2008 to end of April 2010, facilitators dealt with over 32,000 cases under the Activation programme.

The Department operates a range of activation programmes and second chance education opportunities which assist unemployed people, and other social welfare recipients to improve their employability and personal and family situations.

My Department will also, under the new role it has been given, including responsibility for the employment services of FÁS and schemes such as the Community Employment and Rural Social Schemes, be much more directly involved in providing new opportunities to those who do not get full time employment.

The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance is designed to allow the unemployed to develop a business while allowing them to retain a reducing proportion of their qualifying social welfare payment, plus secondary benefits, over two years. At the end of March 2010, there were 5,137 people availing of the scheme. The Short Time Enterprise Allowance is payable to a person who qualifies for Jobseeker's Benefit and wishes to commence in self employment. This allowance is payable for the duration of their Jobseeker's Benefit entitlement. At the end of March 2010, there were 1,393 participants in the scheme.

The back to education allowance (BTEA) aims to give welfare recipients who left school early and those without third level qualifications a second chance to attain educational qualifications so as to reduce their risk of long term unemployment. The allowance is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to the maximum personal rate of the relevant social welfare payment that qualifies the application for participation in the scheme. 20, 808 people were in receipt of BTEA at the end of December 2009.

In addition, my Department, together with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, the Department of Education and Skills and FÁS supports the unemployed under a number of new measures. These include the Work Placement programme, the Short Time Work Training programme, the Back to College Initiative and the redundant apprentice programme.

The Government is providing, through FÁS, a total of 147,000 training and activation places for jobseekers. In addition, there were 166,000 places available, including additional provision, education programmes in 2009, while the number of third level places has also increased drastically over the past ten years.

The nature and structure of the supports provided by my Department to the people on the Live Register will continue to be monitored in the context of changes in the economic environment.

Appendix A