Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the functions of the new national employment and entitlements service; the timeframe for its implementation and the division of responsibilities among the different Departments in relation to this new body. [6054/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Programme for Government states that a new National Employment and Entitlements Service will be established under the management of the Department of Social Protection. The objective is to integrate all employment and benefit support services in a single delivery unit which will provide a 'one stop shop' for people wishing to establish their benefit entitlements, seeking employment and, or, advice about their training options. The focus is very much on the individual and his/her right to a payment and the corresponding responsibility to engage in employment, training or upskilling, as appropriate, which should improve a person's life chances. It is clear that we are talking about a multi-annual programme of work which will involve development of a new service, the assignment of functions to the Service and the development of its organisation process and operational systems.

A number of streams of work are already underway which will facilitate the establishment of the integrated Service. The administration of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme has already been transferred to the Department of Social Protection with the secondment of the Community Welfare Service from the Health Service Executive since the beginning of this year. The intention is to have the staff fully integrated with the Department by the end of September this year. The transfer and integration of the employment and community employment services of FÁS to the Department is also underway and it is envisaged that the integration of staff will commence later this year.

A key objective of the Government in relation to the new service is that it will offer users a high level of personalised employment counselling and prioritise the provision of more intensive support for those on the live register who are identified as being most at risk of long-term unemployment. This will be achieved through the use of proactive approaches and modern case management systems. A number of pilot projects are already underway in relation to the development of case management, the identification of those who are most at risk of falling into long-term unemployment as well as improving information exchanges and communications between the different bodies which currently provide social welfare and employment services. These pilot projects will be completed and evaluated in the coming months after which approaches will be developed for their roll-out nationwide.