Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if the jobs initiative has had an impact on the live register to date. [21428/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Jobs Initiative recently announced by the Government contains additional labour market activation measures that aim to provide unemployed people with enhanced opportunities to maintain and develop their skills and competencies while also offering the possibility of securing valuable work experience. These measures will assist those seeking employment to maintain their links with the labour market while also improving their prospects of securing employment. The Jobs Initiative contains an additional 20,900 education, training and work experience places for the unemployed.

A key element of that initiative was the introduction by my Department of the National Internship Scheme (NIS) last month which will provide 5,000 places for internship opportunities of either 6 or 9 months in organisations in the private, public or community and voluntary sectors. These opportunities will provide participants with valuable work experience that will develop their skills and enhance their career prospects. The national internship scheme was launched earlier in July. In addition, from July 2, the rate of employers' PRSI on jobs paying up to €356 per week was halved to 4.25%, up to end 2013.

These measures and others announced as part of the jobs initiative, complement ongoing development in the labour market policy area. The 5,000 NIS places, for example, are additional to the 5,000 places announced under the Tús community work placement initiative in last December's Budget. My Department also operates a range of employment support measure designed to encourage and support social welfare recipients of working age to reduce their dependency on welfare payments. Supports available include the back to education allowance, the back to work schemes and employer job PRSI incentive scheme.

The measures announced under the Jobs Initiative, together with ongoing and planned further development of a range of activation and employment support measures, will have a significant impact on the Live Register, particularly in so far as they prepare unemployed people for jobs that will be generated as the economy improves.