Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 385: To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans for those at risk of long-term unemployment; the priority treatment these persons can look forward to receiving; and if she will ensure that the engagement will be on a purely voluntary basis. [21155/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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While the primary responsibility for job creation rests with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and agencies under its remit, the Department of Social Protection has a role in supporting people from welfare to work and operates a range of employment support measures 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 programmes and back to work schemes. In addition, a fully integrated nationwide range of services and supports is available to employers and jobseekers through FÁS Employment Services, responsibility for which has been transferred to this Department.

The National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) process is a key element in addressing the progression needs of those on the live register. It provides a stimulus to job search and affords an opportunity to explore and access, under professional guidance, a full range of employment and training services. Development of the NEAP is central to ongoing development in the labour market policy area and will be progressed within the framework of a new National Employment and Entitlements Service which, as provided for in the Programme for Government, is being established by the Department. The new service will integrate employment and benefit payment services, currently delivered by FÁS and the Department, respectively, within the Department and will be based on a case management approach with the objective of providing a more customised and personal service to customers.

In line with good international practice, this new service will focus primarily on activation. The objective is to encourage and enable customers to embark on developmental pathways appropriate to their needs; pathways to employment and /or training and/or personal development. The objective of the new service is to offer users a high level, personalised employment support 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. A key feature of the new service will be that customers will be expected to engage with these options in order to retain their entitlement to full benefit payments.

A number of pilot projects are ongoing in relation to the development of case management, the identification of those who are most at risk of falling into long-term unemployment, and the provision of appropriately tailored responses to their needs. These pilot projects will evaluated in the coming months after which approaches will be developed for their rollout nationwide as part of the national employment and entitlements service.

These developments are complimented by measures announced recently by the Government under the Jobs Initiative and include initiatives such as JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, which will provide 5,000 internship opportunities of 6 or 9 months in organisations in the private, public or community and voluntary sectors. Participants will retain their social welfare entitlement s and will also receive a 'top-up' of €50 per week. In addition, from July 2, the rate of employers PRSI on jobs paying up to €356 per week has been halved to 4.25%, up to end 2013.

All of the measures outlined will support people who are unemployed in acquiring the education and skills and work experience that will assist them in returning to employment while measures such as the PRSI reduction will encourage employers to new employment.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 386: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the structures that have been put in place to ensure that the Tús programme provides real training and leads to real employment for participants. [21154/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Tús is a community work placement initiative aimed at providing up to 5,000 short-term, quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. The initiative is being delivered through the network of local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta in Gaeltacht areas – referred to as Implementing Bodies. This initiative, with its clear focus on providing work placements, will improve the work readiness of people on the Live Register. As such, it does not have a training component outside of necessary task specific, health and safety and standard induction training requirements. Work placements are being identified in the not-for-profit, community and voluntary sectors across the country. Participants on Tús will have access to the range of other services in support of unemployed people that are already provided by the Implementing Bodies under other programmes.