Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason persons on one-parent family payments are ineligible for the JobBridge scheme; her plans to revise the eligibility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38437/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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My Department continues to monitor and review the operation of the JobBridge scheme, including its eligibility criteria, on an ongoing basis. However, there are no plans to amend the following participant eligibility criteria:

· currently be in receipt of a live claim (Jobseekers Allowance/Jobseekers Benefit/Signing for Social Insurance Contribution Credits) on the Live Register; and

· have been in receipt of Jobseekers Benefit, Jobseekers Allowance or signing for Social Insurance Contribution Credits for a total of 78 days or more in the last 6 months.

Given the scale of the unemployment crisis, one of the objectives of labour market policy is to keep those on the Live Register close to the labour market and prevent their drift into long-term unemployment. For these reasons, the eligibility for the JobBridge scheme is confined to those whose primary payment is a Jobseekers payment and who are on the Live Register. In so designing the scheme, the policy objective is to prioritise scarce resources on those on the Live Register so as to increase their chances of leaving it and ensure a reduction in exchequer costs over time.

Individuals in receipt of One Parent Family Payment may access a wide range of activation supports including the FÁS Work Placement Programme, which is designed to provide participants with valuable work experience, thereby improving their prospects of securing employment.