Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills aside from Springboard, the number and nature of any new education and training places associated with Pathways to Work that were not already announced or allocated in advance of it. [11883/12]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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In the Programme for Government we undertook to introduce a better approach to how the State engages with and supports the unemployed to get back into the workforce. The approach set out in Pathways to Work is to build on existing Government policies to ensure that as many new job opportunities as possible are filled by those on the Live Register. Pathways to Work points out that at a time of reducing resources the Government is committed to maintaining the resourcing of a significant number of Training and Education places in 2012. Provision is being made for some 457,400 places. Pathways to Work also contains details of job placement, work experience and back to education supports for over 85,000 beneficiaries through the Department of Social Protection.

Pathways to Work sets out the mechanism through which supports will be made available to those that are unemployed. People will be referred to education, training or Department of Social Protection supports as appropriate. Accordingly the issue of the announcement of a specific number of "Pathways to Work" places in particular programmes does not arise.