Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 296: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if any analysis has been carried out on the most up to date unemployment figures in County Louth of 17,356; if she will provide a breakdown of the sectors in which the unemployed were previously employed; the measures she will take to reduce these unemployment figures in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29673/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The total number of persons on the Live Register in Local Offices in County Louth at the end of May 2012 was 17,356. The catchment area of these offices, particularly near the border of counties, may include addresses in neighbouring counties (e.g. Meath), and as such those signing on at a Local Office in Louth may not be resident in the county. A detailed breakdown of this number by Profession and Local Office is contained in the attached tabular statement.

There are two major elements to the Government's response to the unemployment crisis in Louth and elsewhere. These are the Action Plan for Jobs to create employment and the Pathways to Work Policy aimed at ensuring that as many as possible of job vacancies are filled by people from the live register. My colleague, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and his Department are primarily responsible for employment creation and for the Action Plan for Jobs, while the Pathways to Work initiative is primarily a matter for my Department.

There are five strands in the Pathways to Work policy:

· More regular and on-going engagement with the unemployed. The new National Employment and Entitlement Service will provide an integrated and more personalised service to unemployed people, with more regular and intensive engagement through the use profiling tools and case management systems.

· Greater targeting of activation places and opportunities. Over 85,000 places will be provided in training and education.

· Incentivising the take-up of opportunities. This will ensure that work pays by reviewing policies and schemes to ensure they are not seen as disincentives to taking up employment.

· Incentivising employers to provide more jobs for people who are unemployed . This involves rebuilding relations with and gaining the trust of employers both at local national levels. This also involves giving employers incentives such as the PRSI exemption scheme to employ people from the live register.

· Reforming institutions to deliver better services to the unemployed. The establishment of the NEES and the integration of the FÁS Employment Services and the Community Welfare Services into the Department are key element of this institutional restructuring. The establishment of SOLAS, the rationalisation of the VECs and the establishment of the new education and Training boards (ETBs) are also part of this structural reform.

I am confident that these two sets of initiatives will lead to a reduction in unemployment in Louth and elsewhere.

Number of People on Live Register by Local Office in Louth