Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider reducing the criteria for eligibility to participate on the national internment scheme whereby eligibility for the scheme is confined to those on the Live Register and in receipt of jobseeker's allowance/benefit payments or signing for credits for 78 days of the past six months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29331/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The National Internship Scheme (JobBridge) was launched on 1st July 2011 and is open to organisations in the private, public and community or voluntary sectors. The Scheme provides internship opportunities of either 6 or 9 months for unemployed individuals at all skills levels. It aims to assist individuals in breaking the cycle where they are unable to get a job without experience by providing them with an opportunity to gain valuable experience, relevant knowledge and skills within a working environment.

The Scheme has made significant progress to-date. Currently, over 7,682 internships have commenced to date with 4,880 internships in place (as at 7th June 2012) and over 1,900 opportunities presently advertised on www.jobbridge.ie. Given the scale of the unemployment crisis, a key objective of our labour market policy is to keep those on the Live Register as close to the labour market as possible and to prevent the drift into long-term unemployment. This will help to ensure that individuals availing of activation measures such as JobBridge will, while retaining their unemployment payments and a top-up allowance of €50, get an opportunity to engage in the workplace, get work experience and so be in a position to avail of employment opportunities as the economy improves.

For these reasons, eligibility for JobBridge is targeted at those in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance, Jobseekers Benefit, One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance or signing for credits for 78 days of the last 6 months. Time spent on certain Government sponsored training may also be taken into account when calculating eligibility. Overall, the policy objective is to prioritise scarce resources at those in one of the above categories as to increase their chances of leaving the Live Register, thereby ensuring a reduction in Exchequer costs over time. My Department continues to monitor and review the operation of the JobBridge scheme on an on-going basis.