John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on the businesses that are signing up to the jobbridge internship scheme; if they are providing relevant and high quality work experience to young persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41667/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The JobBridge Scheme has made significant progress to-date since it came into operation on the 1^st July 2011. 11,010 internships have commenced to date with 5,082 participants currently on an internship as at 11^th October 2012 and 2,253 internship opportunities presently advertised on . Our records indicate that a significant proportion of individuals who have completed their JobBridge internship placement have progressed into employment with either their host organisation or another employer. A clearer picture of the progression outcomes of interns will be made available shortly on foot of the Interim Evaluation Report conducted by Indecon.

In response to the Deputy’s other question, I wish to advise a variety of control measures and criteria have been introduced to ensure the integrity of the JobBridge Scheme. These ensure that the internship does not displace an existing position; provides appropriate training and development experience; and that appropriate mentoring and support is provided. Firstly, the Standard Agreement signed and agreed to by both the Intern and the Host Organisation upon commencement clearly states the terms of the internship; including the specific learning outcomes the intern will gain over the course of their internship.

Secondly, to ensure that both the host organisation and intern are abiding by the spirit and the rules of the scheme, the Department of Social Protection are involved in the continuous monitoring of internships. To-date, 95% of the 380 monitoring visits conducted have been satisfactory. It is important to highlight that remedial action is taken in the cases that are deemed unsatisfactory. Consequently any individual, who suspects that an internship may be in breach of the scheme’s criteria, including cases of suspected displacement and quality, may contact the JobBridge team. All such matters are fully investigated.