Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the 2012 targets set for her Department for implementation of the Jobs Action Plan; if she will report on the attainment or otherwise of these targets; the reason targets were not met; the steps she is taking within her Department to create new jobs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1277/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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There were two specific areas under the Action Plan for Jobs 2012 with actions falling within the remit of my Department. These related to Building Competitive Advantage and Enterprise Employment Expansion Supports. The Building Competitive Advantage action related to aligning skills with enterprise needs, involving reviewing structures and funding of youth work and support services to ensure they support the development of the skills needed by enterprises. My Department is currently finalising a Children and Young People's Policy Framework and the review of youth programmes will be informed by this new Policy Framework. This is expected to be followed by the introduction of more streamlined and effective youth programmes.

In addition, my Department was involved, together with the Department of Social Protection, in examining the availability of affordable childcare for people on lower incomes to determine whether existing schemes could be expanded to support people to take up employment. Following an examination of childcare options, a decision was taken as part of Budget 2013 to introduce a new school age childcare programme which will be targeted at parents in receipt of benefits who take up employment. The Programme will commence in September 2013, and there will be a pilot phase from March 2013.

The Government is currently preparing further plans for job creation under an Action Plan for Jobs 2013 which will be published in the coming weeks and my Department will continue to support job creation initiatives by providing specific key supports in the form of:

- youth work services which develop young people’s skills, thereby improving their employability and helping to address the issue of youth unemployment;

- a specific Budget initiative being jointly implemented with the Department of Social Protection to provide access for parents taking up employment to school age child care places; and

- early childhood care and education programmes which target subsidised childcare places towards low-income parents in employment, education or training.

In addition, there are other Department programmes which will indirectly generate economic activity, employment and labour market support including a construction project at the Children’s Detention Schools in Oberstown, Co. Dublin and an Area Based Poverty initiative which, as well as providing employment in local areas selected, will address social disadvantage amongst children and families in order to improve poverty and life chances.