Nicky McFadden (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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641. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of integrated employment and support service Intreo offices operating here; if further offices will open this year; where those offices will open; if she will report on the success of Intreo offices so far in providing income and employment supports to job seekers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35172/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The delivery of the Intreo service comprises a number of elements. The main elements being:

i. The integration of the various welfare decision making processes to speed up decision making and minimise recourse to supplementary welfare payments.

ii. The introduction of a profiling process to capture the unique characteristics and service requirements of each jobseeker.

iii. The implementation of a systematic group activation engagement and one to one process based on clients' profiles.

iv. The delivery of a 'one-stop-shop' service from an integrated office location.

Elements (i) to (iii) are being rolled out, are already in place in many offices and will be in place in all offices by the end of the year.

The delivery of over 60 One-Stop-Shop Intreo Offices is a major logistical property project for the Department and the Office of Public Works which is responsible for the provision of the Department's property requirements, including refurbishment and fit out works. The Intreo Project requires the acquisition and development of some new properties and the re-modelling and refurbishment of others. All of this also entails the re-accommodation of staff including the transfer and set-up of IT, furniture and other utilities across multiple locations.

Notwithstanding the complexity of such a large property programme, twelve offices are now providing the full Intreo service. Preparations are underway in other offices and it is expected that a total of 43 offices will be delivering the full Intreo service by the end of 2013. The plans for the remainder of 2013 are now being finalised and details of the office locations to which the new service will be rolled out will be published in due course.

The rollout of Intreo offices is key to delivering on the Pathways to Work strategy. There are five strands to the Pathways approach relating to:

1. Engagement with people who are unemployed.

2. The provision of activation places and opportunities.

3. Incentivising the take-up of opportunities.

4. Working with employers.

5 Reforming institutions.