Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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109. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to allow self employed persons who are seeking work but ineligible for a social assistance payment to be eligible for schemes or employment when being on the live register is a requirement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39916/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Given the scale of the unemployment crisis, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments. Accordingly the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused, in the first instance, on this cohort of unemployed people. It is recognised, however, that not all unemployed people (including those previously self-employed) are dependent on the State for financial support and some services (for example assistance with job search activities, use of online job search tools) are available to such people if they register with the Department’s employment services offices.

Unemployed persons (including those previously self-employed) not in receipt of payments may also be eligible to avail of up-skilling opportunities, for example through FÁS training or through further or higher education courses, but will not be eligible to receive a training allowance while undertaking such training.

Access to employment or work-experience-based programmes, involving the payment of a supplement to participants’ basic jobseekers’ payments, continues to be confined to unemployed persons who are in fact in receipt of such payments.