Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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336. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of participants in total that were recruited to the JobBridge scheme in 2013; if she will provide a breakdown on a county basis up to the end of 2013 in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1286/14]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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356. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a person on the Youthreach programme may take up a position on a JobBridge scheme without having to first claim jobseeker's allowance/benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55515/13]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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409. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason behind the requirement that a person be in receipt of a jobseeker's payment for a certain amount of time before they can take part in the JobBridge national internship scheme; her views on whether this requirement prevents jobseekers from gaining the experience they need to improve their employment prospects simply because they are not in receipt of financial support from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1727/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 336, 356 and 409 together.

JobBridge provides internship opportunities of either 6 or 9 months for unemployed individuals on the Live Register, in organisations in the private, public and community voluntary sectors and at present is targeted at individuals who are in receipt of certain qualifying social welfare payments (Jobseekers Allowance/Jobseekers Benefit/One Parent Family Payment/Disability Allowance) or are signing on for credits for at least 3 of the last 6 months (78 Days). Time spent on certain activation measures may count towards eligibility to participate on JobBridge, however an individual must have a live qualifying claim before commencing an internship placement. Further information on eligibility criteria is available on the JobBridge website at.

The eligibility to access JobBridge is based on the overall objective of labour market policy in ensuring a pathway to appropriate employment, training and education opportunities for those on the Live Register. JobBridge has been launched in this targeted way to allocate scarce exchequer resources fairly while ensuring that it does not replace or displace the normal operation of the labour market, which is an essential element of Ireland’s economic recovery.

The Department is determined to ensure that jobseekers are not disincentivised from seeking employment rather than internships. Internships, while an outstandingly positive addition to the Department’s labour market interventions, are not the only route into employment. Approximately 40% of people signing on the Live Register exit the Live Register within 3 months of signing-on, that is, before they are eligible for JobBridge. These criteria underpin the ethos of JobBridge and, for that reason, the Department does not allow for any exceptions in relation to these eligibility criteria.

The independent evaluation of JobBridge (conducted by Indecon Economic Consultants) found that 61.4% of former interns had progressed into paid employment within 5 months of completion of a JobBridge internship. These exceptionally high rates of progression into employment compare very favourably with similar schemes across Europe.

The Indecon evaluation clearly demonstrates that JobBridge is delivering for thousands of jobseekers by providing them with valuable opportunities to gain relevant work experience, knowledge and skills in a workplace environment

11,316 individuals started JobBridge internships in 2013. The following tabIe gives the breakdown by County.

Table 1 – JobBridge Starts in 2013