Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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309. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the extent to which job creation efforts are focused on youth and long-term unemployment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18085/14]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government continues to address the needs of the long-term and youth unemployed through the combined strategies of the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work. The aim of the Action Plan for Jobs is to improve the operating environment for businesses, to enable companies to start-up, grow and create jobs. The objective of Pathways to Work – which has a particular focus on supporting those who are long-term unemployed - is to ensure that as many jobs as possible are filled by people from the Live Register.

There are a number of actions in both the Action Plan and Pathways to Work which are targeted at, or amenable to, younger people and the long term unemployed. These include the JobBridge internship programme, the JobsPlus initiative, the Youth Guarantee, the Momentum and Springboard training courses, and the ICT Action Plan. These initiatives are collectively delivered by the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Education and Skills.

The JobsPlus Initiative, which was launched last year, provides a financial support to employers who recruit a person who has been unemployed for 12 months or more.

The Government is also increasing the number of training places available for young people this year. For example, the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs includes a commitment to ring-fence 2,000 places for people under 25 years of age under the new iteration of the Momentum programme this year.

Within my own Department, there is a strong emphasis on supporting entrepreneurship this year, and the range of supports available to entrepreneurs - including young entrepreneurs - is being increased. A key initiative in 2014 under the Action Plan for Jobs is the establishment of a new Youth Entrepreneurship Fund.

We are also continuing to improve access to finance for small businesses and new entrepreneurs, including through the Microenterprise Loan Fund. The Local Enterprise Offices which have been formally established today will be the local hub for enterprise support, delivering a comprehensive ‘first stop shop’ service to local entrepreneurs and businesses.

The latest Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) figures show that in the year to Quarter 4 2013, the number of people who were long-term unemployed decreased by 20,900. This is reflected in a drop in the long term unemployment rate from 8.2% to 7.2% year-on-year. The unemployment rate for those aged 15-24 years decreased from 27.2% to 24.2% in the same period.

We will continue to build on this progress through the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work to ensure that more employment opportunities are available to all those who are seeking work, particularly young people and the long-term unemployed.