Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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38. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the problem with JobBridge whereby persons who take the initiative and secure temporary employment in a sector which is unrelated to their main area of interest or area of qualification are subsequently unable to take up positions on JobBridge which arise in their area of interest without leaving the current employment and remaining on the live register for three months; if it will be possible to introduce greater flexibility in such cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17689/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Participation in JobBridge is limited to individuals who are in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Jobseeker’s Benefit, One Parent Family Payment or Disability Allowance, or are signing on for credits for at least 3 months, that is 78 days, within the last 6 months. Those who take up casual or temporary employment may accrue eligibility for JobBridge while engaged in casual or temporary employment, although the days when they are in employment may not count for eligibility purposes. JobBridge requires interns to work for 30-40 hours per week. If they can meet that requirement, individuals are not absolutely precluded from continuing temporary or casual employment while on JobBridge, although it may impact upon their basic Social Welfare payments.

JobBridge is a highly flexible and highly effective labour market intervention. Since its inception, 27,781 interns have participated in the scheme, with 6,666 interns currently participating and 2,482 internship opportunities currently advertised on the JobBridge website. If the Deputy has a specific query in relation to an individual, the Department will be happy to assist on receipt of the details.