Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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303. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the programme for Government commitment on youth employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20849/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Government will spend over €500 million in 2014 on employment, education and training opportunities for young people. This will support the gradual implementation of the new Youth Guarantee which will seek to offer young people employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed. As part of the Intreo process young people will be prioritised for case officer support and personal progression planning.The Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan provides for 28,500 programme opportunities for unemployed young people in 2014. This figure excludes some 24,000 places provided for young people through PLC courses and apprenticeships. These PLC and apprenticeship places, together with the wide range of vocational third-level courses provided for the young, although not reserved for unemployed jobseekers, also contribute to the programme. In relation to the 28,500 places for unemployed young people, approximately 5,000 of these were taken up in the first four months of 2014. This is broadly in line with expectations, as some programmes such as the student intake on programmes such as the Vocational Training Opportunity Scheme (VTOS) and Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) are concentrated in September/October in line with the academic calendar. The table supplied displays the total number of under 25s who have started across the various programmes outlined in the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan in the first four months of 2014. A new intake of young people to the second iteration of the Momentum programme for long-term unemployed jobseekers is also scheduled for later in the year.

A further €2 million of the Garda Youth Diversion Projects funding will be used for future employment of young people at risk of becoming involved in anti-social and/or criminal behaviour.

In addition, it is important to note that some of the initiatives planned under the guarantee require primary legislation to allow positive discrimination on age grounds in the provision of employment services and supports. This legislation will be enacted as part of the Spring Social Welfare Bill due before the Oireachtas in June. Two employment schemes in particular, the Youth Guarantee developmental internship programme and the JobsPlus variant for young people, are dependent on this legislation being passed. The JobsPlus variant will be available as soon as possible after the relevant legislation has been cleared. The developmental internship which will include a pre-internship training period, will be in place no later than autumn. Passage of the legislation will also permit the introduction of earlier and more intensive engagement by INTREO with the young unemployed.

Under 25 starters on Youth Guarantee programmes, End April 2014