Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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188. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which she expects back-to-work incentives to address the issue of the long-term unemployed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40374/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Government’s policy direction on labour market activation and stimulating employment growth is set out in Pathways to Work and the Action Plan for Jobs respectively. These policies are at the core of the Government’s strategies to get Ireland working again. The strategy outlined in Pathways is devised to ensure new job opportunities are made available to people on the live register with particular focus on the longer-term unemployed and that jobseekers are prepared to avail of work opportunities. Since the introduction of Pathways to Work, a significant transformation has already been delivered in the way the Department works with jobseekers and in its engagement with employers. This has resulted in the revision of a range of services and schemes and the provision of new incentives to jobseekers and employers.

The Department has rolled out new services through Intreo centres, 44 of which are now operational nationally, which provide for improved engagement with jobseekers and employers. Intreo centres offer one-to-one assistance to jobseekers by dedicated case officers. This includes the preparation of individual progression plans to identify opportunities and where skills need to be improved which will ultimately improve a jobseeker’s employment chances. Additionally, greater targeting of activation places, work placement schemes and other opportunities have been put in place for jobseekers allied to incentivising the take-up of employment opportunities.

The Department operates a range of employment support measures designed to encourage and support jobseekers to return to and remain at work, establish self-employment opportunities and engage in reskilling and upskilling. With respect to returning to work and upskilling, the Department along with the Department of Education and Skills under the back to education programme together provide a broad range of access and income support for jobseekers wishing to re-skill or take up a course of education and training. For jobseekers entering work, financial supports are provided in the form of family income supplement (FIS) for employees with families, including lone parents, to supplement income from work where this is low. Allied to this, an important new measure was announced in Budget 2015, called the back to work family dividend, which will help long-term jobseekers and lone parents with children return to work by allowing them to retain an element of the welfare payment previously paid in respect of dependent children. A part-time job incentive scheme is also available which allows long-term jobseekers to take up part-time employment for less than 24 hours per week and to continue to receive a weekly income supplement.

Those jobseekers wishing to pursue a self-employment option can retain all or part of their jobseekers payment for up to two years under the back to work enterprise allowance. An enterprise support grant was introduced during 2014 designed to provide small scale financial support to underpin the business start-up.

The Department continues to deepen its engagement with employers and to work with them to identify opportunities and what future skills needs will be required. JobsPlus is a targeted financial incentive designed to encourage employers to focus their recruitment activities on the long-term unemployed. At the end of September 2014, 3,000 longer-term jobseekers were being supported in work. A further expansion of JobsPlus was announced in Budget 2015 which will allow for double the number of jobseekers to be supported.

I will be announcing further enhancements to a range of schemes in the coming weeks to underpin the commitment to support young people who are unemployed. The Deputy should note that a significant range of supports are provided to people with disabilities and members of the Travelling community and to community enterprises to support employment.

Details of all schemes are available on the Department’s website , at any Intreo Centre or by contacting the information section on 01 704 3000 or 1890 66 22 44.