Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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251. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider providing a travel allowance for participants on the Gateway scheme who are living in a rural area and cannot avail of a bus service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12177/15]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Gateway is part of a suite of interventions funded by the Department that are designed to meet the priorities established by Government in Pathways to Work. It provides short-term, quality work opportunities with local authorities for those who are long-term unemployed.

A person in receipt of jobseeker's payment is required to take up reasonable offers of work or training in order to retain entitlement to that payment. Local Authorities have been advised to be flexible with regard to placements and, where possible, to seek to ensure persons are placed within their local area. While there is no provision for a travel allowance for participants on the Gateway scheme, that does not preclude local authorities from making arrangements to support participants to engage in work by providing transport that is ordinarily available to its existing workforce.