Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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258. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans for the development of the local employment services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31821/15]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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259. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons engaged in the advice and guidance service of the local employment services in each of the past three years; the way outcomes are measured; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31822/15]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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260. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans to retain the services of the local employment service in view of her development plans for her Department as a whole; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31823/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 258 to 260, inclusive, together.

Local Employment Services (LES) have been in existence since 1995 and have been contracted since 2000, initially by FAS and latterly, beginning in 2012, by the Department of Social Protection. Their purpose is to provide the same range of employment activation services that are provided by the Department’s Intreo Centres with the aim of helping jobseekers to enter or return to employment and providing specialist high quality support to those most disadvantaged in the labour market.

The department has engaged 22 contractors [21 local development companies (LDCs) and 1 community organisation] for the provision of LES in 25 locations. The staffing the contractors have put in place is as follows:

The mediators provide the advice and guidance to jobseekers while the other staff provide administrative support. Outcomes are measured by recording the progress a client has made at the end of their engagement with the service. Progression is recorded either through an education/training intervention, which enhances a person’s skill set in the labour market, or by a placement into employment.

The Department has allocated an annual budget of c. €19M for LES which represents a significant investment in the service and demonstrates the Department’s continued reliance on LES to provide services to people who are unemployed. There are no plans at present to reduce or otherwise make any significant changes to the Department’s use of LES.