Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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266. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection in view of a recent ruling by the Equality Tribunal which found that her Department’s approach to accessing job activation measures implied an assumption that only people on the live register are unemployed, if she will amend the practices of her Department and ensure that all people who are unemployed have access to job activation measures even if they are not on the live register; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31848/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The case that the Deputy refers to was initiated in 2011 in reference to participation on the JobBridge Scheme. The scheme was first introduced on 1 July 2011, with the objective of bringing unemployed jobseekers on the Live Register closer to the labour market by providing them with the opportunity to develop new skills as well as enhancing existing ones, through the provision of a quality work experience placement. As of 17 September 2015, more than 42,700 internship placements had commenced and there are currently 4,613 participants on the programme.

Eligibility for participation on the JobBridge Scheme was initially confined to people in receipt of unemployment payments (i.e. Jobseekers Benefit/Jobseekers allowance) or signing for credits for at least 78 days within the last 6 months, the criteria for which included the requirement that a person must be available for work.

However, on 28 May 2012, the eligibility criteria for participation on JobBridge was extended to include customers in receipt of Disability Allowance (DA) and One Parent Family Payment (OPFP), schemes for which payment was not dependent on recipients being available to work. On 1 May 2015, the scheme was extended further to include individuals in receipt of Blind Persons Pension/ Deserted Wives Allowance/ Deserted Wives Benefit/Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s contributory/non-contributory Pension. Recipients of these payments are not counted on the Live Register but are eligible to participate on the JobBridge scheme.

In addition, unemployed persons not in receipt of qualifying payments may be eligible to avail of up-skilling opportunities, for example through ETB training for unemployed people (at present there are 1,009 upcoming day courses and 552 upcoming evening courses). Although not eligible to receive a training allowance while undertaking the course, they may receive some support for expenses on travel, meals and accommodation. Springboard and Skillnets courses for unemployed people, funded through the Department of Education and Skills, are also open to people regardless of their social welfare status.

Many other services are also available to people who are not in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. For example employment services, such as advice on job-search activities and the use of online job search tools, are available to people if they register with the Department’s employment services offices regardless of their social welfare status.

An unemployed person who does not qualify for a social welfare payment due to the assessment of their means may be eligible to sign for social insurance contribution credits. Persons who sign for credits for three months (78 days) of the last six months are eligible to participate in the JobBridge programme. Persons signing on for credits for 12 months or longer over the previous 18 months are entitled to participate on Momentum courses through Solas, provided that they have been actively seeking work, however they will not receive any payment. Persons signing for credits for six months or more are entitled to participate on ETB-run VTOS courses subject to availability. In the case of VTOS courses, participants do not receive a training allowance but may receive travel and lunch allowances.

In short, the Government is committed to supporting as many people as possible to participate more fully in employment and to become more self-sufficient by providing supports that address barriers they may encounter in finding and sustaining employment.