Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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25. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when the new framework around the Pathways to Work 2016 to 2020 will be published; if there will be stakeholder consultation, and if she expects that there will be major changes to the current framework. [33145/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The current Pathways to WorkStrategy covers the period to end 2015. It set out a significant process of reform and modernisation of Ireland’s of Public Employment Services and has contributed substantially to the improvement in activation processes in Ireland, as recently acknowledged by the OECD. I am pleased to say that targets set out in Pathways to Work in relation both to process reforms and in particular employment outcomes for unemployed jobseekers have been achieved, or are in line to be achieved, by the end of 2015.

An updated Pathways to Work2016-2020 strategy is under development within the Department of Social Protection and it is intended to bring this strategy to Government for approval within the next four to five months. Towards this end the department has commenced a consultation process with stakeholders. A detailed survey issued to c 200 stakeholders in July and the department will host a consultation forum on 9 October next to provide feedback on the responses received and to provide stakeholders with a further opportunity to inform the development of the updated strategy.

While the new strategy is still being formulated I expect that it will reflect labour market changes in our economy. In particular whereas the existing strategy was formulated during a period of very high unemployment and focussed on supporting people who are unemployed the new strategy is likely, given the reduction in unemployment and ongoing growth in employment, to augment this focus by, in addition, seeking to support an increased level of labour market participation in order to ensure that economic growth can be sustained.