Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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11. To ask the Minister for Defence the role the Defence Forces will play in supporting employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34449/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is recognised that the Defence Forces has a limited role in relation to the employment support agenda. Notwithstanding this however,in mapping out the future for Defence in the period ahead, the Government and I consider it important that the Defence Forces contribute to the Government’s commitment to a strengthened approach across the economy to social responsibility.Initiatives in this regard are already being undertaken by Defence across four different dimensions:

1.Maintaining and delivering employment opportunities through recruitment to the Defence Forces as recruits and cadets;

2. Delivering highly qualified and experienced personnel through the development and implementation of certified HETAC and FETAC training schemes within the Defence Forces;

3. Provision of intern, work experience and work placement opportunities for unemployed people including graduates;

4.Provision of advice and support to Enterprise Ireland-supported companies and research institutions in the defence and security sector in the area of research and innovation.

In addition, the Government has decided to put in place a new employment support initiative with the direct involvement of the Defence Forces. The initiative will draw on the acknowledged training skills and capacities of the Defence Forces. This initiative was announced in the White Paper on Defence which I launched in August of this year.

I see that the essential features of the initiative will be to provide a training intervention over a number of months drawing on Defence Forces’ skills, capacities and facilities. This will be aimed at a specific group in the 18-24 year old range who might otherwise struggle to break out of cycles of disadvantage. The initiative will provide the opportunity to participate in an employment skills-focused development programme provided by the Defence Forces. In this regard, the programme will seek to incorporate elements of distinct marketable and certifiable skills which will assist individuals both in their capacity to participate fully in society as well as their ability to obtain sustained employment or pursue further education for this purpose.

I expect that the initiative will involve interventions from a variety of competences and public sources built around and timed to ensure the successful completion of the programme by the individuals selected to participate. The Department of Social Protection will work with the Defence Forces to promote awareness of the initiative and will authorise the retention of any income support payments for the duration of the programme. It is expected that successful participation in the initiative will give participants improved prospects of competing for sustainable employment in the broader workforce.

I have set up a workgroup that includes representatives of the Defence Organisation and the Department of Social Protection and they are actively developing the detail of the initiative in consultation with key stakeholders. I expect that an initial pilot will take place in 2016.