Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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257. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will take steps to ensure that all job activation measures are available to all unemployed persons, regardless of their live register status or their entitlement to receive payments from her Department or to sign for social insurance contribution credits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38199/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Given the scale of unemployment, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives has been to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. Accordingly, the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused, in the first instance, on the cohort of people who are unemployed and in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment.

For those in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance and Jobseeker's Benefit, it is a condition of their payment to engage in activation measures. Recipients of other payments, including disability allowance (DA) and the one parent family payment (OFP), can voluntarily avail of activation services and supports. The JobBridge internship scheme is now available to recipients of a wide range of payments (DA; OFP; 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.

In addition, unemployed persons (including those formerly self-employed) 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. Within this overall objective it is appropriate to provide priority for those who are in receipt of payments that are conditional on being unemployed.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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258. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she views restrictions on access to job activation measures and exclusion from the live register as potential human rights infringements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38200/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Given the scale of unemployment levels, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives has been to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments – Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance – that are conditional on the recipient being actively seeking and available for employment, as well as, in the case of Jobseeker’s Allowance, meeting a means test. The employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused in the first instance on this cohort of unemployed people.

Recipients of other payments, including disability allowance (DA) and the one parent family payment (OFP), can voluntarily avail of activation services and supports. The JobBridge internship scheme is now available to recipients of a wide range of payments (DA; OFP; Blind Persons Pension; Deserted Wives Allowance/ Deserted Wives Benefit; Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s contributory/non-contributory Pension).

Many services are available to the unemployed who are not in receipt of a 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.

In addition, unemployed persons (including those formerly self-employed) 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.

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 have signed 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. I am satisfied that the measures outlined above provide access to activation supports and services to facilitate all those seeking employment opportunities, while giving appropriate priority to those receiving payments that are conditional on being unemployed.