Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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141. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of Intreo case workers employed to deal with customers between 16 and 25 years of age; the cost to the State of every case worker; the number of cases each case worker is assigned; if all offices have been converted to Intreo offices; and if not, which offices are remaining. [44231/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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At the end of October 2015, the total number of Case Officers (whole-time equivalents), including vacancies, stood at 554. The number of Case Officers assigned to a given area is kept under review in the context of local demand for services.

Case Officers provide activation and case management services to a range of clients, including jobseekers under 25 years of age. The number of clients assigned to an individual Case Officer will vary according to local circumstances and activities. As newly unemployed Jobseekers are a priority cohort for activation and case management, local inflow to the Live Register is a key factor in relation to the numbers of such clients requiring referral to individual Case Officers. Unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 also have access to dedicated measures, such as JobsPlus Youth (recruitment subsidy) and First Steps Youth Developmental Internship.

The vast majority of Case Officers are Higher Executive Officers. The figure used by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for the annual cost of a whole-time Higher Executive Officer (including pensions, PRSI and overheads) is currently €74,447.

All but five INTREO locations have been completed by the Office of Public Works. The five pending completion are Carrigaline, Thurles, Letterkenny, Edenderry and Navan. Of these, all but Navan are scheduled for completion by year end, with planned “go-live” in the New Year.