Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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18. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his views on whether it is appropriate for his Department to insist persons who are unemployed are sent on training courses to an organisation (details supplied) that professes itself to operate with a Christian ethos; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18772/16]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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20. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he funds in any way an organisation (details supplied); and if so, if he is monitoring the success it has in helping persons currently unemployed achieve employment. [18771/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 20 together.

Job Clubs assist “job-ready” jobseekers to secure paid employment in the open labour market. Job Clubs provide formal workshops, one-to-one engagements, CV preparation and a ‘drop-in’ facility where jobseekers can get advice and share experiences with other jobseekers.

Community Employment is an employment programme which helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. The programme assists them to enhance and develop both their technical and personal skills which can then be used in the workplace.

Job Clubs and CE schemes are operated by a variety of organisations from the not for profit and voluntary sector including community organisations and trade unions and in the case raised by the Deputy a church based group. The Department contracts with these organisations for a specific purpose and monitors their delivery of services.

For Jobs Clubs, the achievement of key performance indicators, as set out in the contract, are monitored on a regular basis. The key performance indicators are:

- Throughput, which is the number of job seekers who avail of the service, both formal workshops and ‘one to one’ sessions

- A target of 40% of jobseekers placed into employment from formal workshops

- A target of 40% of jobseekers placed into employment from One-to-One engagement

In addition, each Job Club is subject to an annual review.

The organisation in question has operated a Job Club and CE scheme successfully for many years. It is meeting its targets and the Department is not aware of any complaints regarding the approach it takes to providing services.