Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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411. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the safeguards he has put in place to assure jobseekers who have been selected for the JobPath activation scheme that they will not end up being forced into unsuitable and inappropriate jobs; if this can be avoided given that participation in JobPath is mandatory; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22124/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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All jobseekers are required to engage with the department’s activation service and this obligation applies irrespective of whether the service is provided by the department’s own case officers or those employed by the Local Employment Service or by JobPath. A jobseeker’s payment is conditional on a person seeking employment and being willing to take up suitable employment.

The suitability of employment is a key factor in ensuring that jobs are sustainable. If people are not placed into suitable jobs they are less likely to remain in employment and the JobPath companies will get fewer fees. The fees are payable only in respect of sustained full-time employment.

The JobPath companies work closely with employers to provide them with the best possible candidates for available jobs. It is not in the interests of the JobPath companies to place unsuitable candidates into inappropriate jobs as this will have adverse effects on the companies’ ability to secure jobs for its other clients.

The JobPath companies are subject to regular on-site checks and inspections to ensure that JobPath is delivered in accordance with contractual obligations. My Department is also commissioning customer satisfaction surveys to independently assess if customers are satisfied with the level, and quality, of service delivered by the companies. Failure by the companies to satisfy my Department’s inspectors or to achieve a satisfactory score in the independent survey will result in payment penalties being applied.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.