Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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67. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his views on complaints arising from the operation of JobPath. [36031/16]

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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102. To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to review the procedures used by Turas Nua and Seetec under JobPath in view of ongoing concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36019/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 102 together.

Some 60,000 jobseekers have engaged with JobPath since the service commenced in July 2015 with only 145 complaints recorded. This is 0.2% of the total. The majority of the complaints were about people’s initial reluctance to engage with the service or in respect of individual customer experience. All complaints have been resolved or are in the process of being resolved.

Under JobPath client engagement is more frequent and more intensive. Some people may have difficulty in adjusting to a new regime especially those who have not had any meaningful activation support for a considerable period. JobPath tries to give people a sense of structure which they will need if they are to re-engage with the workforce

Every participant on the JobPath Service is provided with a service guarantee - a baseline level of service including, frequency of engagement, personal progression planning, geographic accessibility and in-employment support. The JobPath companies may refer jobseekers to training interventions where this assists employment prospects.

The companies are subject to regular checks and inspections. In addition, my Department has commissioned a client satisfaction survey to ensure that services are being delivered satisfactorily. The results of this survey are expected before year end.

Overall the response to JobPath has been quite positive and initial indications, in terms of employment outcomes, are also very encouraging. I am therefore satisfied, at this point in time, that the JobPath service is being delivered in a satisfactory manner that meets the needs of jobseekers.