Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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129. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that transitioned from an activation programme to paid employment in 2015 and to date in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36622/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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While systemised data are not readily available on employment outcomes on all programmes, some indicative figures are available. For example:

- The evaluation of JobBridge by Indecon (report published October 2016), shows on the basis of self-reported survey results that 64.2% of interns were currently in employment at the time of the survey. Overall, individuals similar to those who participated in JobBridge had a 36.6% probability of securing employment within one year, whereas the JobBridge interns’ probability of securing employment within one year increased to 48.4% (an 11.8 percentage point difference and a 32% increase in the probability of becoming employed).

- JobsPlus provides subsidies to employers for the full-time employment of those formerly long-term unemployed on the Live Register. In October 2016 there were 4,323 participants benefiting from JobsPlus.

- During 2015 3,100 (31%) of Community Employment leavers were reported to have progressed into employment.

Although the labour market situation is improving considerably as the recovery continues, the Government recognises the importance of a continued focus on measures to facilitate unemployed people find and sustain employment. Ensuring that as many as possible of these jobs are taken up by unemployed people continues to be a major overarching objective of the activation policies set out in Pathways to Work 2016-2020.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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130. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that completed an activation programme and subsequently moved to another of his Department's activation programmes in 2015 and to date in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36623/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Given the need to manage the allocation of places effectively, the Department does not, in general, facilitate or encourage jobseekers to transfer from or leave one activation support scheme to take up a place on another activation support scheme.

While systematic data are not readily available on activation programme participants who subsequently move to another activation programme, some indicative figures are available. For example:

- The evaluation of JobBridge by Indecon (report published October 2016), shows on the basis of self-reported survey results that 3.1% of interns who had left JobBridge since it was established were on another employment activation scheme at the time of the survey.

- During 2015 600 (6%) Community Employment participants progressed on to education; some of these may have been supported under the DSP’s Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme.

- A small number of BTEA participants progress from second level options to third level options.

I am satisfied that the allocation of activation resources as well as case officers’ efforts to match clients to suitable programmes minimises unwarranted movement onto another activation programme.