Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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710. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the reason persons in receipt of social welfare payments have received letters inviting them to join the Army; the authorisation which was granted in respect of this Army recruitment and by whom; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6955/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I want to inform the Deputy that no letter was sent to persons in receipt of social welfare payments inviting them to join the Army. A letter of invitation to attend information sessions on a Defence Forces Employment Support Scheme issued to persons aged between 18 and 24 years selected from the Live Register in counties Clare and Limerick. Relevant details are provided below for the Deputy’s information. The Programme for a Partnership Government and the White Paper on Defence committed the Government to putting in place a new employment support scheme with the direct involvement of the Defence Forces.

The objective of this scheme is to help develop a path to economic independence for participants, aged between 18 and 24 years, who are at a serious disadvantage owing to their current socio-economic situation. The scheme is designed with the specific aim of equipping participants with life and other marketable and certifiable skills which will assist them both in their capacity to participate fully in society as well as their ability to enter the workforce and or to pursue further education for this purpose. Participation in the scheme is voluntary.

The scheme and the programme content have been developed through detailed discussions involving the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces, the Department of Social Protection and the Dublin and Dun-Laoghaire Education and Training Board. The Department of Social Protection identifies suitable participants. Participants retain any Department of Social Protection benefits that they are currently entitled to for the duration of the Scheme. Participants do not receive any payment from the Department of Defence.

The scheme is a training programme of ten (10) weeks duration, consisting of five (5) weeks of training delivered by the Defence Forces interspersed with five (5) weeks of educational orientated training by the Education and Training Board.

A successful pilot programme was held in Gormanston Camp from Monday 20 June 2016 to 26 August 2016 with 25 participants. Following an evaluation of the pilot programme and Ministerial approval, the current plan is to run up to 2 iterations of programme in 2017.

A programme will commence in Limerick on 22 May 2017. The Department of Social Protection invited 1,006 persons selected from the Live Register in counties Clare and Limerick aged between 18 and 24 years to attend information sessions about the scheme.

260 persons attended the information sessions which were held on 16 and 17 January 2017 which were conducted jointly by personnel from the Defence Forces and Department of Social Protection.  There are 30 places on the programme and the selection process is ongoing.

Let me reiterate that the letter inviting people to attend the information session was not an invitation to join the army and does not form part of any recruitment campaign to the Defence Forces.