Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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248. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will address concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31644/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment.

While with JobPath, customers are assigned to a personal advisor who will assess their skills, experience, challenges and work goals and agree a personal progression plan. They are provided with a range of supports based on an assessment of their individual needs. They may also be referred to relevant, employment focused, training opportunities provided by Education and Training Boards and others.

Although customers on the JobPath service do not have access to the Training Support Grant (TSG) provided by the Department, the JobPath providers will on a case by case basis provide similar funding and arrange and pay for specific skills training where a job opportunity has been identified by the customer or where an intervention will enable an application for work to be made.

This is similar to the TSG where funding is available if an intervention is identified, the jobseeker is required to provide reasonable evidence of need, in the form of a potential job offer or a requirement to maintain or achieve accreditation.

If the Deputy wishes to provide more detail into the case history raised, I will ask one of my officials to investigate their concerns.