Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1176. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the arrangement between her Department, JobPath, a company (details supplied) and Turas Nua; the mandate that these companies have regarding jobseekers; the details of the contracts with these companies; if there is a pay by result remuneration for each jobseeker that gains employment through the scheme, if so, their salary and the reason it is required that jobseekers must sign a contract with these private companies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45663/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is a service that supports people who are long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. My Department has contracted two companies, Turas Nua Limited and Seetec Limited, to deliver JobPath services. The contracts are for six years comprising two consecutive phases, (phase one entails four years of client referrals while phase two entails a ‘run off’ period during which time no additional clients will be referred).

JobPath is a payment by results model with all costs are borne by the companies. JobPath is so structured that the contractors cannot recover their costs unless and until they assist jobseekers in securing sustainable jobs. Contractors are paid an initial registration fee and thereafter only receive a payment for periods of sustained full time paid employment up to a maximum of four payments i.e. at 13, 26, 39 and 52 weeks.

It is not intended to publish the individual fees agreed with the contractors as these are commercially sensitive and to do so would place the State at a disadvantage both in terms of the contracts now in place and any future procurement that may be undertaken.

Any person in receipt of a Jobseekers payment must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking employment, as provided in the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 as amended. They are also required to engage with my Department’s activation service and this obligation applies irrespective of whether the service is provided by my Department’s own case officers or those advisors employed by contracted service providers; such as companies delivering the Local Employment Service and JobPath services.

Participants with the JobPath service are not required to sign a contract with the JobPath companies but they are in the same manner as all customers referred to any the Department’s activation services requested to agree and sign a personal progression plan (PPP). The PPP which is a joint agreement between the customer and their personal advisor, is an integral part of the activation process. The PPP includes an agreed schedule of job-focused activities, actions and targets, personalised to take account of the person’s specific qualifications and employment preferences. The contents of the PPP may change during the person’s engagement with the service as they develop new skills or experience which may broaden their employment preferences.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.