Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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482. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to change the jobs initiative scheme; the reason persons working on the scheme are being asked to transfer from their existing contracts to one year contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50755/17]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Job Initiative (JI) scheme was launched by FÁS in 1996 and transferred to my Department with effect from 1 January 2012. A Memorandum of Agreement for the contract period is completed annually by both my Department and the sponsoring organisations (called Managing Agents) and my Department provides financial funding to schemes towards administration costs, participant and supervisor wages.

Recruitment to JI effectively ceased with effect from 10 November 2004 when the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment announced that, following a review of FÁS employment schemes, there would be no compulsory lay-offs from JI and that those on JI would have their contracts renewed. This had the result that those already working on the scheme could remain on JI until they either resigned voluntarily or reached retirement age. However, employees have an obligation to fulfil the terms of their employment contracts and abide by the Managing Agents’ procedures.

There are no plans to change the JI scheme and participants will continue to renew their contracts on an annual basis, as required under the JI guidelines.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.