Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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31. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures she has taken to address the above average unemployment levels which persist in County Wexford; her plans to increase the number of activation case officers in County Wexford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2026/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The official measure of unemployment is sourced from the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS). The most recent data show that unemployment has fallen from a peak of 15% in 2012 to 6.2% by mid-2017. Numbers at work have increased from just over 1.83 million in Quarter 2, 2012 to 2.06 million in Quarter 2, 2017 – an increase of 227,000 persons. Within the South East region, which includes Wexford, unemployment has fallen from 19.0% to 8.1% over the same period, and numbers in employment have increased by 29,000 to 214,900. While data from the QNHS are not available at the county level, trends in the Live Register can give an indication of underlying trends in local unemployment. Overall, the Live Register in Wexford has fallen by almost 42% in the 5 years to December 2017, close to the reduction of 44% nationally. In the year to December 2017, the Live Register in Wexford has fallen by 1,707 people, or almost 14%, again closely in line with the national trend. The Government’s primary strategy to tackle unemployment since 2012 is twofold:

- Firstly, through policies set out in the Action Plan for Jobs, to create an environment in which business can succeed and create jobs. This policy now includes a specific regional Action Plan for the South East Region that has seen over 8,000 jobs created in the region in the last two years.

- Secondly, through Pathways to Work, my Department ensures that as many new jobs and vacancies as possible are filled by people taken from the Live Register. Under this policy, employment services and activation supports are heavily concentrated on the areas of highest unemployment, including those in Wexford.

To date, these policies have been effective in reducing unemployment, both nationally and in Wexford and I am confident that they will continue to do so.

Currently, there are 11 Activation Case Officers in Wexford. This is an increase of one in comparison to January 2017, when there were 10. Prior to the roll-out of Intreo, there were 8 Activation Case Officers in Wexford, including former FAS personnel and DSP Jobs Facilitators.

The Case Officer capacity is supplemented by referrals to Turas Nua under the Job Path programme and to Wexford Local Development which operates the Local Employment Service (LES) on behalf of the Department. Wexford Local Development is contracted to provide intensive supports to 960 customers and employs 8 mediators to support LES operations.

A total of 9,114 customer engagements were scheduled by Activation Case Officers in 2017 in addition to their work with employers. Local records indicate that approximately 5,300 referrals to Turas Nua took place over the course of the year.

My Department is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and the focus remains on ensuring that the best use is made of all available resources. Against that background, and a falling Live Register, there are currently no plans to increase the number of Activation Case Officers. However, the matter is kept under constant review in light of changing circumstances.