Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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262. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department has an obligation to advise jobseekers who are taking up employment that they may have an entitlement to certain payments such as the back to work family dividend scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20269/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Department operates a network of some 120 Intreo centres and Branch offices throughout the country. These offices provide information on the wide range of schemes and services provided by the Department. Frontline staff are available to give timely and accurate advice to people who contact any of the Department’s offices on the various supports and services available including back to work family dividend to customers.

Customers also have access to the various scheme guidelines, information leaflets and application forms on the Department’s website and if necessary they can contact their local office in relation to their particular circumstances.

Furthermore the activation process provides a professional employment service to help unemployed jobseekers secure and sustain suitable employment and by so doing achieve financial self-sufficiency. This function is carried out by Case Officers of my Department, the Local Employment Service and JobPath and can include advice and information on income supports, training and development opportunities, employment support, career guidance services and job placements.

The Department offers a range of pro-employment incentives to assist and support jobseekers in the transition from unemployment to employment and to preserve the incentive for the employee to remain in employment where he/shemight only be marginally better off than if he or she were unemployed and claiming social welfare.

Such incentives include the Back to Work Family Dividend and this support is designed to further improve the incentive of taking up employment for people with children via the retention of the child-related element of their welfare payments for a set time.

During the course of the engagement between the Case Officer and the jobseeker all possible pro-employment incentives are explored and explained to the jobseeker and the advantages and benefits of suitable employment take up are promoted as an integral part of the activation interaction.