Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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489. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of sanctions and-or penalties applied to the benefits of jobseekers applied in each of the years 2010 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [40936/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Penalty rates were introduced in 2011 as a means of encouraging jobseekers to engage with activation measures and to co-operate with efforts of the Department to assist them in securing employment. The Department is committed, under Pathways to Work, to incentivise the take-up of activation opportunities, including implementing sanctions for failure to engage.

The legislation underpinning the application of penalty rates is provided for in the Social Welfare Act. Penalty rates can only be applied in specific circumstances and the decision to impose a penalty can only be made by a Deciding Officer of the Department. If dissatisfied with that decision it is open to the Jobseeker to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

Details of the numbers of penalty rates applied in the specific years and up to 9^thSeptember 2018 are listed in the table.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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490. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of sanctions and-or penalties applied to jobseekers on foot of information supplied by JobPath providers since the commencement of the JobPath programme by year in tabular form. [40937/18]

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 obtain and sustain paid employment. The service was launched in 2015 on a ‘rolling basis’ with referral numbers gradually increasing over time.

JobPath providers do not apply or recommend the application of a penalty rate of payment. They simply advise the Department if a jobseeker is failing to attend activation meetings without good cause. The application of penalty rates is entirely a matter for my Department and officials involved will take all relevant factors into account.

The process for sanctioning clients who do not engage with the JobPath activation process is exactly the same as the process for clients who fail to engage with the Department’s other activation services provided by Intreo Centres, Local Employment Services and Job Clubs.

Reduced rates are only applied where a job seeker fails to engage as requested, and following at least two warnings, with the Department’s employment services.

Between July 2015 and July 2018 179,000 jobseekers had commenced their engagement period with the service.

Up to the end of July 2018, 12,181 jobseekers had a penalty rate applied to their payment at some point during their engagement period with the JobPath service. The estimated breakdown per year is set out in the following table.

Jobseekers Engaged with JobPath By Year

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.