Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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150. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if workers who returned to work on 27 November 2020 after having received the pandemic unemployment payment for the past 17 weeks will be entitled to the Christmas bonus (details supplied). [42392/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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This year, the Christmas Bonus will be paid to over 1.6 million eligible customers in the week beginning 7th December 2020 at an estimated cost of €389 million. The respective figures in 2019 were 1.2 million customers and €279 million.

On an exceptional basis this year, the Christmas Bonus will also be paid to recipients of the PUP provided they have been in receipt of the payment - continuously or otherwise - for at least 4 months (17 weeks) since March. Any person in receipt of the PUP for any one day of the period Friday 27th November to Thursday 3rd December will receive the Christmas Bonus payment provided they also meet the 17 week requirement.

It is estimated that approximately 284,000 people or 82% of those receiving payment of the PUP this week will receive the Christmas Bonus, totalling almost €84 million.  In addition, the Bonus payment will also be made to recipients of Jobseeker’s Benefit/Allowance who have been in receipt of a jobseeker payment for at least 4 months and are in payment on the day the Christmas Bonus is paid.  In previous years, recipients of jobseeker payments for less than 15 months did not qualify for a Christmas Bonus. Nearly 55,000 individuals will benefit from this decision at an estimated cost of almost €12 million.

I was very pleased to obtain the approval of Government for these payments. There are many individuals and families who have lost their job or business as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and have been out of work for several months now. The Bonus will help to ease the financial burden on them at this very difficult time.

For administrative and legal reasons, the Bonus payment has always been paid by reference to a specific week, and this is the standard practice across all social welfare schemes.  Any change to that practice would have to be considered in the overall policy, administrative and budgetary context. 

I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. 

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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151. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the total amount paid to Turas Nua and Seetec for the operation of the JobPath scheme in each year for the period 2015 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42393/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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JobPath service providers are paid on the basis of performance and with the exception of the initial registration fee, payments are made only when a client has achieved sustained employment.  The overall cost of JobPath will be determined by the number of people who participate in the programme and the number who get sustainable jobs.

The Department does not publish the individual payments to the JobPath companies as these are commercially sensitive. The total paid to the JobPath providers from 2015 to date is €247.9m. 

The annual total expenditure on JobPath is as follows:

2015 - €1.2m;

2016 - €25.2m;

2017 - €57.4m;

2018 - €71.7m

2019 - €58.6m

2020 - €33.8m (to date)

Total - €247.9m 

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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152. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the annual staff turnover rate within Turas Nua and Seetec from 2015 to date; if she will address concerns that the annual turnover rate in both companies is exceptionally high; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42394/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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There are a number of key features which enable my Department to monitor all aspects of the JobPath providers’ performance and ensure contract compliance. To date no concerns have been raised in regard to exceptionally high staff turnover rates.

Inspections are a key component of how my Department monitors compliance with the service level agreement and the contract generally, including staffing levels. The inspections will be conducted for the duration of the JobPath contract. The terms and conditions of employment and staff recruitment and retention policies remain the responsibility of the contractors.

Findings from inspections have on occasion identified staff changes in particular offices in both Turas Nua and Seetec. This would have been noted in particular in 2019 at a time of historically high employment levels with the consequence that the skills of personal advisers were in high demand in the Irish labour market.

Any issues noted in inspection reports, including staffing matters are brought to the attention of the contractor who must submit a response setting out the corrective actions taken to the satisfaction of the Department.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.