Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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655. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the options that will be available to the current employees of the existing contracted public employment services including the jobsclub, local employment services and employability regarding the tendering process for the local employment services scheme and the expected roll-out of new models of employment services which are scheduled to be in place for January 2022; if provision will be made to ensure they are included in the tender process; if they will be given the option of accessing and or applying for the new roles in new employment services; if redundancy will be an option and available to those eligible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16499/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department is currently finalising a procurement process that will expand the geographical coverage of employment services, into several areas of the State, where an existing Local Employment Service is currently not being delivered. These new employment services will be delivered through a revised multi-annual model that delivers a more integrated and coherent customer journey with enhanced metrics. It is intended to roll out this revised model to the rest of the State by January 2022.

My Department is committed to delivering this expansion of services through the operation of an open, competitive and transparent procurement process, in accordance with EU procurement rules. Therefore, this process will be open and accessible to interested parties including existing providers, who may submit a tender for the new service.

At this stage it is not appropriate to pre-judge the outcome of any procurement process or any implications arising from a successful tender, save to say that existing procurement and employment rights legislation will, of course, apply in all eventualities.