Written answers

Thursday, 17 June 2021

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Equality Issues

Photo of Holly CairnsHolly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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356. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the way in which her Department and agencies under her remit are working towards enabling access to employment for persons from minority and or disadvantaged communities, including, but not limited to, persons with disabilities, persons from ethnic minorities, Travellers, Mincéirí; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32746/21]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Research consistently shows the importance of decent employment in supporting positive outcomes for the individual and for society. I am keenly aware of the role of employment in developing personal capabilities and potential, deepening social connections and enabling full participation and inclusion in society. My Department is committed to assisting all individuals in society to prepare for and secure employment. I also understand that the path to employment is not the same for everyone and that additional help is required for those facing disadvantage and those in minority communities.

The key avenue for my Department to enable access to employment for all unemployed persons is through the Public Employment Service, Intreo. The Intreo service is available to all and supports jobseekers with employment assistance and advice to progress persons into employment, including addressing skills deficits. This engagement, along with the suite of labour market activation policies, is designed to assist jobseekers to prepare for, secure and sustain employment.

Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our society and economy, Government is taking steps to enhance the capacity of the Public Employment Service and the supports available to the unemployed. This will be delivered through the forthcoming Pathways to Work 2021-2025 strategy. Key insights to this strategy, which I hope to launch in the coming weeks, were included in the Economic Recovery Plan published earlier this month.

While this Pathways to Work strategy will include measures to address the challenges arising as a result of the pandemic, the strategy will also focus on those groups unemployed and most distant from the labour market pre-pandemic. The Economic Recovery Plan introduced some of the key measures which will focus assistance on disadvantaged groups, including:

- Expanding the delivery of employment services to Lone Parents;

- Introducing an Early Engagement model for jobseekers with disabilities,

- Promoting wider take-up of incentives and supports available for the employment of people with disabilities;

- Reserving places on employment services and training programmes for people from minority backgrounds of disadvantage;

- Consulting with stakeholders from the Traveller (and/or Roma) community to advise the PES in developing tailored support programmes.

This work, under both Pathways to Work and the Economic Recovery Plan, seeks to not only return our economy and society to the pre-pandemic position, but to foster a more balanced, sustainable and inclusive recovery. This includes building a more inclusive labour market, with a greater focus on participation and reducing barriers to participation and/or employment.

In addition to those supports provided by Intreo, my Department works closely with the Further Education and Training sector in the provision of activation supports, including opportunities for training, upskilling and reskilling. The Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, launched by my Colleague Minister Harris earlier this year, includes a bursary support scheme to be established for participants from disadvantaged groups, including lone parents, people with disabilities, Travellers and Roma. The strategy also commits to an equity of access stakeholder subcommittee to ensure that programme designs reflect the needs of underrepresented groups.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

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