Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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277. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider allowing some participants to remain on Tús beyond one year in cases in which they have not progressed to employment or in cases in which they are benefitting from the scheme; if so, if this decision will be made on a discretionary basis at a local level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47300/21]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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Tús is one of a range of employment support and activation measures provided by my Department to assist jobseekers who have been unemployed for 12 months or more to return to the labour market. Tús provide participants with opportunities for supervised work placements within the community, building work experience and individual participant confidence. 

The duration of the Tús participant contract ensures that the greatest number of placements can continue to be available to jobseekers who are long-term unemployed.  This allows jobseekers who are unemployed for more than 12 months to benefit from a period of focused work-experience and to be better-placed to re-enter the labour market at an early opportunity. 

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, my Department introduced a number of contingency measures to support schemes and participants including extending contracts beyond the standard duration. However these were exceptional emergency COVID related measures.  

For former Tús participants who require additional or continued support upon their return to the labour market, additional work experience and training opportunities are also provided by the Department through the Community Employment (CE) scheme.  The commencement of a CE placement is available as a progression path on completion of Tús.  CE can be accessed with the assistance of an Intreo case officer.   A full range of options and supports are available on the gov.ie website or from any Intreo office. 

There are no plans at present to allow Tús participants to remain on the programme beyond one year, with the exception of those who have availed of the contract extensions that were introduced in response to the extraordinary public health circumstances of the last year.