Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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68. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures in place or planned to support groups facing additional challenges accessing work such as lone parents, persons with disabilities and minority groups including Travellers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48651/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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We are all aware of the importance of employment in supporting individuals, society and the economy. 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 additional challenges and those in minority communities.

This is a key focus of Pathways to Work 2021-2025, Government’s national employment services strategy, launched on July 12th. The strategy, while dealing with labour market challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, also sets out specific actions for those in society facing additional difficulties in accessing employment. This is the focus of the Strategy’s Fourth Strand ‘Working For All - Leaving No One Behind’, which focusses on extending targeted employment supports to groups facing additional challenges accessing work such as people with disabilities, lone parents and minority groups, including Travellers.

Some of the key measures under Pathways to Work include:

- Completing the consultation on the Early Engagement Roadmap for young people with disabilities and implement the approach starting in 2021.

- Implementing the Public Appointments Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2021-2023, including by supporting engagement with representative organisations and individuals from diverse backgrounds to understand employment barriers and to increase awareness of public sector employment opportunities among these individuals.

- Reserving places on public employment programmes for people from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds.

- Developing a Traveller and Roma Training, Employment and Enterprise Plan.

- Delivering bespoke job promotion and local recruitment events for older workers seeking to re-enter employment and engaging with employers to encourage the recruitment of older workers.

In addition, 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.

In addition, there are specific employment supports in place for people with disabilities such as the EmployAbility service, the reasonable accommodation fund for employers which can provide workplace adaptation and employee retention grants, and the wage subsidy scheme among others.

The above initiatives also build on the measures that are already in place in my Department, such as earnings disregards in means assessments for the one parent family payment and disability allowance schemes.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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69. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress on the implementation of the Pathways to Work 2021-2025 national employment services strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48638/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Under Pathways to Work, Government's new employment services strategy, launched last July, my Department has put in place a wide range of measures to assist those out of work find new jobs. These measures, strengthened by increased capacity within the Public Employment Service, will allow us to provide those out of work with the guidance and support needed to re-enter the workforce.

Pathways to Work sets out 83 commitments on a whole-of-Government basis. The strategy is in the early stages of implementation, with progress expected to accelerate as the final stages of public health restrictions are lifted and with the phased transition of PUP recipients to jobseeker’s payments starting from next month.

Progress to date on implementation includes the launch of the new Work Placement Experience Programme which has 102 individuals who have started or are due to start in the near future. 2,600 out of the additional CE and Tús places have been assigned to existing employment support schemes. In addition, the capacity of the Intreo Public Service has already been expanded and is in place to provide employment support services to those unemployed as the economy and labour market starts to recover from the pandemic.

I am working closely with my colleague Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, to ensure that jobseekers can avail of suitable training opportunities to assist them to access the skills needed to make their next step in their career. Under Pathways to Work, Minister Harris’s Department committed to providing 50,000 additional education and training places, supporting delivery of actions set out in the Apprenticeship Action Plan, and supporting 50,000 long-term unemployed into further education and training by 2025.

Furthermore, on October 26th we will begin the process of transitioning PUP recipients to a jobseeker’s payment. All recipients on that date in receipt of the €203 rate will be transitioned to jobseeker terms. Building on the initial engagements with PUP recipients over the summer, these persons will then formally enter my Department’s Intreo Public Employment Service, including that delivered by contracted service providers, where they can receive one-to-one engagement and guidance, access to employment supports, work placement and training opportunities. This process will also allow for the further rollout of Pathways to Work measures, specifically additional supports for those whose pre-pandemic job will not return and who will need additional support to re-enter the workforce.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.