Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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319. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason rural social scheme supervisors are excluded from the package her Department is offering community employment supervisors and community employment assistant supervisors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55311/21]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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As the Deputy will be aware, CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years through their union representatives, SIPTU and Forsa, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and assistant supervisors who are employed by CE scheme sponsors.  

Within this context, officials from my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform held discussions on proposals to progress and resolve this complex issue, while having regard to the wider budgetary framework.  Department officials also held discussions with unions representing CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors.

These discussions were held on the clear agreement of all involved that they related solely to those parties who were the subject of the 2008 Labour Court recommendation, namely CE supervisors and assistant supervisors, and any agreement reached on the proposal arising from these discussions would apply only to those parties.  

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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320. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will review her Department’s plans to restructure local jobs clubs through a new tendering process, as this would essentially privatise a social service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55317/21]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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321. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider extending contracts for local jobs clubs further following a recent six month extension to contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55318/21]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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322. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her views on whether the new model for jobs clubs being profit driven based on performance to refer clients to full-time employment as the key metric is a just policy move (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55319/21]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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323. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will reconsider the policy that would see jobs clubs being transformed into profit driven private enterprises through the new tendering process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55320/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 to 323, inclusive, together.

My Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of procuring new employment services.  This phase involves the procurement of regional employment services for seven counties in the Midlands and North-West across four lots.  These counties do not have an existing local employment service and represent the first phase of an expansion of similar employment services across the State.

In line with the 2019 Indecon Review of Employment Services, Job Clubs and Local Employment Services are being folded into a single service, the Regional Employment Service, in each lot area to reduce duplication of functions and provide a more efficient integrated customer focused service.

This procurement process follows extensive consultations by my Department with the existing service providers over the last number of years. 

I can assure the Deputy that no new privatisation is being undertaken In relation to employment services.  No service previously undertaken by civil or public servants is being outsourced.  Local Employment Services and Job Clubs have always been contracted out services and provide employment services for those who are long term unemployed.  My Department's Intreo offices will continue to engage with those unemployed for 12 months or less and in line with the new Pathways to Work strategy, has been given additional resources to do so.

The Phase two procurement, which will see the Regional Employment Service model rolled out across the State will take on board the learnings from the first phase.  This is a significant expansion of employment services and will result in State-wide coverage of employment services for those furthest from the labour market for the first time.

It is not proposed to extend the contracts of Job clubs in areas where a Regional Employment Service has been procured, as the new service will subsume the roles of both Job Clubs and Local Employment Services. 

The new model is a modernisation of existing employment services utilising best international practices, good governance and key performance indicators to manage performance.  All these innovations are for the benefit of the long-term unemployment clients. The new model does not exclude existing service providers from tendering. Both I and my Department have consistently encouraged existing providers to work collaboratively together to submit joint tenders for the Regional Employment Services. I am confident that where existing providers work collaboratively their strong track record and previous experience will enable them to submit high quality bids for the provision of the new Regional Employment Services.