Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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30. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to extend the period of time that participants can remain on the Tús scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6102/23]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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Tús was introduced 2011 as a response to the high level of unemployment and the large numbers of people on the live register at that time. It is a community work placement initiative which aims to provide short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year.

The duration of each Tús contract is for a maximum of 12 months; a time limit set to ensure that the available placements are open to as many people as possible who are long-term unemployed and to ensure that Tús complements the objectives set out in the Government’s activation policies in Pathways to Work.

The focus of Tús is on jobseekers that are unemployed for twelve months or more, and the targeted activation of this cohort aims to provide additional assistance and a renewed impetus to these jobseekers who could otherwise be in danger of falling into persistent long-term unemployment.

During the COVID pandemic the Minister for Social Protection and I extended Tús participants contracts on a number of occasions. These contract extensions, which were in place from October 2020, supported the Tús programme at various stages of the pandemic so that they could maintain important community services while also ensuring that participants had sufficient time to fully avail of the work experience and training opportunities affected by public health restrictions.

Tús participants with extended contracts started to leave schemes on a coordinated and phased basis from April 2022 and this will run up until May 2023. This will ensure continuity of service delivery and also support a phased recruitment of new participants. Furthermore, it was also decided that since August 2022, a percentage of current Tús exits could be further extended in certain circumstances for a maximum of six months, to support the recruitment of new participants and maintain the delivery of essential community services. This is a transitionary measure for supporting schemes to retain services, while they are experiencing the higher-than-normal turnover of participants. This measure provides Tús Implementing Bodies with additional flexibility to retain participants, where these are required to maintain services in communities.

If participants are still unemployed on completion of their Tús placement and continue to require the option of supported employment, further opportunity in this regard is provided by my Department through the Community Employment (CE) scheme. The commencement of a CE placement is available as a progression path for a jobseeker on the completion of Tús, and this can be accessed with the assistance of an employment personal advisor in their local Intreo centre.

My Department continues to review all of its activation programmes to ensure the best outcomes for all concerned. Government recognises the value of the Tús programme as a positive initiative involving a large number of placements engaged in valuable service delivery to individuals and communities across Ireland, whilst also enabling the long-term unemployed to up-skill themselves for prospective future employment.

I trust this clarifies matters.