asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of people whose social welfare claims have been disallowed under the Jobsearch programme who have appealed the decision; the proportion of these appeals which were successful; if, in relation to the 7,200 people said to have left the live register voluntarily as a result of Jobsearch, he will give the basis on which this figure is calculated; if the 7,200 is in addition to the normal outflow from the register covering people who have got jobs or emigrated; if any adjustment has been made to take account of this normal outflow from the register; the basis on which the Department calculates the savings said to result from Jobsearch; if persons engaged in Jobsearch are included on the live register; if Jobsearch courses qualify for European Social Fund funding; and if so, to what extent.
Written Answers. - Jobsearch Programme.
As the Deputy may be aware, the National Jobsearch Programme provided that by the end of the year 150,000 of those on the live register would be interviewed by the National Manpower Service, that 40,000 Manpower scheme opportunities would be made available as a priority to the long term unemployed together with 12,000 Jobsearch course placements. The purpose of this national programme is to help the unemployed, especially the long term unemployed, in their search for work and training. An effect of the operation of this programme is, that it can bring to attention people who are not available for or genuinely seeking work. Thus, a number of those who should not be on the live register either leave the register voluntarily or are disallowed as a result of information which comes to light during the interviews.
The figures available to week-ending 6 November 1987 show that up to that date 9,270 left the register when offered an opportunity to participate in a scheme or programme or to accept an offer of a job. In addition 1,440 of those who have not availed of an invitation to participate in the programme have had their cases reviewed resulting in disallowances under the Social Welfare Acts. Of those who have appealed up to that date 555 have had their cases decided with 158 appeals being allowed and 397 being disallowed. The figure of 7,200 stated by the Deputy for those who left the live register voluntarily arising from the programme presumably relates to an earlier period.
As the concentration in the programme is on the long term unemployed it is reasonable to assume that, in the main, the figures for disallowances and for those who have left the live register voluntarily, which are derived from employment exchange records, represent persons who had not been affected by other methods of detection. For this reason, I am generally satisfied that both these figures are independent of other outflows from the live register and should be credited to the National Jobsearch Programme. Thus, I am not convinced of the need for an adjustment of the type mentioned by the Deputy. Even if such an adjustment were necessary, it would be difficult to achieve with a satisfactory degree of precision.
The savings in my Department's Vote arising from the programme are basically derived from those who are disallowed and who leave the live register voluntarily. Also, it is reasonable to assume that, with the priority which the programme accords to those on the live register, it results in a greater number of persons on the register securing employment and manpower scheme opportunities. To the extent that this is so there is a further saving in my Department's Vote as, apart from those who obtain employment, those availing of these opportunities are not on the live register during their participation in a scheme or training course. Those on Jobsearch courses remain on the live register during their course. The final point raised by the Deputy in relation to the European Social Fund is not appropriate to me.
30.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give the latest Jobsearch figure by which the unemployment register has been reduced because of the Jobsearch scheme initiated by the last Government; and if he will give a prediction of the further reduction expected in the unemployment register directly resulting from the Jobsearch scheme.
Figures for the period up to 6 November 1987 show that those who had their cases reviewed resulting in disallowances (1,440) and those who left the live register voluntarily (9,270) following offers of assistance under the Jobsearch programme totalled 10,710. As stated in my reply of 28 October 1987 to an earlier question tabled by the Deputy it is not possible to be precise about the complete impact of the Jobsearch programme on the live register.
In view of this I do not wish to speculate about the further reductions expected in the register as a result of the programme.