Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 November 2004
71 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the steps his Department has taken to encourage those who have been out of the labour market to avail of appropriate pre-employment training and development and education opportunities; the number of persons who have received such a service for each of the years 2002, 2003 and to date in 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28161/04]
View answer80 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons in active age groups who are dependent on State income supports and who have been referred for training or further education in 2002, 2003 and 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28130/04]
View answer104 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons in active age groups who are dependent on State income supports and who have had their case managed in facilitating their return to work or participation in training or further education in 2002, 2003 and 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28131/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 71, 80 and 104 together.
My Department provides a range of supports to assist and encourage long-term unemployed and other long-term welfare recipients to return to work, training or further education. My Department's primary intervention to assist people on the live register find work, training or further education is the national employment action plan. Under the terms of this plan, people aged 18 to 55 years of age, who are on the live register, are systematically referred to FÁS for guidance, education or training.
In the period from January 2002 to the end of June 2004, a total of 91,324 people were selected for referral to FÁS under this process. Of these, 52,865, or 58%, closed their unemployment claims and left the live register. A total of 18,103 were placed in jobs, FÁS programmes or returned to education, accounting for 20% of those referred. Of these, 10,489 people were placed in jobs, 5,192 were placed in FÁS programmes and 2,422 returned to education or were placed in non-FÁS training courses. In addition, another 14,000 people who were on the live register for more than six months have been referred to FÁS. Some 4,122, or 29%, of these have closed their unemployment claims.
Some people face severe employability issues which are not amenable to resolution within the normal range of interventions available. To assist such people, a high supports process was established in 2003 by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. As part of this process, local networks of relevant service providers were established in certain areas in conjunction with FÁS and my Department. People identified as suffering severe employability issues are referred to the local networks and appropriate avenues identified to enhance employability.
Another significant measure is the back to work allowance scheme which incentivises and encourages long-term unemployed people, lone parents and certain persons with disabilities to return to work by allowing them to retain part of their social welfare payment when they take up employment or self-employment. Currently there are 12,097 participants in the scheme, over half of whom are engaged in a wide range of self-employment options.
A further measure offered by my Department's employment support service is the back to education allowance programme. This is a second chance educational opportunities programme designed to encourage and facilitate unemployed people, lone parents and people with disabilities to improve their skills and qualifications with a view to returning to the workforce. In the 2003-04 academic year, 7,648 eligible social welfare customers availed of the scheme. A range of other supports is provided by my Department's locally-based facilitators. Their primary role is to assist the long-term unemployed and other long-term welfare dependants back to work, training or further education by providing them on an individual basis with assistance to access the necessary programmes or supports where their circumstances demand. Facilitators have access to additional services and funding to arrange specialised training and supports for those who are distant from the labour market and who need additional help in preparing them for further training and employment. To date this year, 167 projects were supported at a total cost of €2 million.
Will the Minister agree that the cutbacks made by his Department and the Government last year acted as a disincentive to people to return to work? The qualifying period for the back to education allowance was increased from six to 15 months. What impact did this have on people wishing to go back to work? What has been the impact of the exclusion from rent supplement while either of a couple is working over 30 hours per weeks, which saved the Minister €1 million, in helping people return to work? What was the impact of the abolition of the crèche supplement? I contend it did not have a positive impact. While the Minister said that 52,865 people closed their files as a result of the referral, what happened to the people who did not close their files? What plans are in place to support these people to get into work or further education or training?
As I explained, I am reviewing the various measures. An impact assessment is part of the process to see how the measures impact on returning to work. The Deputy put his finger on the situation from this point of view. In the period from January 2002 to the end of June 2004, 52,865 people closed their unemployment claims and left the live register. By simply going through the interview process and the referral to FÁS process, 58% of people closed their unemployment claims in a two and a half year period. This was done by way of 18,000 people taking up jobs, 5,000 being placed on FÁS programmes and more than 2,500 returning to education. Obviously the rest remained on benefits because their files were not closed. These figures certainly underline the success of the programme and confirm the need to continue to help people and to have FÁS examine the situation. I am sure people do not abuse the system but we must ensure they have options to take up work or return to education so that they have other alternatives to remaining on unemployment welfare.
Will the Minister supply detailed information on the numbers who applied for back to work and back to education allowances in 2003 and 2004 and those who have been successful in their claims? The criticism from this side of the House is that the qualifying criteria led to a reduced take-up of these schemes. To have the figures would help to prove that case.
I will supply the Deputy with the information. Some 12,097 people are currently in receipt of the allowance. This comprises 7,265 on the self-employment strand of the scheme and 4,832 on the employee strand.
Does this relate to both allowances?
It relates to the back to work allowance. I will get the other figure for the Deputy.
We all accept that the best way to get people out of poverty is to facilitate them back into the workplace. Was it not economic folly to emasculate the back to education and back to work allowance schemes which would have facilitated the objective at the core of Government policy? Will the Minister agree to ensure that the back to education scheme is reviewed in this context?
The labour market is always changing. Employment figures rise and fall. One can never say that a scheme must never change. There will always be need, as the labour market changes and employment opportunities improve or disimprove, to be flexible regarding schemes so that we continue to focus them where they are needed. If we spot abuse of a scheme from time to time or leakage out of the scheme in the sense that it is not focused and is leaking outside the target area, it would be irresponsible not to make the necessary changes to refocus the scheme where it was intended. We must be careful not to get into a position where schemes are so inflexible that they do not take account of people's needs.
I am determined that all the benefits and supports administered by the Department should be client-centred. There is no point in quoting rules and regulations to people. It should be a question of assessing the requirements of an individual and his or her family and then seeing what fits. It is not the case that one size fits all. Rather than adopting a bureaucratic approach, we must ensure that every scheme is client-centred, individual-centred, family-centred and is looked at from the point of view of what helps them through their difficulties and what gives them a chance to re-enter the workforce. That may be more easily said than done but that is the philosophy I hope to bring to the issue.
Why was the qualifying period for the back to education allowance increased from six to 15 months? What impact has this had?
That will be included in the impact assessment I am undertaking. The reason for the decision to increase the qualifying period was to allow a longer period within which to deal with unemployment and get people back to work in a more focused way. We are closely examining the various aspects to see what impact they have had on the lives of the individuals concerned. I give a public commitment to make the necessary amendments if hardship is involved. In some cases which I have examined and on which I have taken independent advice, including the social partnership in some areas, identifying and measuring hardship is not as easy as it sounds. That will be brought to finality soon.
72 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the work his Department has carried out with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the probation and welfare service, the Irish Prison Service, health boards and other agencies since June 2002 to develop more responsive social welfare services to meet the needs of ex-prisoners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28126/04]
View answer84 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will report on the involvement of his Department with the Irish Prison Service in providing advice and support to offenders in integrating or reintegrating into the labour market; the number of cases that have been dealt with in 2002, 2003 and 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28153/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 72 and 84 together.
My Department assists and encourages long-term unemployed and other groups who are distant from the labour market, including ex-prisoners, to return to work, training or further education through a range of measures administered by the Department's employment support service. The measures offered include the back to work allowance and the back to education allowance.
Periods spent in prison count towards the required qualification period for these payments. Other supports are provided by the Department's locally based facilitators who provide ex-prisoners and others with assistance to access the necessary programmes or supports which their circumstances demand. Facilitators have access to funding to arrange specialised training and supports for those who are distant from the labour market and who need additional help in preparing them for further training and employment. Other supports targeted specifically at the long term unemployed include the operation of the employment action plan under which customers on the live register are systematically referred to FÁS for guidance, intervention or placement.
Ex-prisoners in common with certain other categories, can face severe employability issues not amenable to resolution within the normal range of interventions available through the EAP. To assist people in this situation a high supports process was established in 2003 by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. In conjunction with FÁS and my Department's facilitators, local networks of relevant service providers are being established in certain areas. People identified as suffering severe employability issues will be referred to these networks and appropriate avenues will be identified to enhance their employability. A special fund is available to purchase specialist training or interventions that may be required to assist an individual.
My Department has been in discussion with the Irish Prison Service to explore mechanisms of referral which will best serve the needs of ex-offenders. A pilot programme is being developed in conjunction with FÁS in the Cork area which will specifically serve the needs of ex-offenders. This programme will provide an opportunity to learn which approach best meets the needs of ex-offenders and which can thereafter be applied to other areas in the State.
My Department has been proactive in addressing the information needs of ex-prisoners through the publication in 2003 of an information booklet specifically targeted at people leaving prison. The booklet contains information on social welfare payments, accommodation, financial, education, health, training and legal matters. Facilitators provide information and advice on employment supports to ex-prisoners and they also work closely with the probation and welfare service and arrange visits to prisons to provide outreach services.
Customer information held in my Department is maintained for the purpose of generating the appropriate social welfare payment and does not contain data on socio-economic or other groupings. For that reason, information on the number of prisoners who have been assisted is not readily available.
I intended to ask how many people availed of the back to education and back to work allowances, but it seems from what the Minister said that such information is not available. Is the Minister aware that many prisoners leave prison on a Friday evening when services are closed? At that stage they have no identification, address, bank account or proof of identity in the form of utility bills and so on and therefore have severe difficulty in accessing social welfare services. Will Minister ensure that when prisoners leave prison, they get more than merely a letter stating that they are ex-prisoners and that they are given some form of identification so that they can access services?
Does the Minister agree that much more needs to be done to solve the problem of homelessness among ex-prisoners? Often they have nowhere to go on leaving prison other than to a shelter for the homeless, which may lead them back into the spiral of crime. Will the Minister give a commitment to explore this area further as a matter of urgency, because there is much that needs to be done?
We could do much more. The Department has been active in trying to address what might be called the Friday syndrome. An information booklet is made available to those leaving prison. It contains accommodation details and possibilities for financial education, health training and legal matters. A fair amount of information is provided to assist prisoners. I said that facilitators are available to arrange for specialised training and support for those involved.
There are employability issues involved which are not amenable to resolution within the normal range of interventions. For that reason we have the high supports process in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. There is also a special fund to help to integrate prisoners into society. In addition, a pilot programme is being developed in Cork which will particularly meet needs in that regard. There are employability issues and I have outlined the efforts that are being made to address them.
Will the Minister expand on the information relating to the pilot project in Cork? How long has it been in progress? When is it intended it will come to a conclusion? Is it the Minister's intention to mainstream such a project, given that pilot schemes are usually left to terminate naturally or are left in some kind of administrative limbo? This project has much going for it that could translate on a nationwide basis.
The Cork project is being developed with FÁS and is specifically targeted at ex-offenders. The objective is to provide FÁS with the opportunity to learn which approach best meets the needs of ex-offenders so that this approach can be applied elsewhere. It is very much a pilot project to determine what will work in this regard. If any more information is available on the Cork situation, I will forward it to Deputy Boyle.
Can the Minister tell us when the Cork project began and the number of ex-offenders involved?
The only information I have on the Cork project is that it is being developed in conjunction with FÁS and is specifically targeted at meeting the needs of ex-offenders. The objective is to see what can be learned from it. The involvement of FÁS is intended to make an urgent link to employment and FÁS will be proactive in assisting ex-offenders in seeking employment as soon as possible, and in identifying the factors that will make them more employable. I am not sure how advanced this pilot project is. It is being developed as we speak and I will get more information about it for Deputy Stanton.
