Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2012
246 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection when the new national employment and entitlements service will be fully rolled out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33291/12]
View answerMy Department is establishing a new National Employment and Entitlements Service, as provided for in the Programme for Government, which will integrate employment and benefit payment services within the Department.
The first step in establishing the National Employment and Entitlements Service was integrating staff from FÁS, the Community Welfare Service and my Department which will free up resources and staff for the more resource intense role of case management and activation.
With regard to the timeline for the development of the National Employment and Entitlements Service the assignment and integration of functions and the full transformation to a case management approach focussed on activation, will be a multi-annual programme of work. However, significant progress has already been made and the first trial National Employment and Entitlements Service offices are scheduled open before the end of the year
