Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 April 2013
604. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 307 of 20 March 2013, if a person (details supplied) whose internship under JobBridge has ceased, due to the failure of the employer to offer the training agreed, may be treated as a new applicant for the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16560/13]
View answerThe JobBridge Scheme has made significant progress since it came into operation. As at 11 April, 2013, 16,326 internships have commenced with 5,944 participants on an internship and 2,410 internship opportunities advertised on www.jobbridge.ie as of that date. In my previous response to the Deputy, I informed him that the Department has stringent measures in place to monitor internships and to investigate alleged abuse of the scheme. The individual named by the Deputy forwarded his complaint to JobBridge directly on the 24 March 2013. These allegations were passed to the appropriate divisional officer for investigation. I have been advised by my officials that the investigating officer in relation to this case has been in contact directly with the individual named by the Deputy and is currently in the process of securing a response to these allegations from the host organisation concerned. Pending the outcome of this investigation the National Contact Centre has been advised to suspend any further advertised JobBridge placements from this organisation.
The Department's records show that the individual named by the Deputy has completed almost four months in his placement before his early termination on the 29 March 2013. The current procedures provide that a participant can avail of a maximum of two JobBridge internship opportunities, though the total cumulative time cannot exceed nine months (39 weeks). I will arrange for his eligibility for re-entry to Jobbridge to be reviewed once I receive the report of the investigating officer.
