National Internship Scheme Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 September 2014

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Questions (93, 115, 116, 117, 125)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

93. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons on JobBridge and Tús programmes in County Wexford. [35337/14]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

115. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of the total number of interns who have undertaken a third internship on the JobBridge scheme; and the number of those under 25 years of age who have commenced a third internship. [35563/14]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

116. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the total number of interns who have commenced a JobBridge internship to date; and the number who have commenced such internships and who are under 25 years of age. [35564/14]

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

117. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the measures her Department takes to ensure that the cooling-off period is observed by host organisations participating on the JobBridge scheme; and her views on reports that some organisations may be breaching the cooling-off period regulations by making minor changes to advertisements for subsequent internship positions. [35565/14]

Olivia Mitchell

Question:

125. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection in light of recent statistics on the large number of young people unemployed, her plans to allow young people who are ineligible for jobseeker's allowance by virtue of their parents' income to participate in the JobBridge scheme from age 22 years rather than 24 years, by which time they may be considered long-term unemployed. [35615/14]

Written answers

Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 93, 115 to 117, inclusive, and 125 together.

As at 19th September 2014, 200 individuals were on JobBridge internships and a further 772 individuals had finished internships in County Wexford. As of the same date, there were 331 participants and 17 supervisors participating in TÚS in County Wexford.

As of the same date, 102 individuals had started third JobBridge internships, of whom 10 were under 25.

As at 18th September 2014, 33,068 individuals had commenced JobBridge internships since the scheme began on 1st May, 2011, of whom, 9,215 were under 25 when commencing their internship. Of those 9,215, 1,546 individuals are currently on internships.

The 6 month cooling off period applies automatically to all host organisations except where the reason given for the internship finishing is employment, either with the host organisation or another organisation. However, a host organisation that has a quota of more than one internship may, in the normal course, advertise to fill the rest of that quota at any time. If the Deputy is aware of specific instances of abuse of JobBridge, he should pass the details to the Department, which investigates all reports of abuse.

Jobseekers aged between 18 and 65 who are in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Jobseekers Benefit, Disability Benefit, One Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment or signing for credits for 3 out of the last 6 months may apply for JobBridge. I have no plans to change the eligibility criteria for the JobBridge scheme at present.