Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 November 2016
130. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that completed an activation programme and subsequently moved to another of his Department's activation programmes in 2015 and to date in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36623/16]
View answerGiven the need to manage the allocation of places effectively, the Department does not, in general, facilitate or encourage jobseekers to transfer from or leave one activation support scheme to take up a place on another activation support scheme.
While systematic data are not readily available on activation programme participants who subsequently move to another activation programme, some indicative figures are available. For example:
- The evaluation of JobBridge by Indecon (report published October 2016), shows on the basis of self-reported survey results that 3.1% of interns who had left JobBridge since it was established were on another employment activation scheme at the time of the survey.
- During 2015 600 (6%) Community Employment participants progressed on to education; some of these may have been supported under the DSP’s Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) scheme.
- A small number of BTEA participants progress from second level options to third level options.
I am satisfied that the allocation of activation resources as well as case officers’ efforts to match clients to suitable programmes minimises unwarranted movement onto another activation programme.
