Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2018
1238. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; the reason the person is being pressurised to engage with a JobPath scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24881/18]
View answerThe primary goal of the Department’s activation services is to move people from unemployment to full-time and sustained employment. All jobseekers are required to engage with the Department’s activation service and this obligation applies irrespective of whether the service is provided by the Department’s own case officers or those advisors employed by external contractors such as the JobPath providers.
In relation to the individual circumstance that the Deputy has raised it is the case, as it is for all jobseekers pursuing part-time educational courses including Springboard, that they must satisfy the condition of being available for and genuinely seeking employment and must engage with any activation service to which they are referred. All activities and scheduled meetings organised by the activation service including the JobPath service will be arranged to allow the jobseekers to meet their course commitments.
It is not, as the Deputy suggests, a matter of any individual being pressurised but ensuring that all jobseekers are offered an activation service. People engaged with the JobPath service receive intensive individual support to help overcome barriers on their journey back to full-time sustainable work, including self-employment.
Any jobseeker with the JobPath service who wishes to start their own business is eligible to apply for a Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA); they will be advised by their personal advisor to contact their local Intreo centre where additional related support and advice is available from an Intreo Case Officer and the local development company if appropriate. Any jobseeker that has their application for BTWEA awarded will be withdrawn from the JobPath programme.
For people who do not qualify for the BTWEA, the JobPath companies may provide the relevant support and training either in house or with an external training provider, to assist the jobseeker in growing their business.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
