Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 April 2019
19. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the contracts with JobPath providers will expire; when a decision on the future of the scheme will be made; if the recent Dáil Éireann motion on the issue will be taken into account; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15655/19]
View answerThe JobPath employment service commenced in 2015 and under the terms of the contracts signed with the providers will run for a total of at least six years. This is comprised of two phases; phase one entails four years of client referrals to the end of 2019, while phase two entails a ‘run off’ period during which employment support will be continued but no additional clients will be referred to JobPath. The contract includes an option to extend the term of referrals for a period no greater than two years.
The process of procuring contracted public employment services for 2020 and beyond is still in its early stages and my officials are working to design a procurement model that will balance the need for value for money for taxpayers with the importance of preserving high-quality employment advisory and counseling services.
No decisions yet have been taken in this regard, but my Department is currently considering how best to adapt our employment services provision in light of the changing economic circumstances, including how we can best provide employment services to those most distant from the labour market and to people who have not previously availed of these services.
The Government's position on the recent motion debated in the House on the JobPath service was clearly set out in my contribution at the time. I note the views of the House on the matter. However, the position of the Government remains unchanged. The Government is determined that all jobseekers in receipt of welfare payments will have access to and receive a good-quality, case manager based, employment advisory service. This means that we cannot afford, nor should we, reduce case officer capacity. JobPath employs about 600 staff in the provision of such services and, in the absence of alternatives it is not an option to withdraw this service in an unplanned manner. In addition the Department has entered into legally binding agreements with the JobPath providers and the Government will honour these contractual commitments.
