Mattie McGrath
Question:873. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if referrals to Turas Nua and Seetec are to cease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23437/19]
View answerTuesday, 11 June 2019
Questions (873)
Written answers
JobPath is a service which supports people who are long-term unemployed to secure and sustain full-time paid employment. Two companies, Seetec and Turas Nua, have been contracted by my Department to deliver this service. The JobPath employment service commenced in 2015 and, under the terms of the contracts signed with the providers, will run for at least six years. This includes a period of at least four years of client referrals to the end of 2019, and a run-off period of at least two years. The contract includes an option which could extend the term of referrals for two periods of up to twelve months each the end of 2019. The process of procuring contracted public employment services for 2020 and beyond is in its early stages of development. 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 services. As part of this process the ongoing requirements of the public employment service including the period for client referrals under the JobPath programme are currently being considered. To date no decisions have been taken in this regard. However, my Department is currently considering how best to continue to provide a high-quality public employment service that meets the needs of all jobseekers, while looking to provide employment services to those most distant from the labour market and to people who have not previously availed of these services.