Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
537. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures she will take in budget 2021 to implement the commitment in the programme for Government to improve jobseeker supports for persons under 24 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28655/20]
View answerThe Programme for Government has committed to improve jobseekers supports for people aged under 24 over the lifetime of this Government. Under the July Stimulus package my Department, along with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, will deliver on a number of key actions to assist young people back to work, which include:
- extending and expanding funded job placement and work experience programmes to keep young people aligned to the labour market,
- providing employers with incentives to recruit apprentices and hire young jobseekers from the Live Register,
- extending access to the Back to Education Allowance to pandemic unemployment recipients, and
- providing 35,500 new places in further and higher education courses.
These combined measures will amount to just over €200 million in expenditure.
In addition, my Department is now developing the Pathways to Work 2020-2025 strategy which will seek to build on the work of the July Jobs Stimulus in assisting young people with their journey to employment.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
