Niamh Smyth
Ceist:35. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the criteria required for a person to transfer from JobPath to community employment and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25974/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 31 May 2017
Ceisteanna (35, 40)
Thomas Pringle
Ceist:40. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason persons on JobPath are currently unable to be referred to community employment schemes, his plans to change this policy and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25967/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (16 píosaí cainte)
I wish to ask the Minister about the criteria required for a person to transfer from JobPath to community employment.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 35 and 40 together.
The aim of the JobPath service, which is provided for jobseekers only, is to assist them in finding sustainable full-time paid employment. Community employment schemes are different. They provide part-time work experience and training opportunities in local communities as a stepping stone back to employment for people on a range of social welfare payments, including those on long-term unemployment payments
Jobseekers who are already participating with the JobPath service will not be referred to community employment schemes as they can only participate with one activation scheme or service at a time. This allows the scheme and service providers sufficient time to work with the participants in order to develop their skills and competencies to pursue suitable job opportunities which may result in sustainable employment and also to ensure the best use is made of the available places on all activation supports.
However, customers who on the date of their referral to JobPath have a written offer with a start date within four weeks for community employment or Tús will be allowed to take up the placement. Additionally, in a small number of exceptional cases, which are assessed on a case-by-case basis, my Department may facilitate a customer to move from one activation support to another but it is not something we encourage.
Recently, the Government approved the implementation of a number of changes to the terms and conditions of participation on community employment. The main purpose of these changes is to broaden the availability of community employment to a greater number of people on the live register and to standardise other conditions around the length of time a person can participate on the programme.
Those jobseekers who have completed their 52-week engagement with JobPath without finding suitable and sustainable employment are being referred back to their Intreo centres for an assessment by one of my Department's case officers. They may then apply for other activation supports such as community employment thus ensuring ongoing availability to all schemes. My Department keeps all aspects of its activation programmes under review to ensure the best outcomes for participants.
I thank the Minister for taking the time to come in here to answer questions and wish him good luck over the coming days in his endeavours to become Taoiseach. I appreciate what he is saying. He talked about how when somebody starts on JobPath, there is that opportunity for them to move to community employment.
I will give an example of the type of problem that I face, or, more importantly, that my constituents face. As we know, there is a huge need for staff and skilled personnel in the child care sector. A young woman who has a skill set in child care had been on JobPath, a position had come up in the community employment scheme and she would be eligible for that since she had the skill set and qualifications, but she could not take up that place because of the restrictions around JobPath. I appreciate that the Minister is saying here today that new criteria are coming into place that might allow for that flexibility. I ask him to consider, in any criteria that he might bring forward, that there may be somebody on a JobPath scheme but, half-way through it, there may be something more appropriate for that person on the community employment scheme. As we know, these schemes are hugely important for all the different sectors, but particularly the child care sector, which depends on staff on those schemes. I would appreciate the Minister's comments on that.
I thank the Deputy for her very kind words. It has been a pleasure to visit her constituency on a number of occasions in the past few weeks.
I believe the Minister was there on Wednesday night too.
I was in Bailieborough recently and I was in Cootehill last night recently to meet some-----
A bit of lobbying there?
Was Deputy Smyth invited?
I was not invited.
Allow the Minister to speak.
Blanchardstown is not at all far from Cavan.
The Minister has plenty of support in Cavan.
Indeed, which will not be forgotten. If I have the opportunity to lead in the future-----
(Interruptions).
-----I will not forget the level of support that I appear to be receiving in the Border counties.
To acknowledge the Deputy's question, we want to avoid a situation where people change from one scheme to another. The Deputy can understand all sorts of reasons why that is impractical, whether it is from Tús to community employment, CE, or CE to JobPath, or whatever else. It is not necessarily good at getting outcomes for the person involved, or good for trying to administer those programmes. We are now allowing people to do exactly what the Deputy suggested on a case-by-case basis in a small number of exceptional cases. Taking up a place on one of the child care CE schemes is very valuable, because the services provided by those child care schemes are very important, and those particular CE schemes have a really good record of moving people on into employment. If there is a particular case, the Deputy is welcome to bring it to the attention of my office.
I thank the Minister for his clear response. He said individuals are taken on a case-by-case basis. He might outline and refer to exactly where people go for that specific consideration for a job. I appreciate that he is saying he does not want people chopping and changing. In this specific case, a girl had a skill set and there was a position available. It was probably more suited to her than where she was, and it would be nice to think that flexibility is there.
In the first instance, people should contact their local Intreo centre. If it has not worked out for some reason or if there was a dispute, the Deputy may raise it directly with my private secretary and my office will certainly look into it.