Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 July 2021
301. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the approximate number of job coaches in whole-time equivalent terms currently funded through EmployAbility; the way in which the number has changed in recent years; and the full year cost of every ten additional job coaches. [35685/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe EmployAbility Service is an important service which is delivered by individual contractors on behalf of my Department. Contracts for service have been entered into with 24 organisations around the state, currently servicing approximately 3000 clients. The EmployAbility Service contracts describe the employment service to be delivered and the funding available to an organisation for the full delivery of that service.
Each contract for service is a stand-alone agreement and is subject to negotiation with the service provider. The budget allocation to an individual service provider may be subject to an increase or decrease based on the requirements for the coming year. As with any 'contract for service', the terms and conditions of staff, including remuneration, are a matter for the contracting organisation that employs them.
The combined staffing cost for these services contracted by my Department in 2021 is €7.8m which is an increase from €7.7m contracted in 2020 and 2019.
In 2019, the number of EmployAbility Job Coaches across the service were 122(FTE), this was approximately 115 (FTE) in 2020, and in 2021 YTD, the number of Job Coaches across the service is approximately 116 (FTE). The numbers are an averaging across each year as numbers may fluctuate across the duration of the contract due to contractors employees leaving and joining the service.
