A distinctive client journey has been embedded into the employment services process since 2022. Jobseekers on the live register engage with Intreo in the first 12 months and are then referred firstly to the contracted Intreo Partner National Employment Service (NES) and after 24 months, to the Intreo Partner Local Area Employment Service (LAES), which is designed to engage with those with greater barriers to the labour market. Therefore, the jobseeker is referred to the most appropriate service at each point in time on their jobseeking journey.
On 4th March 2022, the Council of the European Union unanimously adopted the implementing decision regarding the Temporary Protection Directive. This means that people arriving from Ukraine under the Temporary Directive can move through the EU as EU citizens. It also means that, subject to their accommodation arrangements, they have been granted the status to avail of all income supports and services from the Department of Social Protection on the same basis as Irish citizens. Recipients of a jobseekers payment who have a right to reside and work in Ireland under the Temporary Protection Directive are also referred to the NES and LAES in the same way as other long term unemployed jobseekers.
The overall cost of the NES and LAES is determined by the number of people who participate in the programmes and the number who get sustainable jobs. Information in relation to the average cost per client referred to each service is not retained. Since 2022, to date, there have been over 216,000 clients referred to both the LAES and NES of which 26,781 (12%) were classified as being Beneficiaries of the Temporary Protection Directive. The overall expenditure incurred across all LAES and NES clients during this period in respect of beneficiaries of temporary protection was €22.8m.
Further detail of the numbers of beneficiaries of temporary protection referred and who subsequently engaged as well as the expenditure to date by programme is provided in the Table below.
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Beneficiaries of temporary protection
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Intreo Partner Local Area Employment Services (LAES)
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Intreo Partner National Employment Services (NES)
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Number of referrals from 2022 until
month end January 2026)
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5,418
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21,363
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Expenditure by Intreo Partner Service to end January 2026
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€ 6.1m
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€16.7m
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Please note the expenditure figures do not take into account the savings made in respect of welfare payments for those who secured sustained employment or in any resulting increase in tax receipts.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
