Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher has welcomed the concession by the Minister of Employment and Social Protection and the reversal of Government policy which will now allow people who are presently on Jobpath to transfer on to such schemes as Community Employment schemes, Rural Social Schemes or TUS schemes.
At present if an individual was on jobpath he or she could not transfer onto any of these schemes due to the existing rules and regulations.
Pat the Cope has cautiously welcomed the changes announced today to Jobpath which Fianna Fáil has been actively campaigning for and the Party spokesperson brought a recent Dáil motion forward on the matter Deputy Willie O’Dea.
The Donegal Deputy said the changes announced will facilitate access, from 1st June this year, to Community Employment (CE), Rural Social Schemes (RSS) and Tús schemes for long-term unemployed jobseekers that are engaging in JobPath.
Pat the Cope said “I have been inundated with complaints from people who felt that they were being unfairly coerced into Jobpath but would have preferred a place on a CE or Tús scheme which in many instances was more appropriate and suitable to their needs.
“I furthermore would request the Government to conduct a complete review of Jobpath as I have many reservations regarding the approach of this scheme and how it interacts with the general public. Social employment schemes such as CE, RSS and Tus have played a massive role in our communities right across Donegal and the entire country and it is only right and proper that they are fully supported.”