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PRIVATE COMPANIES ARE entitled to €3,718 for every jobseeker that gains sustained employment for one year through the JobPath scheme.
JobPath is an employment activation service provided to people who have been on the live register for more than 12 months and are trying to secure and sustain full-time paid employment or self-employment.
Department officials told the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee today that the two private companies employed by the State, Turas Nua and Seetec, have received €75.7 million and €73.3 million respectively.
The committee was also told that about 190,000 people have gone through the scheme.
How much the companies got paid per person has been shrouded in secrecy since the roll out of the programme. The reason cited for this was that the information was commercially sensitive due to the public procurement process.
However, the PAC was told yesterday that both companies had agreed to share the figures and place them on the public record.
Concerns over repeat fees
Concerns have been raised about the repeat fees being paid to the companies operating JobPath, with TheJournal.ie reporting in September that 11,000 people have been referred to the scheme for a second time having already completed the programme in full.
Sinn Féin’s David Cullinane asked for the breakdown of how much the company is awarded, depending on how successful the person is in employment.
Initial registration fees for each of the 190,000 people who have so far engaged with the JobPath scheme amounts to €311 per person.
The companies then receive job-sustainment fees which are paid four times:
If a person makes there way through the programme to 52 weeks in work, Turas Nua or Seetec, then would receive €3,718.
A statement from the Department of Social Protection states that JobPath is an activation service, not a placement service and the costs per participant are in the region €781.
“The performance-related fee structure set out above is based on a payment-by-results model whereby the contractors have met all initial start-up costs with a relatively small fee per person who receives the service and more substantial fees when a result is achieved,” it added.
Staying in employment
Of the 190,000 engaged so far – 17% sourced employment which was sustained for 13 weeks, 14% for 26 weeks, 12% for 39 weeks and 9% for 52 weeks.
The Controller and Auditor General, Seamus McCarthy, told the committee yesterday that only 7% were still in employment after 12 months.
The C&AG said that 16,000 people had dropped out of the programme, but that 16,000 were still in the process of it, with a further 69,000 in agreed Personal Progression Plans (PPP). These plans are signed up to by the jobseeker when enrolled in the scheme.
Civil servants told the committee that the scheme was value for money, as it was delivering on targets set by the Department of Social Protection.
Raising concerns about repeat payments being made to the companies for the same person partaking in the programme for a second time, Sinn Féin spokesperson for Employment Affairs and Social Protection John Brady said essentially the private companies are receiving two payments of €311 for every one of the 11,000 people referred twice.
“The bottom line is JobPath has failed, it has provided 9% of those who have engaged with the scheme with a job that has been sustained for one year at an enormous cost to the taxpayer,” he said.
He said the Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty has described this scheme as the most successful job activation scheme in the history of the State.
“I think the taxpayers of Ireland who are actually paying for it would have a different view,” he added.
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And as usual his sentence was partially suspended.This farce,coupled with automatic reduction for “good behavior” is a scandal that needs to be changed.
@Tedser: sometimes I wonder if the judges have a bit of a weakness for this type of carry on
To anyone (in particular women) reading this, if you know you’re going to be walking on eggshells this Christmas, making Christmas dinner all the time afraid of a blow up over the table, are afraid that your partner will cause a scene and put you down in front of friends and family, please consider reading the book “why does he do that” by lundy bancroft. It is so insightful, and provides excellent practical adcive on how to survive am abusive relationship (literally). Ive been going on about it a lot because it was recommended to me and I was blown away when I read it.
Here’s a link to a free PDF version of it. Use an incognito browser if your partner monitors your electronics, or read it in parts when you’re at a friends house.
@Veronica: Veronica, that perfectly describes the situation I was in. I finally couldn’t take any more and left. Then on a number if occasions my ‘ex’ threatened not to let my children come and see me. Abuse is very much a two way street.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: I highly recommend you reading the book “why does he do that”, there will probably be a lot of useful insights into what was driving her behaviour, and ways to help you recover emotionally.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: >Abuse is very much a two way street.
But I very strongly disagree with this statement. Abuse is not a two way street, the abuser is entirely responsible for their actions, the victim is not responsible for their abusive partners behaviour.
@Veronica: A sad situation faced by many families over the festive season. All too many times alcohol has a huge role to play in bringing out the worst in people. Hope anyone facing that situation gets the support they need.
@Veronica: He’s referring to the fact that woman can be the abusers as well not just men.
Never mind why does he do it….. why should anyone put up with it? Why do we as a society pay judges who through suspended sentences enable these criminals?
@Jim Buckley Barrett: she knows.
@Veronica: Another excellent book is ‘How he gets into her head’ by Don Hennessey; “Mr Hennessy believes that for men who abuse it is a “lifestyle choice”. “It’s founded on a sense of entitlement and a lack of what I call conscience. He thinks he is entitled to do certain things. He will not have a sense of the impact that those things will have on anybody else. He will just go through life taking what he can get from people and primarily that’s in his family life,” he said.” https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/men-who-abuse-women-use-the-same-tactics-as-pedophiles-and-ive-never-met-one-who-wanted-to-change-says-author-of-how-he-gets-in-her-head-35681098.html
Judges treat domestic violence against women as a minor issue……. is there a High incidence of such violence among the judiciary or are they all misogynists? There has to be a reason.
@marg fitzgerald: “Courts don’t want to send abusers to jail, because they consider them a special class of offenders who deserve unusual compassion and because they often accept victim-blaming justifications for men’s violence. Old attitudes die hard.
…
I have spoken with judges who like to give an abuser a strong verbal admonition *instead of* imposing some sanctions, in the belief that a stern warning from a judge can make an abuser realise that he has to stop. But in reality, the man considers the judge’s lecture a joke if no sentence comes with it. He puts on a chastised expression for the court but then smiles all the way home, smug and empowered. I see the emboldening effects of such court dates on my clients”
Lundy Bancroft
I used to go overboard at Christmas, big money, more stuff, more stuff =happy, but it never worked it was never enough, the key to the nightmare came on stephens night and the drink, that look across at Jim sevens years ago, turned into ” why are you looking up and down at Jim’s wife” we have to stop turning it to victim hood and turning it to “humans are cruel, we are here to help”
@David Dineen: no clue what you are on about
Dont take drugs kids
Anyone going through this, grab a hold of Don Hennesys book, “how he gets into her head”.
This is the number for amen +818222240. They also have a website with pretty good information about their services on it. I don’t really care who does most of which kind of abuse or if there is a higher incidence of it against women or men. Just that the information be out there and that people know that there are people willing to help and listen. I know this article is dealing with severe abuse against a woman but it wouldn’t have been the hardest thing in the world to have put the information up for men as well.
No mention of men’s aid ,I getting sick of this man bashing crap
@Paul Redmond: women abuse men in so many sneaky underhand ways. Because in the main the methods are non physical it’s harder to churn out endless sensational articles about it. Humans abuse humans.
@Paul Redmond:
There is a mens aid! Its called Amen.
And do you think that these women who are ‘men bashing’ are making it up?
There are women who are terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing, or saying or doing the right thing, the wrong way, every day of their lives.
@Paul Redmond: Rather than getting sick of this “man bashing crap” maybe you should get in touch with Amen or The Journal on why they are neglecting to reach out to men. No one denies that women commit DV.
@Mary Walshe: Your last 4 lines is a quick summary of over 10 years of my life.
@Paul Redmond: Discussing male violence against women is not “man-bashing”, for the love of god you’re acting like abusers are hard done by when their victims seek help getting out of abusive relationships, or take measures to protect themselves.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: go to Amen and see what help is available. Start petitioning TDs for more services for men in situations you are in. It will take you years the same as it took women years to get legislature passed into law. Write down everything she does to you/ your kids if you have them. Hope you have a safe Christmas. Regards
@Paul Redmond: “man bashing crap” It’s always amazing how within a couple of hours of any article about this being posted there’s always a man popping to to say What about us?. Well, what about us Paul? What are you doing to help highlight issues men face? Do you actually care or are you yet another abusive apologist who only pipes up when there’s an opportunity to diminish and distract from a real and serious issue? Will happily bet it’s the latter. If you honestly believe that highlighting the fact that men are overwhelmingly responsible for violence in our world is man bashing rather than shining a light on something we don’t like talking about or facing up to then you’re delusional.
If an article goes up about breast cancer, do you start harping on about testicular cancer? Bet you don’t.
@Róisín Daly: Roisin, we need to move away from thinking of women abused by men or men abused by women. It is PEOPLE ABUSING PEOPLE. And all funding/help groups/shelters should be organised on that basis.
@Paul Redmond: I’m certainly not condoning domestic violence ,if the media are making a campaign about domestic violence (which I agree) stick men down on that.
That’s all violence Murf
@Paul Redmond: AMEN is support for men experiencing abuse.
@Róisín Daly: all the lads are saying is that it should be people abuse people not one gender honed in on. No one is denying that female victims aren’t victims. Just that humans abuse humans Simple clear fair factual proven point.
@Chris Finn: > people abuse people not one gender honed in on.
except that it’s very clearly delineated across sex lines. Women are by far the sex to experience severe domestic abuse, including hospitalisations and even murder, at the hands of men.
Obfuscating the issue and pretending that it’s somehow even across the sexes only serves abusers by helping them hide their abuse in plain sight. Women and children are dying because of this, we should be doing everything we can to stamp it out, not go around acting as though women are doing the same to men to soothe the egos of abusive men.
@Veronica: ‘Women are by far the sex to suffer severe domestic abuse’.
Physical abuse, possibly, though I had things thrown at me. But mental abuse, DEFINITELY NOT.
@Martin David: No Martin but if an article goes up about road safety we don’t say save the women we say people.
@Paul Redmond: yes Paul, that’s the takeaway message from this story alright.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: An abuse person might not feel safe with men/women around when they are vulnerable in a refuge centre. Especially if it’s physical abuse. Yes to groups like Amen getting more funding from government to support men in bad relationship. This Christmas I am supporting local charities de Paul etc. And now you have reminded me to put Amen on that list too. Take care love.
@Chris Finn: I usually when talking about abuse use the word “person, he/she” I get where you are going yes men get abused. But in reality the majority of deaths, beatings and rapes are done to women. Not all I know but a majority. Abused men will need different services than abused women separately especially if women have kids with them. You need start petitioning local Td/councillors for more help for abused men.
@Róisín Daly: the majority does not mean we should isolate one gender.
@author and organisation – Why are you just talking about women and children victims? I suffered notable domestic violence .
That’s pretty average journalism
@Chris Finn: not every story of abuse can be about your story of abuse. That doesn’t make it “bad journalism”. If you want your story of abuse to be heard, write about it and send it to them. Your story of abuse is no doubt awful and sad too. But that doesn’t mean the author doesn’t deserve to be heard. Why would you turn on her? She was abused too.
Folks,not all men are like this man was so bad,so why did she stay with him and put up with it,also they had there chance in court so why was it not taken,instead some decent fathers have to wait 2 or 3 months to get access to there children through no fault of there own.
@John James Fagan: read the article.. She had left him
@John James Fagan: “Sadly everyone blames the victim and says if she only did this or didn’t do that her life would be better and there’s no truth she is completely powerless as to the level of abuse she is receiving. He dictates, he measures… she has no control over that at all.” – Educate yourself about the insidious nature of intimate partner & domestic violence. And put your ego in check, it won’t help a single person or family facing this extremely dangerous time of the year.
https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/men-who-abuse-women-use-the-same-tactics-as-pedophiles-and-ive-never-met-one-who-wanted-to-change-says-author-of-how-he-gets-in-her-head-35681098.html
Oh dear god, domestic violence in any form is abhorrent. Physical and mental abuse is limited by gender or age. Our collective view on domestic abuse is too narrow.
One thing I find deeply worrying is the lack of support for children. We all amuse the kids go with the mother. Sometimes the mother can’t/won’t leave. What happens if the mother is the abuser or kids with same sex parents?
Christmas was a nightmare growing up. Drunken violence and abuse for two straight weeks, family that didn’t like each other in close proximity fighting. Awful time of the year.
@Misanthrope: couldn’t wait to go back to school.
Typical Coward beating women, I would beat this moron with one hand, if it was my sister it would be him in A&E, chalk it down.
@Murf: i am a survivor of domestic abuse and have a brother with mental illness who gets violent particularly in alcohol
Ban relationships and marriage. Then there will be no more domestic violence.
Chris please i ask you NOT to hog forums regarding abuse against women please seek out forums for men you perhaps might need m.o.v.e.
have your say