Department one-stop shop for jobless
The department will be a “one-stop-shop” for the unemployed and is expected to be announced next Tuesday as part of Brian Cowen’s Cabinet reshuffle.
It is expected to incorporate the role of unemployment benefit payments, which is currently done by the Department of Social and Family Affairs, and job creation functions from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Tánaiste Mary Coughlan said the Government needs to put job creation and training first and social welfare entitlements second.
The practice of “benefits being handed out as liberally as they are today” will be stopped, a source said. Under the plan, jobseekers would face questioning over their attempts to secure employment and could be offered a number of options before being granted dole payments.
All services would be located under one roof in a number of centres around the country. Ms Coughlan as well as Social Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin have been working on the plan since Christmas.
Last week, Fine Gael’s Enterprise spokesperson, Leo Varadkar, told the Dáil the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is likely to be restructured not for policy reasons but to give the impression Ms Coughlan is not being sacked.
Green Party leader, John Gormley, yesterday said he hopes the reshuffle takes place “sooner rather than later”. But he toned down previous demands his party get two junior ministries in the reshuffle.
