Poor uptake prompts Gateway reform

With just 270 positions filled on its Gateway job activation programme, the Government has had to change the criteria for access to the scheme to try to attract more participants.

Under the terms of the Gateway initiative, dole claimants who have been on the Live Register for more than two years are paid an extra €20 per week on top of their jobseeker’s allowance to work for local authorities. An average of 19.5 hours per week is on offer in areas including village enhancement schemes; landscaping; tourism ambassadors; animal control; and libraries, and each placement lasts for 22 months.

The Government set a target of 3,000 positions to be filled by the end of the year. Yet by the end of this week only 270 had been taken up since the scheme was introduced more than 18 months ago. Just 16 of 31 councils had participants engaged in work on their behalf.

Social Protection Minister Joan Burton pointed out that another 469 jobseekers are awaiting the completion of contracts to start work.

Nonetheless, while saying more than 2,500 positions had been identified for Gateway by councils so far, she added that progress on recruitment had been “slower than anticipated”.

“To further support the recruitment process, the department has recently put arrangements in place for jobseekers meeting the criteria to apply to the department or councils for participation on Gateway and for departmental case officers to nominate suitable candidates for recruitment,” she said.

Previously, participants were selected by a random process conducted by the department, from those in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance long term. Ms Burton said the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government had sanctioned 150 acting -up allowances for existing local authority staff to support Gateway supervision.

“Additionally, that department has provided €2m to offset the costs of health and safety, training for specified tasks and personal protective equipment,” she said. “I believe that there are considerable personal and wider social benefits to jobseekers from engaging in worthwhile work in their community. The ambition of the Government is that Gateway will build on these positive initiatives using the quality working environment, resources and opportunities available to county and city councils enabling the long- term unemployed to make a positive contribution to their communities whilst up -skilling for future prospective employment.”