Integrated employment service launched

A new integrated employment and support service has been launched by the Department of Social Protection today.

Intreo provides individual support to people who are out of work through client profiling, one-to-one meetings and group engagement.

Speaking at the launch in Sligo, Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton said she hopes that the first day a person enters an Intreo Centre is the start of their journey back to work.

"The day that they come in to the new Intreo office - the new social welfare office - not only may they request and apply for a payment, but we will be asking them in return for that taxpayer support to engage with us to help them to get back to work, back to education, back to training as quickly as possible," she said.