asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of interviews so far conducted under the Jobsearch programme; the number who have been found work as a result; the number who have been taken off the register; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

11.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare the latest estimates with the likely effect of the Jobsearch programme on the live register; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

It is proposed to take Question Nos. 3 and 11 together.

To date over 36,000 people have been interviewed under the programme and 650 have found jobs directly as a result. Some 4,000 have been placed on employment schemes or programmes and over 2,000 have been placed on the Jobsearch course. The benefits in improved employment prospects for those in training programmes, including the Jobsearch course, will be seen mainly in the medium term rather than the short term. The initial effect of Jobsearch is to increase the confidence and motivation of the long term unemployed. This has been borne out by a review of the pilot Jobsearch courses held in Letterkenny, Tallaght and Limerick. The review indicated that over 80 per cent of those who attended found the course worth while and 76 per cent felt it improved their confidence.

It is still too early to provide accurate estimates of the likely effect of the Jobsearch programme on the live register. However, apart from those placed in Manpower schemes and AnCO training courses, preliminary figures show that, arising from the programme, 187 were disallowed and a further 1,252 left the live register. The 4,000 or so persons placed on Manpower schemes and AnCO training courses have also left the live register.

I should point out that the Jobsearch programme is concentrated on the long term unemployed and its main purpose is to be of personal assistance to those who are six months or more on the live register in their search for work. It is, of course, recognised that in addition to some people being placed in employment and in Manpower and training schemes, an assessment of the needs of those on the live register will also result in others, who may not appear to satisfy the statutory conditions for entitlements under the Social Welfare Acts, having their entitlements reviewed. Furthermore, a number may cease signing rather than face a review if they are aware that they do not satisfy the statutory conditions for entitlements under the Acts. These are factors which would lead to some reduction in the live register.

If I understand the Minister's figures correctly, about 4 per cent of those interviewed have been disallowed or have ceased to sign on the live register. Could the Minister extrapolate that for the entire register and tell us the cost of a 4 per cent overclaim of unemployment?

There is a danger in taking these figures at this time. I would advise Deputies against trying to make too many calculations based on them, the reason being that there is a time lag, of necessity, partly because of the way in which the claims are being handled and partly because of the individuals who might not turn up are being dealt with. They are being given an opportunity to go back for another interview if this is considered necessary. Consequently there is some time lag and the figures will not become very clear until later in the year. For example, one can take the referrals to schemes and programmes, there being 7,415 who have been thus referred. The figure I gave earlier was only for those actually placed. Obviously more of those referred will be placed. There have been 2,615 people referred to job vacancies but the figure I gave of 650 is the number that have been confirmed in job vacancies. That was up the middle of June.

What percentage would that be?

1 per cent; no, 2 per cent.

Of the total that the Minister is talking about?

They are in the pipeline and at any point there will be more people coming along who have actually got jobs and more who have actually accepted placings. The figures do not relate to one another. We can tell the Deputies today the number interviewed because that is an absolture figure. We cannot say the number who have taken placings or who have left the register because those who leave the register will not be known for some time. One would want to be slightly careful about extrapolating too much from some of the initial data which is available.

Would the Minister not consider 650 jobs out of 36,000 for interviews as derisory, especially in view of the fact that those jobs would almost certainly have been filled without the Jobsearch programme? In view of these very disappointing figures, does the Minister consider it worthwhile continuing with the Jobsearch programme? Does he still believe it will have the achievements claimed for it when it was announced? Would he not agree with what Deputy Stagg said earlier, that this is just a programme to hunt people off the live register?

As I explained to the House, 2,615 have been referred to job vacancies. I appreciate that it is difficult to follow the way in which statistics work. There is a time lag in the reporting back from Manpower and from employers of the people who have actually accepted vacancies offered to them. One would be leading oneself very far astray if one started doing the kind of extrapolation which the Deputy is doing at present. The scheme is being handled in the interests of the long term unemployed and the figures will be clearer at a later stage. The figure of 1,200 in respect of people who have left the live register is one which must be of interest to Deputies in the House. The 650 people who have got the jobs so far are people from the long term unemployed who have been looking for jobs for a long time and they have got these jobs through the Jobsearch programme.