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Employment Affairs and Social Protection Minister, Regina Doherty, T.D. welcomed her counterpart, Jeane Freeman, Minister for Social Security in Scotland on an official visit to her Department today.
During their meeting, the Ministers’ discussions focused on the development and implementation of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection’s Intreo Service that was introduced in 2013 and has over 60 offices nationwide.
In the afternoon, Minister Freeman visited the Intreo Centre in Finglas where she saw first-hand how the Intreo service operates. The Intreo Service Delivery Model is an integrated ‘one-stop-shop’ for all income and employment support services where customers can access job-seeking advice, information on vacancies and income support services all in the one place.
Minister Freeman was also briefed on the operation of the advice centres that are available to people living in Ireland and abroad, including the Citizens Information Centres that provide information and advice on entitlements to citizens here, ranging from social welfare to health, education, housing to consumer rights, and much more.
Following today’s meeting, Minister Doherty said: “I was delighted to meet with my counterpart, Jeane Freeman and exchange views on each of our Departments, hear what policies her Department have adopted and what works for them. She was particularly interested in our Intreo service and I was very pleased that she got to visit our Intreo Centre in Finglas and see it in operation during a normal working day.”
The Department’s Intreo service consists of number of key elements:
Mr Finian McGrath, T.D., Minister with special responsibility for disabilities also met with Minister Freeman today. Minister McGrath said: “I was delighted to meet with Minister Freeman and to describe the many progressive programmes in place since I took office in May 2016, such as ‘Make Work Pay’ and the ‘National Disability Inclusion Strategy’.”
Ministers Freeman and McGrath discussed common concerns such as the difficulties people with disabilities face in securing employment. Minister McGrath spoke about the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for people with a disability and the pledge made in the Programme for Government that the current quota of 3% employment of people with a disability in the Public Service be increased to 6%.
ENDS