Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed

Lobbying Organisation Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed

Date published 15 Jan, 2018

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Social Protection

Period 1 Sep, 2017 to 31 Dec, 2017

Specific Details In late November the INOU marked its 30th Anniversary with a major conference on the theme of ‘Best Practice in the Delivery of Employment Services’.

Intended results The aim of the conference was to explore what works best in terms of supporting unemployed people to access employment opportunities and the critical role that the employment services play in this regard.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity John Stewart, INOU Coordinator; Bríd O'Brien, INOU Head of Policy and Media

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Meeting (1)

Minister of State at the Department of Health, Catherine Byrne TD, delivered the opening address on behalf of Minster for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, TD. John Stewart, INOU Coordinator described the organisation’s work exploring unemployed people’s experience of the State’s Employment Services: Intreo, the Department's service; Local Employment Service, which is provided through local development and community structures; and JobPath which is provided through the private sector. Pia Lunöe and Brita Borg, Swedish Public Employment Service, gave an international perspective on “What works – A case study from Sweden and principles to help inform excellence in the delivery of Employment Services”. Helen Johnston, NESC explored ‘Why Active Inclusion Matters: Placing the person at the heart of the service’ and the importance of addressing household joblessness’; and John Sweeney, Labour Market Economist focused on the debate ‘A Job, Any Job or Training’.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Catherine Byrne Minister of State (Department of Health)

John Conlon Assistant Secretary (Department of Social Protection)