Givi Meishvili

In 2011, during a period when unemployment increased by over 300%, delivery of employment and welfare services was fragmented across three organizations.

Unemployed customers dealt separately with each organization. As a result customer service processes were inefficient and employment outcomes for clients were poor. Intreo was the response to this challenge, involving:

Worldwide, evidence shows that acute common health problems can progress to a state of chronic disability, job loss and dependence on costly long-term illness benefits. In Ireland, this has contributed to a significant increase since 2000 in the number of illness benefit recipients.

This submission outlines the delivery of a Claim, Payment and Entitlement Web Service to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) from the Department of Social Protection (DSP).

Research has shown that the prevention of long-term unemployment is important from both economic and social perspectives. Long-term unemployed individuals suffer from skill erosion and encounter difficulty in re-entering employment. In the wider economy, welfare payments and lost revenue mean that long-term unemployment entails substantial financial costs.