Nelson McCausland MLA, Minister for Social Development and Dr Stephen Farry MLA, Employment and Learning Minister, have highlighted the role of social contracts in moving people into employment.

The Ministers were speaking after meeting and congratulating Howard Giffen and Ashley Lilley from Lisburn who gained employment as a result of work experience placements with T&A Kernoghan on the Ballymacoss social housing scheme funded by the Northern Ireland Executive as part of the Social Housing Development Programme. The placements are aimed at unemployed people who wish to gain valuable work experience and are delivered by the Department for Employment and Learning’s through its Steps to Work Programme.

Social Clauses were introduced by the Department for Social Development into all new social housing and urban regeneration contracts with effect from 1 January 2011.

Significant sums of public money are spent every year on procuring goods and services and it has long since been recognised within Government that the use of social clauses within Government contracts can deliver significant social and economic benefits. They have been successfully used within the construction industry to assist people who are unemployed or economically inactive back into work through the provision of training and help with skills development. This is particularly important to ensure that we have sufficient numbers of skilled workers to grow our economy.

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Minister McCausland commented: "This small but important addition to the way in which we procure social housing has helped unemployed people into the world of work. What we see here today is that, with the right support and intervention, the cycle of unemployment and economic inactivity can be broken and I am delighted to play a part in that process.

"The Department for Employment and Learning’s Steps to Work Programme provides a comprehensive range of assistance to help unemployed people find work and has provided Housing Associations with a tried and tested route to delivering tangible social benefits within local communities. This is a further example of joined-up Government delivering for the people of Northern Ireland. I applaud T& A Kernoghan for their willingness to embrace the Steps to Work programme and commend them for their foresight in recognising the untapped potential that exists among the economically inactive.

"The Programme for Government commits all Departments to include Social Clauses in all public procurement contracts for supplies, services and construction. I am fully committed to this objective and will continue to review the work of my Department to see what added value we can bring to communities."

(CD/GK)