Sharon Bracken

Department of Social Protection

The Department of Social Protection promotes active participation in society through the provision of income supports, employment services and other services for a wide range of audiences. We serve a wide and diverse group of customers including families, people in employment, unemployed people, people with disabilities, carers, and retired and older people. We also provide a range of services to employers who are an important customer group both in their own right and as ‘partners' in the provision of employment opportunities to unemployed people. In March 2020 we introduced the Pandemic Unemployment Payment within days of Covid-19 arriving in Ireland to respond to the immediate demand for income support and over 900,000 people received at least one payment. In July 2021, we launched the Government's Pathways to Work strategy – an ambitious new strategy designed to drive employment as Ireland recovers from Covid-19. The strategy removes barriers to employment, provides tens of thousands of training and education places, significantly enhances the Public Employment Service, provides incentives to employers to take people off the Live Register, and delivers a special package of supports for young people. Find contact details for all sections of the Department at www.gov.ie/dspphonenumbers