John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to make a brief contribution to this debate. I will support anything that helps to get people back into employment, including a vehicle allowing them to improve their skills-set and restore the confidence and self-esteem of the long-term unemployed. In the past I urged Ministers to introduce more CE, Tús and rural social schemes. Gateway is on the same lines. We need more rather than less schemes of this kind.

When I saw initially that 80 schemes had been allocated to the local authority in Mayo I asked whether we could not have obtained more. I have made representations to Ministers about the Tús scheme to try to get it extended from one year to two. That is because people on the scheme were enjoying what they did and contributed to the organisations they worked for.

Schemes can always be improved and fine-tuned. If there is something wrong with Gateway when it is rolled out, let us change it or tweak it. Sole traders do not currently qualify to take on internships even though they would not be replacing anybody else, so that needs to be tweaked. In recent weeks, new social protection offices were opened in my constituency, but an area in east Mayo is without a community welfare office as a result. That situation needs to be tweaked because the area concerned is bigger than some counties. Mayo is the third biggest county so that matter needs to be re-examined by the Minister for Social Protection. I urge her to take a look at it.

I was listening to what Deputy Jim Daly said yesterday about the North of Ireland where there is a youth employment scheme. Under that scheme unemployed youths receive an extra £15.38 per week in addition to their benefits. I assume that is something like the situation here, but if I am wrong I apologise in advance.

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