Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

When a person moves to Jobstart, he or she would continue to receive benefit payments for a period and therefore the total payment would be the standard payment plus an additional €20. As we increase the numbers, the additional cost represents the extra cost plus the extra administration cost and so on. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is providing funding to county councils from the dormant accounts fund for this scheme.

I will take this opportunity to ask public representatives to please encourage the county managers or senior officials in their local county councils to examine this scheme because in the 1980s social employment schemes such as this were a significant help to people in keeping them connected and close to the jobs market. If, for instance, people did some work with the local authorities - I have discussed this with many of the managers - eventually, as local authorities begin to recruit again, these people will be ideally placed, as they were in the past, to take up and compete for additional local authority vacancies when they arise. It is a pathway back to work and it has helped people on previous occasions.

I look forward to Jobstart. It has taken some time to get under way. Local authorities had many discussions about the Haddington Road agreement.

We have had many discussions and I am confident that we now have a model that will prove very beneficial. Participation is the principle in this case. It is very acceptable to have local people contributing to this format. Those who contribute to local community centres and participate in community employment schemes are much admired in their communities. Similarly, local people will recognise the value of such contributions. Deputies from outside the big cities, in particular, will be well acquainted with Tús and know that Tús participants are very welcome because of what they can contribute to local communities. This sends a very positive message that people who, unfortunately, are unemployed are only too anxious to make a positive contribution and to be given an opportunity to do so. That is the positive message we want to send.