Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

They are new questions to do with a brand new programme that was announced two weeks ago and did not appear in Pathways to Work which was launched last year. We did not have sight of it. Advance training is mentioned, but we have no idea what exactly it means, how long it will last, or whether it will be mandatory. Why was the decision taken to set this up scheme, rather than continue with the worthwhile work placement programme which was linked with Tesco and others and was working well? Why create a "JobBridge lite"?

My final question follows on from what the Senator mentioned about Gateway. Has the moratorium been fully lifted in local authorities? The work being carried out by Gateway participants in filling sand bags, cleaning streets and picking weeds was previously done by parks department and maintenance staff. In other cases librarians' work is being carried out by JobBridge interns. As these jobs have not been filled for a number of years, there is jobs displacement, although it has not taken place only in the last month or two. If councils are now using Gateway, will they continue to be allowed to use it or will they reactivate the positions previously filled by parks department staff, road cleaners and whatnot?