Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I accept fully what Mr. Carroll has said and reiterate a great job has been done in some places under JobBridge. There is little or no doubt that in parts of the public service the moratorium on recruitment meant that job vacancies went unfilled. Some of them were filled through the JobBridge scheme. I accept that people took these jobs voluntarily, but there were no prospects when they took them that at the end of the six months there would be a job for them as there was no sanction. That is where the word "exploitation" comes in. It arises in the specific cases where it was known at the time the jobs were advertised, that there would be no jobs available at the end of the six months. Mr. Carroll has said that if an organisation has a job to offer, it should advertise it and fill the post. However, we have a situation where a moratorium is preventing an organisation from employing a caretaker. It will bring in a caretaker under the JobBridge scheme, but there will be no job on offer at the end of the six months. Also, there is no mentor in place to assist in achieving specific learning outcomes and no training will take place. Essentially, what happens is the person in question is handed the keys as caretaker and told to work for six months. He or she receives an extra €50 a week and everybody is happy. I do not believe Mr. Carroll, as the official in charge of the JobBridge scheme, or the Department ever wanted the scheme to be used in that way. Will he address that issue for me?