Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not know whether society is based on the free market but the free market has been imposed on society at a great cost. Eight people are dead since August. We are going to start now. Those are my compliments.

I thank Mr. McKeon for the contact number for Deputies. My experience and that of my office is not that we get our own way but that we are treated with politeness, speed and professionalism, and I thank Mr. McKeon for that. I wish to say as much publicly.

JobPath has been done to death here today, and rightly so. Mr. McKeon referenced "I, Daniel Blake". Certainly, I think we are in danger of following the path that has been so poignantly shown in that film. The two companies that the Department has chosen certainly have put us in danger in that regard.

I am going to leave the commercially sensitive and cost aspects of JobPath for the moment. I wish to focus on the effect on community employment schemes. We had Údarás na Gaeltachta ós ár gcomhair Dé Máirt. Chuir sé in iúl dúinn go poiblí go bhfuil deacracht ann ó thaobh na scéimeanna seo agus community employment schemes. Údarás na Gaeltachta confirmed to us that it was in the process of writing to the Department in respect of the impact of Turas Nua and Seetec. It seems everyone employs these organisations in the west and there is a direct impact on community employment. I have not heard that from Mr. McKeon today. That is my experience and the experience of Údarás na Gaeltachta. The co-operative movement has made many presentations to us highlighting that the authority cannot get people for its schemes. Udárás schemes are being seriously impacted. That is my first observation and question.