Ms Lynn Coffey:

We do. With regard to the Deputy's question on uniform access throughout the country, that is what RFT 1 has brought. It brought some agencies into parts of the country where they did not previously exist. We were told at the time that they were brought in on a green site, but it turned out there were some jobs clubs that suffered because of that. Those jobs clubs have now closed because they could not tender for that process. We have lost more than 180 years' worth of experience brought by the people working within those jobs clubs. There were eight people altogether, with not less than 20 years' experience each, working within this area in helping people who are the most vulnerable and most removed from the labour market, enabling them to get back into some form of work and assisting them in getting to that goal.

At the moment, as we come through the pandemic, we will have unemployment scarring, especially with our youth. As my colleague, Mr. King said, if we continue this way, the LES clubs, which at some sort of stretch or another tendered for these contracts, will no doubt end up not being able to continue within a year to 18 months. They will not be able to provide the service to the standard they currently are, they will not be able to hold existing staffing levels, they will not be able to retain staff at the professional level they exist at the moment because there will be better-paid jobs out there that these people will be able to go to.

Studies have shown that, under the for-profit model, staffing mainly comes from low-skilled, retail workers who end up trying to deliver these services as best they can, through no fault of their own. It is the wages they are paid, which are really a race to the bottom. When it comes to our most vulnerable people, we cannot stand by and allow the risk of more of them falling between the cracks as we go forward in 2021 because the Department has adopted a mindset that it will not engage with the stakeholders. That is imperative.

As my colleague, Mr. Kane said, the date was meant to be 1 January 2022. We will not see that date. It would be crazy to push it out by another month or two. Let us take this time, let us invest in this and let us invest in the people we need to look after. That is the kind of country and society we are. My colleague, Mr. Orford, would like to have a word on what I was saying.