Dr. Tom Boland:

Yes, and the big idea regarding making things better for low-paid employment is to perhaps move towards the four-day or even the three-day week model. The four-day week is being trialled, and it has been found to be equally as productive as the five-day week in many locations and sectors. As we move towards greening the economy, we might need two three-day weeks, and for everybody to have Sunday off, or something like that. For example, it may be the case that we could only have sufficient wages to pay the for the first three days, and then for the other three days for the person would be on social welfare. That could be supported by the extremely strong wealth-producing tax-paying part of the economy, such as the finance sector and the more productive, more tax-burdened areas of employment. Then, so be it, if the environment needs it. The Senator is right; people do move into jobs because they want to be feel part of things and so on.

I was most intrigued by the Senator's question regarding what we can advise them to do or what we can have as confluence between us and the North. There may be two Ministers who may ask what to do before anything else. I am quite sceptical and cautious and do not see much of this happening very quickly. The Senator has already heard that I am very much against sanctions and so on. However, it so happens that both States marketise their activation, which means they advertise for tender to particular companies to do the work of activating people. I do not think we should do it at all - I think the State should do it - but in Ireland, we do it in such a way that we put strong conditions down for how it is done and how you treat people. This includes keeping the records. Those companies include Turas Nua and Seetech. I have been before an Oireachtas committee on another occasion to criticise them. However, they are contracted. It is not about the people themselves or the companies, but the contract for activating people is much less dangerous, inasmuch as it does not push people or allow people to treat the unemployed people however they want. It lays down standards. If there was a common standard between the North and the South regarding how the activation was done-----