Mr. John McKeon:

JobBridge is probably the most flexible scheme in the Department and we try to operate it flexibly. If there are particular circumstances, Deputy Lyons can raise them with me directly or with the JobBridge team and they will look at them. There is a rule that people cannot move out of employment into an internship with that employer. However, if there has been a period of no employment, we can look at that flexibly. If the last period of employment was only six weeks previously we would have questions. We take a pragmatic approach.

The take-up of the JobsPlus has been quite positive compared to the previous PRSI scheme, in which the take-up was quite low. We are working very closely with groups such as Chambers Ireland and IBEC to promote the scheme. Since July we have had 16 different breakfast briefings with employer groups and representatives. We have been trying to promote the scheme through the employer representative bodies. We think there is greater awareness and knowledge of the scheme. We are obviously promoting JobsPlus to jobseekers as well, and that will feed back to employers. If the demand for the JobsPlus remains at the level it is currently running at, which is roughly three times the demand for the PRSI scheme, we would be there or thereabouts. If demand began to dip, we would look at it again.