Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 1 December 2022

Public Accounts Committee

2021 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 37 - Social Protection - Social Insurance Fund 2021
Chapter 10: Regularity of social welfare payments
Chapter 11: The recovery of benefit and assistance payments following compensation awards
Chapter 14: Classification of workers for PRSI purposes

9:30 am

Mr. John McKeon:

To reassure the Chairman, we are absolutely on top of that as well. It is not just people from Ukraine. We are working very hard with Irish people who are unemployed. That is why we have the local employment services and so on that we tendered for this year. Therefore, I do not think it is one or the other. Given the employment situation and the tightness in the labour market, there is an obligation on us to try to make sure there are enough workers available for employers. I fully accept what the Chairman said about the accommodation issue. In doing that, there is also an obligation on us to make sure the people who are making a decision are aware of the accommodation challenges in Ireland, and that is what we do.