Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)

I cannot thank the Minister of State for his reply as it is not the reply I wanted to hear. I am shocked that there are no new initiatives in this area. The first part of the reply referred to schemes already in place. I and everybody else knows what schemes are already in place. I am disappointed with the Minister of State's response to this issue which I have raised at committee level, with FÁS and with other agencies. I am asking that the Minister and Ministers of State use their imagination — this is not rocket science — and come up schemes that will match up across various Departments unemployed, well-skilled people with jobs. How hard can that be? Doing so would be more or less cost neutral given the high cost, social and financial, of unemployment.

There is much work to be done in our communities. Many train stations, bus stations and schools are in disrepair and in need of serious maintenance. There is an endless amount of work that could be done during these bad times. This would ensure those who want to work get work. All I am asking is that people use their imaginations. I hope I will hear within the next month or so that the Department has some new ideas in this regard. I was told by FÁS officials at a committee meeting that they would look into this but they had no answers for me some two months later. More than 70,000 or 80,000 people have joined the dole queues. These people are skilled and available to work. What plans are there to match up these people with jobs? I accept a great deal is being done in respect of training.

I hope that the Minister of State can tell me that he and his colleagues are prepared to work during the next couple of months on some new ideas in respect of unemployment relief schemes. Let us try to match up people with work that needs to be done. There are dark times ahead and we should try to prepare for them.

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