Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I have no problem with pressure to do courses other than the balances that have been discussed here. Is it not ironic, at a time when there will be pressure, and rightly so, on people on jobseeker's assistance and benefit to do courses, that there is a cohort of people around the country who are on social welfare and do not want to be there but want to be on the CE schemes? The Minister's Department does not handle this section, but trying to get people back to work will have to cross all Departments. As the Minister's Department funds the social welfare aspect when people are not working, would she agree, given that hundreds of people around this country want to go on CE schemes but are disallowed for a variety of reasons, that this would be a very sensible and imaginative thing to do, to get important work done locally rather than just giving people social welfare payments? This is particularly true when in this legislation the Minister wants to bring pressure on people who are on jobseeker's assistance and benefit to do courses.

As the Minister is aware there is a time-honoured system in this country whereby people work two or three days per week and draw social welfare for the remaining days. Does the Minister expect that those people should do courses on the days on which they are not working? As she knows, part-time work is a major part of the employment system. Against that background I would like the Minister to clarify those points for me.

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