Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I accept the point that there is always a need for changing courses and ensuring they are suitable. I equally accept it is important that people use the skills they have, although I can see a carpenter being very successful at beauty, working with some of us. The skills might be instantly transferable.

A great number of additional places have been put in place this year, right across retail schemes, post-leaving certificate courses, senior travel and training courses. I am satisfied there would be a facility for people throughout the country. A course does not literally have to be delivered on somebody's doorstep. He or she has to collect the money in the post office every week and so must travel for that. Likewise, he or she has to travel to the social welfare office to sign on. He or she will be getting the full allowance for travel on some of these courses. There is, of course, the travel allowance and the child care allowance. There will be enough places, but it is not just the job of the facilitator, though that has to be considered.

One must take into consideration the facilitators, the adult guidance people, information officers in the VECs, the local employment services and FÁS. With all of these groups hopefully working together, which is what we are doing-----

See this speech in context