Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

The Minister said at the outset that this scheme was intended for early school leavers. The point I am making is that the qualifying criteria for the scheme are very outdated and do not meet the needs of the newly unemployed. It is fine for the Minister to talk about the minor changes she has made, which are welcome, but the reality is that there has been unprecedented growth in unemployment. One in five unemployed people are under 25. There are many graduates who are drawing the dole. The restricted nature of this scheme means that many people who should be able to avail of it are not entitled to do so.

It would make a lot of sense for the Minister to provide education and training opportunities to those who are on the dole who are precluded from participating in any courses. This problem is relatively new and it needs new solutions. The Minister should consider sitting down with some of the groups who work with unemployed people and try to identify some of those barriers that currently prevent them from participating in training. The current system encourages long-term unemployment. With a little tweaking of the rules, this could be a much more effective intervention for people who find themselves unemployed. Will the Minister apply herself to identifying those blockages?

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