Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I am glad to see the Minister is in a position to get such detailed answers to questions. We are in a bizarre situation when the Opposition is not able to get answers to parliamentary questions from the Department of Social and Family Affairs on behalf of constituents, while the Minister is still able to bring us that level of information. This begs a further series of questions.

I return to the issue of activation. Approximately two years ago, or shortly after we arrived in this position, I raised this matter with the Minister and have done so on several occasions since. The situation is that people in receipt of social welfare payments are going on FÁS courses. Some times the courses last two, three or four weeks and these people sign off social welfare and sign on with FÁS. They do their course, sign off FÁS and back onto social welfare. What has been done to address that situation? They get the same payment and sometimes may get an extra allowance from FÁS for child care. That is not an issue for the Minister. However, that amount of paperwork is a nonsense, particularly when we see the delays in our social welfare offices. That is one question.

Regarding the issue of activation, there are customers - there is a less polite name for them - of the Department who get a letter stating they have sought work. I spoke to an employer the other day who said,"I have this fellow back again for the third year in a row applying for a job. He knows there are no jobs here but he needs a letter for the Department". That is then accepted as his active seeking of work. Has the Minister done any investigation into the reality behind that situation?

The Minister will accept we are in a very changed environment. She made a statement in January welcoming the IBEC Gradlink programme, which I, too, very much welcome. Do the Minister and FÁS have any plans to put any other scheme in place for graduates who will not be able to avail of that programme but for whom the traditional type of FÁS course will not be of help?

See this speech in context