Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

-----were to come along and say that such applicants know there are no jobs. In those circumstances employers should not give them a letter to satisfy their social welfare needs if they know it is not the result of any genuine effort to find work. The reality is there are not as many jobs available as there were but there is an obligation on the offices to seek the information. I shall certainly check the situation the Deputy described.

I refer to the graduate programme and Gradlink. We changed the criteria for our graduate programme on 1 December and that is having an effect. We are investigating it now and marketing it in a better way, using Facebook and other types of technology that graduates would be more likely to access rather than having a poster in the office. I particularly welcome the IBEC Gradlink programme because at the end of that placement graduates will not only have been able to maintain their social welfare benefits but will also get a recognition or certificate from IBEC stating they have experience in management. This will benefit people.

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