Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I do not want to hear about a welcome for the IBEC programme. I want to know how the Minister will make her programme work better. The fact that persons will get their social welfare payment is not to the point. People have difficulties, whether of child care or in travel to work if it is any way distant. There is no recompense for that. The social welfare payment will not it possible for people to travel any great distance.

In summer 2008 the Minister announced a major initiative to tackle the number of young people who find themselves unemployed. That number has increased greatly since then. Are there any new initiatives to try to address this?

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