Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

It is all very well for the Minister to say it is urgent but his actions and those of his predecessors would indicate that no urgency is being attached to the issue of jobs within the Government. Funding has been provided for this scheme since last December. There is the potential for 12,000 jobs to be created yet the Minister has not taken any action to set up or promote this scheme. It is fine for the Minister to say that employers can avail of it in retrospect but he has done nothing to promote this scheme. There is no process in place for making application. There has been no promotion of it. I want the Minister to tell us how an employer should go about applying for this scheme. What are the rules that will guard against job displacement and so-called deadweight? Has the Minister discussed those issues with employer groups, and will he give consideration to involving Enterprise Ireland in overseeing the scheme to avoid the possibility of job displacement?

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