Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

The Minister is aware that the scheme is not voluntary and, in its current guise, people will be forced to participate for fear of losing their jobs. A wide range of community employers are set to participate. However, is it really acceptable to force people to work in this way especially when there are scores of people who would be very keen to apply or avail of the opportunity? For example, some of these employers work with children and vulnerable adults. Have we learnt nothing from the major child protection investigations or the media exposure of elder abuse?

Would the Minister not agree that jobseekers should be entitled to apply for a place in Tús or, at a minimum, that a profile should be created? The Minister referred to the selection procedure. However, a profile could be created for each person on the dole which could then inform the selection of appropriate candidates. Will the Minister make these changes? If not, how will the Department ensure the appropriate people are selected if it has no profile of people on the live register? When will the guidelines governing the selection to which the Minister referred be produced and circulated to the partnership groups? Are they available to Deputies to determine whether they stand up to the required scrutiny?

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