Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 9:

In page 19, before section 16, to insert the following new section:

"16.—Participants in the National Internship Scheme shall enjoy rights and protections including but not limited to the following:

(a) A written statement of terms and conditions from the employer and requiring the approval of the Department;

(b) Annual leave; and

(c) Minimum notice before dismissal and protections against unfair dismissal.".

This relates to the internship scheme. Any initiative such as this is welcome but, as I mentioned in the context of an earlier contribution relating to Tús, there must be an element of additionality when creating these schemes, even it if will be at a slight cost to the State, to ensure the full benefits of a scheme are gleaned by the participant. As in the case of the Tús scheme I have concerns that some employers might use this internship scheme to take on people to fill a vacancy, thus displacing somebody to be employed full-time.

That said, internship is a mechanism whereby people can learn, in situ, the benefits of a certain type of employment. While internships are not full-time employment and cannot guarantee all the terms and conditions that apply in a contracted job, the minor changes proposed in the amendment should be included. There should be some type of statement of terms and conditions and some type of protection to ensure an intern will not be wrongfully singled out or put in conditions not encountered by other employees in the place of employment. There must also be a statement that they are entitled to annual leave and a requirement for notice before being dismissed or let go. The people who undertake the internship will believe they will be in the position for a set period of time and that period should not be interfered with in any way other than through annual leave, unless something totally untoward occurs. There should be some type of notice system to ensure a person is not given their marching orders forthwith.

It is a provision to ensure there is no exploitation of interns and that no unscrupulous employers can use the system to delay bringing new jobs on stream because they can get a few months' free work from an intern. It will also prevent them using the system to get a few months' work free from somebody they have in mind for a job but they use the internship as a facility before fully employing them. There should be no displacement. I do not believe the vast majority of employers would use it in that way but there are always one or two unscrupulous employers and for that reason we should, if possible, put the required protections in place.

While there is no financial benefit under the scheme for an intern who takes up a place with an employer, a benefit from the employer could be encouraged, once it does not interfere with the jobseeker's allowance or other allowance the intern receives. That is the case if an intern takes a place in this Parliament, for example. One is not encouraged or discouraged with regard to providing a benefit but if somebody has been of value to the employer, they should be encouraged to recognise that by paying some type of benefit or dividend to the person who has gleaned something from that placement. Hopefully it will be something useful that they can use in the marketplace in terms of an enhanced curriculum vitae after working for an employer for a period.

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