Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)

Usually internships are used by students to develop their curriculum vitae and to secure their qualifications. In my recollection it has never been used to take people off the dole. These people will not be regarded as employees except with regard to health and safety. The scheme is open to abuse by employers. As I continuously pointed out in the context of changes in the legislation relating to work practices in places such as the Davenport Hotel, employers immediately move in to use such changes to reduce the conditions and pay of their employees. These schemes are open to great abuse by employers. The people working under the schemes are not regarded as employees under the law and are open to abuse. These internships can be used instead of employing people. That is my serious concern. They have the potential to be abused as a cheap labour scheme.

I also cannot understand why a person who is only working for three days a week will not be able to claim social benefits for the remainder of the week. That is very strange given that they would usually get those benefits under the jobseeker's schemes. Are the people who undertake the internships removed from the live register, given that if they are interns they are not officially on jobseeker's allowance? These are issues I am concerned about and I hope the Minister can respond to them.

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