Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)

We need a better plan for dealing with the economic crisis than hoping to get out of the recession. Hope will not do us any good and we need to plan rather than wish our problems away. Given the limited money left in the State on foot of the Government's capitulation to Europe, would it not have been preferable to use the €50 being given to employers for a different purpose?

If an employer gets something for nothing, he or she will think the employees are not worth anything and will treat them the same. I am concerned about abuse because similar schemes with different names have been introduced over the years. A close relative of mine was involved in a scheme in the 1980s which was supposed to give her work experience as a secretary. The ideal scenario was that she would find further employment after her services were supplied to an employer for a period of six months, but it turned out that my relative was found to be more useful at hanging washing on a clothes line. One day before the six months concluded, she was informed that she was no good at hanging washing even though she was supposed to be doing secretarial work. She subsequently left the country because she was sick of the place and did not like the way everyone she knew was being treated. I would hate to see us going down that road again. This scheme has massive potential for abuse and it will have to be policed. I find it hard to see how that will be done. In theory, it is a good idea for getting people back to work but I am worried about the controls.

Participants in the Tús scheme receive an additional €20 per week for working 19.5 hours. Why will people get €50 per week under the internship scheme? Is it because people on the Tús scheme are less worthy or a lesser sort of people? Why are they not entitled to an equal top-up given that it costs them just as much to live in this country?

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