Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)

Over the course of last weekend I had the opportunity to meet representatives of a number of small businesses and on Monday a presentation was made by the traders and chamber of commerce in my hometown. I rarely meet these individuals on other occasions. We discussed their obligations in terms of getting the economy up and running and the role they can play in the internship scheme. This is an opportunity to give hope to young people, particularly in parts of rural Ireland which are suffering the scourge of emigration. There are no jobs in these areas and we need to see growth. This initiative is aimed at simulating a bottoming out of the collapse of the economy and getting people back to work. The employers I spoke to who were involved in retail businesses, confectionaries and coffee shops are delighted to be given opportunities to take on young graduates. They are prepared to take the risk in the belief of being in a position to retain an invaluable person if growth returns at the end of the cycle.

As a new philosophy, it is difficult for us to get our heads around it but we cannot afford the human cost of doing nothing. Deputy Luke "Ming" Flanagan will identify with me when I note that many of the Dublin Deputies do not understand the scourge of emigration in the same way as in rural Ireland. We see it in our schools, which children are leaving to follow their parents to America, our football teams and our communities. This experience is lost in the density of urban areas, where the scourge of unemployment can be hidden by the density of the population.

I am delighted to hear the Department will play a role in monitoring the scheme. The resort to third party procedures exists in the event of displacement. It is incumbent on us to ensure that the Department is resourced and monitors the situation and that we arm third party procedures in this country such as the Labour Relations Commission so as to ensure that displacement does not take place and people would not be pushed out the door in order to gain access to cheap labour.

The payment of €50 is a great opportunity for people to supplement their income. I accept it is a risk. We are investing in people but the risk is worth it if we can get people back to work, especially young people who are crying out for experience. They want experience in this country not in New York. They want to play their part in getting the country back to work. We all want to see light at the end of the tunnel. Nobody has a unique right to have control of that argument. We all want people to get back into sustainable employment but we must start somewhere. The notion that we would do nothing is a huge risk-----

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