Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)

I originally submitted this question to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton, and it has been transferred to the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton. The question has also been reworded. As there are approximately 450,000 unemployed people we need to promptly introduce some jobs initiatives. I proposed to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation that we should sponsor a programme across the private and public sectors whereby employees who are within five years of their normal retirement date could, with the approval of their employer, job-share with a person on a fixed-term contract. The scheme should be attractive to a person agreeing to a job-share arrangement for a specific number of years within the five-year period. Therefore the person opting to work should have each job-sharing year counted as a full year for pension purposes, whereas the person on the fixed-term contract, while not having pension contributions made for him or her by the employer would have the benefit of getting off the unemployment register and entering the workforce where he or she can develop and acquire new skills.

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