Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

I appreciate what the Deputy has said but he should bear in mind what I said. The people who have come from FÁS and the community welfare service have, in many cases, already got training experience and experience of one-to-one dealings with individuals, either in the community welfare office or the FÁS employment services. The Department also has in-house training. We must provide an integrated service - this is where the change is - so when one goes in to sign on for a benefit or an allowance, one is also given help and assistance.

The issue in regard to the private sector would have to be worked out in detail. We have seen different models in different countries. As I said, we have a number of private providers in Ireland and there is often co-operation at an informal level.

One of my concerns is that the old FÁS did not have a sufficient level of engagement with employers. If there were a couple of vacancies in, say, Tullamore or Roscommon, it is really important that the local employer goes to the employment office to say he or she requires two or three people. We must ensure people who are on the unemployment register have a reasonable opportunity to go forward for those jobs.

We must rebuild the relationship, in particular at a local level and a regional level with employers on the ground so that vacancies are notified. That is one area which fell back with the damage done to FÁS. Many employers simply do not think of going to FÁS. We must build that relationship back up from the ground and I am really anxious to do that.

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