Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

To provide an accurate assessment, one would be obliged to state that many of the 61% who secured employment were in jobs which had nothing to do with their internships. Only one in five secured employment with the companies with which they did their internships. Of course, a large number of people did not complete their internships in the first instance. Indecon's survey reveals that 3% of the 7,300 companies involved in the scheme admitted they were displacing workers. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that in the region of 220 - which is a quite considerable number - are abusing the scheme. There are probably many more firms which do not admit to doing so.

Is the Minister aware that the extension of the scheme to small enterprises in the craft and design sector has people talking about free labour being available? I received a communication from an honest jeweller who wants to take on a worker on a part-time basis at €10 per hour and who states that proceeding with an internship in this regard would be a complete lie because the job involves low-skilled manufacturing work which can be learned in a week. I am of the view that large numbers of interns are going to be taken on in this sector and this will create huge problems for honest employers. In addition, those taken on as interns in the sector are going to be abused. This will happen on the Minister's watch.

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