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

There is widespread anecdotal evidence - from people who participated on this scheme and those who have examined some of the so-called internships on offer - that JobBridge is being highly abused as a means of procuring cheap labour. Furthermore, 29% of the employers surveyed said that, even if they had not taken on interns, it was highly or fairly likely that they would have taken on employees in any event. I put it to the Minister that what is needed is not trickery with figures to massage the tragic situation relating to unemployment but rather real measures and investment aimed at creating jobs. The Minister made a name for herself three weeks ago when she declared that austerity has reached its limits. However, she has done nothing practical or concrete in the context of putting the consequences of that conclusion into effect. An hour and a half ago, she voted to cut the salaries and alter the working conditions of low and middle income workers and take more money out of the domestic economy. I put it to her, therefore, that legitimate measures relating to and real investment in emergency job creation in the areas of infrastructure and services are required, not this excuse for a scheme, in order to dent the massively high unemployment figures in a genuine way.

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