Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has stated this is a centrepiece of the programme for Government. It is in the interests of every person in the country, regardless of political affiliation, that it is a resounding success. The Minister stated she was satisfied with progress. The scheme has been the subject of a number of reports, almost all of which have been critical. The most recent has been the report of the European Commission which includes remarks to the effect that progress has not been sufficiently fast in the light of the urgency and scale of the problem; that the pace of reform and the resources mobilised are insufficient, given the scale and urgency of the problem; that the capacity to meaningfully engage with jobseekers remains short; that rapid decisions and actions on the possible outsourcing of some activation services are needed but that progress has also been slow; that special attention needs to be dedicated to reskilling, upskilling and training, in particular for the long-term unemployed and the youth; and that faster action is needed to reform employment support schemes to increase their effectiveness. Taken together with the other reports, this is a damning indictment of progress in what is, in essence, a good scheme. Is the Minister aware of these criticisms and how does she propose to respond to them?

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