Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

First Steps enjoys considerable support in the areas in which it has been trialled, especially among the wider families of participants. Those who are unemployed, as I was at one point, have a responsibility to seek employment. If a young person has a legitimate reason for not participating in the First Steps scheme, a case officer will be available to work closely with him or her. People who are unemployed need to engage with opportunities that become available. This new scheme has been introduced to help the most disadvantaged young people, a group with which Deputy Ó Snodaigh is very familiar. I expect to table questions to the Deputy in a different capacity at some point in future requesting that he expand First Steps to assist more young people in finding employment. I note also that his party leader has asked for elements of the JobBridge scheme to be expanded.

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