Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy seeks to denigrate work experience programmes, but the truth is every country which seeks to achieve a transition for people who have been out of work for a period after an economic crash like we have experienced use such programmes. The good news, which the Deputy refuses to acknowledge, is that of the 126,000 extra people at work 92% of them are in initiatives not supported by the State in any way. They are in strong sustainable sectors. They provide good conditions and they are growing strongly. They are in sectors we have targeted, such as manufacturing, engineering, ICT and financial services. These are all sectors with long-term prospects. They are also in very important traditional sectors such as food and tourism. We are getting a broad-based recovery; the Deputy does not want to recognise this, but it is the reality. We see our streets are busy with traffic and restaurants and bars are fuller. There is a recovery and we need to build on it. This is what we are intent on doing.

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