Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

I strongly attack these activation schemes as a mechanism for the Government to manipulate unemployment figures, further casualise the labour market, normalise the idea of working for free, drive down working conditions and undermine working wages and conditions for all. How many of the 13 who took up positions in the Minister's Department did so under threat or perceived threat of sanction? The number of penalties applied to people not taking up activation schemes such as Gateway and JobBridge has shot up. More than 5,000 people received a reduction in their social welfare payment in 2015. These people are forced to work; they are not doing it voluntarily. In the National Youth Council of Ireland study, 11% said they took part in order to retain their social welfare, 100% were dissatisfied with it and 44% felt the companies - I presume this includes the public sector - use the scheme solely for free labour.

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