Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I do not wish to be accused in any way of not supporting the development and enhancement of the arts and the film industry. The Revenue Commissioners guidelines state:

The Minister, in considering whether to give Revenue an authorisation in relation to a film, will:- examine the professional capability (creative and technical) of the producers and creative collaborators;

- examine the anticipated net contribution that the s.481 Scheme and other State Aid Schemes will make to the project; and

- consider those opportunities provided by the project for quality employment and training.

I am alleging that it is not providing quality employment and training, but is being used in a spurious way to displace professional and qualified operatives in the film industry. I welcome the Minister's suggestion I provide him with that evidence. I will do so immediately after this. However, I seek a further comment on the matter. It appears the questions we should be asking relate to what type of training modules these companies are engaged in, what type of certification they are giving to the people who complete the training and whether their training systems have a start, middle and end or are simply open-ended recruitment to replace professional jobs.

See this speech in context