Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister has made the case for why this tendering process is necessary. That is fine, but my concern is that, ahead of the tendering process, she is talking about paying for each jobseeker referred to the service. That is a move away from what local employment services are doing well. I am glad that the Minister recognises this, as they are reputable. The 2018 Indecon report showed how well got they were in the communities they served, their good relationship with local employers and how they worked well and efficiently with those who came through their doors. We must remember that local employment services have a much wider remit, in that they do not just deal with jobseekers referred to them. They have walk-in and wrap-around services, which will be vital as we emerge from Covid-19, that other services like JobPath do not have.

I wish to ask about the external report on contracted services that was carried out last year. It went to the labour market advisory council, whose response the Minister received at the end of March. Will she provide the House the detail of the report and will she publish it?

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