Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is important that organisations are not excluded on the basis that they do not have the financial capital. Will those currently employed in local employment services be affected once new contracts are in place? If a group of local employment services misses out on this contract in the tendering process, will they be protected?

Will there be a transfer of undertakings for existing staff to ensure job security for them? What plans are in place for any redundancies that have to be made, any lease agreements that have to be broken and any contracts with service providers, including the disposal of assets around that? Technically, those assets belong to the Department. What plans does the Minister have in place for that?

I am absolutely appalled by the treatment of centres for the unemployed. Two centres for the unemployed have been operating in Mayo for 35 years with enormous voluntary work being done in them. They are being closed down and it is the wrong time to do so.

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