Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I reassure Deputies that the request for tender will take account of local knowledge and community engagement. There is a strong emphasis on that in the request for tender. I have spoken to a number of the providers. I understand the Deputies' concerns, but we have taken them on board. There has been significant engagement with the particular group for whom we are expanding the service. I am satisfied that, at the end of the day, we will make sure that clients are number one throughout this process and will get the service they need to get back to work.

Deputy Conway-Walsh raised the issue of redundancies. It is the case that the local development company is the employer. I hope that providers can come together and work collaboratively. As I said, the client is the number one person who needs the support to get back to work.

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