Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and I acknowledge her efforts in terms of changing some aspects of this. However, I cannot escape the conclusion that this is the privatisation of the service even though the Minister has stated, very often, that it is not. I wish to refer to the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands, which was published in November. There are nine recommendations in that report, all of which are pretty serious. There are 14 cross-party members on that committee and they say many things. They ask that the legal advice upon which this decision by the Department is based be published. They ask for the local employment service to be maintained in its current form and for the process to be paused for the moment. They also ask for the publication of the Institute for Employment Studies report. There are nine recommendations and serious issues are highlighted in the committee's report. Members are asking for the process to be paused and for certain documents to be published so that we can have a truly open and accountable system in relation to this. Deputy Kerrane has raised this on many occasions as have other Deputies, including me. It really is time to make language mean something here. There are serious issues raised by the committee.

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