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

We cannot jump the gun because there are no redundancies yet. We need to await the outcome of the procurement process. Some have said that the community and voluntary sector will be wiped out due to the procurement process but we should wait and see who wins it and, as I said, it is ongoing. All contracts are extended until the end of August, unless the companies have decided not to extend themselves. If they have decided that then they will need to explain that to their employees. My Department has a primary focus for this procurement process, with 80% of the marks awarded for the quality of the service offered and the local connections. Some 20% relates to cost but there is a minimum cost below which bids will be accepted. If new providers come in, there might be opportunities there because we are talking about highly skilled staff. We know the situation with the labour market and there are a lot of employers out there looking for staff. The process is still under way and I do not want to anticipate the outcome of that yet. Their contracts are extended until the end of August.

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