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

I want to ask the Taoiseach about the ending of many local employment services and job clubs throughout the State. The Taoiseach knows there was a commitment in the programme for Government to increase the availability of activation services. It specifically stated it would include those run by local employment services. Unfortunately since then, as the Taoiseach knows, there has been a tender. It will move away from the community not-for-profit base and towards a for-profit model. There are 26 local employment services and 40 job clubs throughout the State. Just under 400 staff have no idea whether they will have a job from 1 September. The announcement on phase 2 of the tender was due in June. We are now in July. Staff have no idea whether they have a job. Some services have had to issue termination notices. Nobody has any idea what is going on. Some of these staff, including in the Taoiseach's constituency, have given 20 or 25 years of service to their local communities. They are being treated appallingly by the Government to move from the community not-for-profit base that worked very well to a for-profit model that we saw fail abysmally in JobPath.

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