Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister mentioned that it was her responsibility to ensure her Department provided these services. The fear regarding a tender is it will not be the Department but somebody else on behalf of the Department who will offer these services. It is crucial the Department learns the lessons from the previous tender process that saw community-based, not-for-profit employment services dismantled and the commodification of people seeking employment through the implementation of what appears to be a profit-focused model. We stood against the privatisation of employment services and continue to oppose a payments-by-results model for job activation and employment supports. In particular, EmployAbility services support people with long-term illness, injury and disabilities and it is not appropriate to implement a model that seeks to place them in any job whatsoever, regardless of suitability, which payment by results can lead to. These are some of our most vulnerable citizens. I am hearing from people that clients and staff are extremely stressed because this has not gone away. It seems to be pushed back but there is great uncertainty about timing and what will happen next.

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