David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

The Minister might spell out when and how it will work. The Labour Party also said it would put in place a retrofit programme which would get people back to work. I hope the Minister will appreciate the logic behind the amendment. We need to be creative and to think outside the box. There was constructive criticism of the legality of the amendments in terms of whether it is possible to "compel" but it is certainly possible to "encourage" and that is something we should do. I hope that the Government will consider this proposal in its negotiations on next year's budget.

Depending on the Minister's response, we may withdraw the amendment and take on board the constructive advice from the Fianna Fáil representatives. I will wait to hear what the Minister has to say before making a decision.