Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent)

I thank the Minister, Deputy Joan Burton, for attending this evening. I will be brief because I am last, but not least. I am acutely aware of how busy the Minister is. I commend the Government on the JobBridge scheme and how well it is working. The six-month placement, which I have used in my company, works very well. Some employers in the private sector may have taken advantage of the JobBridge scheme. I would not like to see young interns used for an extra three months as a cheap form of employment.

I wish to discuss the opportunity I believe lies in the public sector. The internship scheme is wonderful for young people who might have been sitting at home unemployed and who are desperate to get their foot onto the first rung of the ladder. There is a great opportunity to enter internships. Some Departments are seeking extensions for their interns. This may be where a project has become bigger than envisaged or where an intern is doing so well that there is an opportunity to give him or her further work and keep him or her on for nine months, thus resulting in a superb experience for the intern. I ask the Minister to examine how JobBridge is working in the public sector and whether considerable flexibility can be allowed such that a young intern can get an extension of three months.