Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the JobsPlus initiative announced yesterday by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, and the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Bruton. This is a very progressive scheme which will hopefully encourage many employers to take on additional staff. It will also give hope, courage and confidence to those who have been unemployed for a long time. I accept that it is a pilot scheme restricted to 2,500 places but I hope that if it proves successful, it will be expanded and that many additional people will be taken on in the months ahead. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on the jobs initiative in order that he might provide an update on his plans and proposals and the number of commitments in the programme for Government which have been met.

I strongly support Senator Hayden's call for a debate early in the next session on direct provision. I have met many people who have lived in direct provision for quite a number of years. Such provision was a temporary arrangement designed to deal with a crisis situation but in many instances people are living in inhuman conditions. This is one of the awful legacy issues we inherited from the previous Administration. We have resolved many difficult issues in the past two and a half years. That to which I refer is one which cannot be allowed to fester for much longer. This has the potential to become the human rights issue of our time and the Government has a responsibility to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

I welcome the fishing industry safety package announced yesterday by the Minister for Transport, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Varadkar, and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney. This is a multifaceted, cross-agency initiative which will hopefully lead to lives being saved. Sadly, it has come too late for those who lost their lives in recent years.