Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom ceist a ardú ar maidin atá ag teacht chun cinn sna ceantair tuaithe agus atá ag cur imní orm.

The new JobPath scheme has been rolled out, about which I and many other people in rural areas are concerned. Community employment schemes and other employment schemes across the country have been seriously affected by the implementation of JobPath. Private companies working on behalf of the State are signing up people to the JobPath scheme which means they are then ineligible to take part in community employment and other schemes.

The latest turn of events is that Seetec, a company working my area, is opening offices in rural areas and signing up people who are in receipt of social welfare. A number of schemes in Connemara have been unable to recruit people this year because all the people who would have been eligible are now on JobPath lists and, therefore, are ineligible to take part in other schemes. There is a fear that the opening of new clinics in rural areas by companies such as Seetec will result in more people being put on lists, which will lead to social employment schemes in rural areas no longer being viable. These schemes are very important to local communities.

The other side of the coin is that most of the people who are signed up to Seetec are not getting any gainful employment from JobPath. A review of the scheme has been called for on a number of occasions and it is urgently needed given how the two private companies contracted by the Government to roll out the scheme are acting. What is happening is quite cynical. I do not think the companies involved are acting in the best interests of the people taking part in schemes or the local communities they serve. We need a review of the system and I call for a debate on it as soon as possible in the new year so that we can review the programme.