Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

-----out in the cold and the rain. It is scandalous that these nurses have to be out there rather than doing what they are trained to do. I look forward to joining them in the next couple of days. I also wish to speak about the national children's hospital and the overrun there. It is not just about the national children's hospital. People are so angry because we have had it all before. This is like Fianna Fáil's personnel, payroll and related systems, PPARS, but much worse. Other projects such as the national broadband plan, the Carillion debacle and the JobPath debacle have seen millions wasted by vested interests and because the proper procurement procedures are not in place. It is time for the Minister to say exactly what he will do differently, because the buck stops with him, and how the procurement model will be changed. We can no longer afford to continue with the same procurement model that has been used.

I have raised the serious issues relating to JobPath since I entered the House, the money that is paid to companies involved and the impact on existing local schemes. This is all connected to what is happening with the children's hospital. Tonight, my party colleague, Deputy Brady, will table a motion in the Dáil to immediately stop the referrals to this scheme. Private companies have been made extremely wealthy by the multiple referrals they are given. We have never seen the contracts that have been given to those private companies to see what deal was made. Did people do their jobs properly? Did the Minister properly oversee those contracts? This scheme will cost almost €100 million, if not more. At the same time, the publicly funded local employment services could not buy a box of paperclips. More than 11,000 unemployed, vulnerable people were forced back on to it.They do the first round of JobPath and the private companies get paid for it. They are then told to come back after a few months and are put through the rigours again. There are further payments for that.

This has to stop. There are 1,900 vacancies in the community employment sector. Such vacancies which could offer jobseekers opportunities to take up locally-based and suitable employment that contributes to the community. Figures from November show that out of 190,000 people referred at that stage, just 9% of those who went to these private companies had secured employment which was sustained for one year. The cost to the taxpayer - the citizens of this country - is €3,718 per person. Providers also receive double payments where the same individuals are referred twice.

I want a full debate on JobPath. I want the cover-up to stop. A cover-up has been going on for years in respect of JobPath and there has been an absolute waste of money. The money in question could be given to our nurses, who are out in the rain today picketing.