Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 345: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the measures that are being taken to avoid job displacement due to the placing of persons on the Government support schemes; if there will be a review of such schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23409/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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It is presumed that the Deputy is referring to JobBridge – the National Internship Scheme. In recent times JobBridge has received media attention concerning the measures in place to minimise displacement. In order for an application from a host organisation to be approved it must meet a number of criteria so as to ensure that the potential internship is one of quality. These include the following:

that the internship does not allow the intern to work unsupervised;

that the internship is not displacing an employee; and

that the intern accrues significant experience throughout the entire internship.

In order for an internship to commence, a Standard Internship Agreement must be signed by both the intern and the host organisation. This Agreement clearly stipulates the terms of the internship.

To ensure compliance with the scheme, the Department of Social Protection and the Employment Services Division of FÁS are monitoring internships to ensure that they are of sufficient quality and that both host organisations and interns are abiding by the spirit and the rules of the scheme.

This involves the monitoring of monthly compliance reports that are required to be submitted by the host organisation verifying that the internship is proceeding as set out in the Standard Internship Agreement. In addition, contact with the host organisations and interns, including random site visits, will begin shortly as part of this process.

A "whistle blowing" feature has been introduced, where any individual who suspects that an internship may be in breach of the scheme's criteria, including in cases of suspected displacement, may contact the National Call Centre. All such claims will be investigated.

The Department continues to monitor the operation of the JobBridge scheme and will be reviewing the scheme and its eligibility criteria on an ongoing basis.