Paul Murphy: Warns Against Outsourcing Local Employment Services
Paul Murphy criticised the government's proposal to outsource local employment services, arguing it would damage support for the long-term unemployed and could create further unemployment. He asked whether the government would back off from tendering the work of local employment service workers and urged protection for a regional employment service focused on quality.
Protest at the Dáil
Murphy said he had participated in a protest by local employment service workers outside the Department of Finance and Rent at the front of the Dáil. He recounted that workers told stories of how they help the long-term unemployed and work alongside them to find suitable jobs.
Concerns about outsourcing and private providers
He warned the government's tendering drive would turn a useful service into a job path outsourced to private companies. Murphy said these providers have "horrific records in Britain and here," and are likely to prioritise ticking boxes and maximising profit rather than helping people into quality, decent jobs.
Potential impact on unemployment
Murphy argued the outsourcing policy would ironically create further unemployment at a time when the government is supposed to be addressing an unemployment crisis. He directly posed the question to the Taoiseach on whether the government would abandon the proposal to outsource this vital work.
Official responses and procedural remarks
Officials responding said the plan is intended as a regional employment service and not a job path, and referenced concerns raised by the Control and Order General and others about potential breaches of EU rules. Murphy noted the Public Accounts will probably raise the issue as another arm of the House, and the session ended with time constraints and an apology for not getting to all speakers.
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Gremlins at work. Thanks, Kean Corle. Yes, a few weeks ago I participated in a protest of local employment service workers here at the Department of Finance and Rent at the front of the Dáil, and they were protesting against the proposed, which the government is pushing ahead with, basically outsourcing of their work, the tendering of their work. And they were able to tell stories of how they help the long-term unemployed, how they actually work alongside them to actually try to get jobs that will be suitable for people. And they rightly pointed out, in my opinion, that the drive of the government would result in turning this from a useful service that actually helps people into a job path too, where it's outsourced to these private companies who have horrific records in Britain and here, who put pressure on people, who are just interested in ticking boxes that maximise their profit. They're not actually interested in helping people get out of unemployment and getting quality, decent jobs. And in doing this, the government is ironically going to make a whole bunch of people unemployed. They're going to create further unemployment when supposedly meant to be addressing the unemployment crisis. So the question to the Taoiseach is whether the government will back off on this proposal to effectively outsource these vital services and this very important work that has been done by local employment services workers. Thank you. On the local employment services, again, it's not a job path, Deputy Murphy is envisaged here. And the Control and Order General and others are saying they're in breach of the EU and the Public Accounts will probably say that to us as another arm of the House. So I'm trying to balance that issue with making sure that we develop a service here that's on quality. And that's, it's a regional employment service we're talking about here, compared to a job path that's completely inaccurate. That's not what it's intended. We're out of time. Apologies, I'm just trying to meet everybody's work. I don't know if I got everybody on. You're trying to do the impossible.
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