Senator Bacik calls for debate on Pathways to Work programme

Order of Business

Thursday, 23 February 2012

Senator Ivana Bacik: I call for a debate on the Pathways to Work programme, which is being launched today and I very much welcome this new programme, which will bring together the Departments of Social Protection and Education and Skills. This is a significant initiative to ensure we see proper job activation measures put in place and a really joined up way of thinking in terms of putting the long-term unemployed back to work and giving people incentives to go into training, re-employment and to come off the long-term live register. This is a major exciting initiative of the Ministers, Deputies Burton and Quinn and of the entire Government. I think it would be very useful to debate it. I know the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Richard Bruton will come to the House on 6 March and perhaps we could include a debate on Pathways to Work at that time.

I wish to follow on from Senator Crown and express the sympathy of the House on the deaths of two journalists in Syria. We need to have a cross-party motion on the need to protect civilian lives in Syria. It is appalling what is happening, with the Syrian bombardment, and to see the number killed yesterday, including children, is really appalling. Perhaps next week we could agree a cross-party motion.