Deputy John Lyons has welcomed the news that 10% of the 1,600 new Irish Water jobs will be reserved for the long-term unemployed – as a first step towards the widespread use of Social Clauses in State contracts.

Deputy Lyons said: "Unfortunately, the longer a person is out of employment the more difficult it can be for them to find work. To begin to tackle this problem, I published a Private Members Bill on Social Clauses last year to reserve a portion of all new jobs created from public contracts to be withheld for the long-term unemployed. I have long argued that the Government must begin to tackle this issue through its hiring process and other targeted initiatives.

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"Thankfully, this policy is now being applied with 10% of the 1,600 new Irish Water jobs reserved for the long-term unemployed, 10% for small and medium enterprises, and 5% for apprentices, graduates and school leavers.

"These jobs will be across the country and recruitment begins immediately. The decision to prioritise SMEs, apprentices and young people coming out of full-time education is another very worthy step in supporting our small businesses, tradesmen and young people with skills to offer who seek to gain experience.

"While this is welcome news, more can be done with Social Clauses. For instance, in the period 2013 to 2016 we will spend approximately €13.1 billion on capital projects; with much of this in labour-intensive areas where jobseekers have the required skills. Projects like the new National Children’s Hospital provide an ideal opportunity to use Social Clauses to increase the social benefit of the project.

"As well as this, the commitment in the 2013 Action Plan on Jobs to conduct an initial pilot on social clauses in public works will see how the Government can use Social Clauses in future contracts."

(CD/JP)