Tánaiste dodges Mary Lou over unqualified JobBridge interns working in childcare

» Mark Moloney

Eamon Gilmore refused to rule out the approval of JobBridge internships for other childcare facilities not named in the RTÉ exposé

TÁNAISTE Eamon Gilmore has refused to rule out the approval of advertisements for unqualified interns for childcare facilities from appearing on the Fine Gael/Labour Government's JobBridge website.

Under pressure from Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald in the Dáil on Thursday, the Tánaiste dodged the question by saying that no JobBridge internships would be accepted from the crèches singled out in RTÉ Prime Time's 'Breach of Trust' investigion.

He refused to rule out the approval of JobBridge internships for other facilities not named in the exposé.

Mary Lou McDonald said it is completely inappropriate for a Government website to advertise 'yellow-pack' childcare posts for €50-a-week, pointing out that the Giraffe group, which was featured in the Prime Time exposé, had advertised recently on the site:

“The parents of Ireland expect better than that and the children of Ireland deserve better than that.”

The Prime Time report filmed childcare workers at three different facilites strapping toddlers to chairs for hours on end, shouting in their faces, tossing them about like rag dolls, forcing them down on mattresses with blankets over their heads, and locking them alone in rooms.

As of 30 May, there were 40 childcare positions being advertised on the Government's JobBrdige 'National Internship Scheme' website where unemployed people can intern for six or nine month periods for an extra €50 on top of their social welfare payment.

• Below: There are 40 ads for child care interns on the Government's JobBridge website