Abuse of job-bridge internship scheme will lead to ban

The Social Protection Minister has warned that companies will be banned from participating in the job-bridge internship scheme for abusing it.

Joan Burton has agreed to investigate claims that waste collection workers in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown in Dublin have been let go and been replaced by interns.

Minister Burton said that a number of firms have already been stopped from hiring job-bridge interns.

"The number of complaints which have been received have been extremely low," she said.

"Where we have found that there is good cause to the complaint, as I told you, 15 post-organisations have been excluded from further participation in job-bridge as a consequence of these control activities."