The Irish government has proposed a “temporary” job protection scheme, under which it will pay firms up to €200 per employee per week to maintain employment.Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the scheme would apply only to manufacturing companies or organisations involved in internationally traded services. An initial €250 million will be made available to fund the scheme, and will be diverted from social welfare payments or spending programmes with a lower economic priority. If this pilot scheme works, then up to €1 billion would be made available for the same purpose, he added.