Speech on Social Wefare Bill – 11/12/12

11th December 2012 - Sean Conlan

First of all Minister, I welcome your intention and your commitment to move from a passive to an active welfare state. Everybody in this republic has a valuable part to play in its rebuilding. I note that you have been active in formulating activation measures to assist people get back to work by up skilling and retraining. I note the comments you made in your speech about the previous two governments utter failure to address the problem of jobless households and the alarming statistic that the percentage of jobless rose to reach 15% of total households at the high of the Celtic Tiger when we had large inward migration to fill job vacancies.

I welcome the fact that your department will be providing 10,000 new places on employment schemes next year. I welcome the fact that notwithstanding the enormous pressure you were under to reduce the social welfare budget you were able to protect the basic rate of widows pension, invalidity pension, blind pension and carers allowance which were cut by Fianna Fail to the tune of almost €850.00 in their last two budgets in power. You were also able to protect the rate of job seekers allowance.

I have concerns however about certain parts of this bill. I believe that an alternative should be found to the blanket cut in the Respite Carers payment. I understand the pressure on you to save money but I would ask you to go to cabinet seeking approval for a review of this measure. I have sought along with some Fine Gael colleagues, through internal Fine Gael channels a meeting with you to discuss this matter and I hope that meeting can still take place but can I make what I believe is a constructive suggestion here in the house. This payment is not due to be paid until next June. Would you look seriously at leaving the carers respite grant at its current level on a fully vouched basis. This would allow those who rely on the payment to continue to receive it. In the alternative carers could be allowed to choose between retaining the current payment on a fully vouched basis or choosing the lower amount on an unvouched basis.

In relation to child benefit, in the interest of real reform rather than cutting the rate of payment I believe in future we need to look seriously at means testing this payment in order to ensure that the payment is protected for those who need it most. In the alternative all income regardless of its source could be regarded as taxable to ensure we have a truly progressive tax and welfare system.

Finally, and I want to be brief because I know a lot of members are seeking time to speak on this bill, I find it incredible to listen to and experience the collective amnesia and rank hypocrisy of senior former Fianna Fail ministers like Michael Martin who sat at cabinet, approved and then forced through the cuts in the base line carers allowance payment from €220.50 in 2009 to €204 in 2011 now crying crocodile tears in relation to the reduction in the carers respite payment.

Speech on Social Wefare Bill – 11/12/12

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