Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is very little new in the reply provided by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton. I acknowledge that the Minister of State cannot really speak on her behalf. I am well aware of what the Minister of State has said. The supervisors to which I refer are caught between a rock and a hard place. Many have years of experience and qualifications. There are doing trojan work in every rural community. I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, is well aware of the good work they do in Wexford. I am sure the major roads looked quite good for the festivities in his region last weekend. I am sure many FÁS schemes are working hard to ensure that New Ross and other towns are looking well.

The problem is that when the supervisors retire from their jobs, they will not have any pension. Some 900,000 citizens are similarly affected. In this day and age, the Government should be very conscious of this. As the age at which one is entitled to a pension increase, it will make circumstances even more difficult. There is a gap to be addressed. I hope the Minister of State will pass on to the Minister for Social Protection the concerns of many FÁS workers throughout the country. I am representing only those in my county but I realise that supervisors throughout the country have similar concerns. The Minister of State should pass on their concerns to his constituency colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, to ensure that the funding will be found, although perhaps not immediately. Some €30 million is required. The money, on being spent, would return to the Exchequer. Most pensions are spent in the country.

See this speech in context