Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the debate on this subject and I thank Deputy O'Sullivan. She has pursued this subject in the Chamber and in private discussion with me when we have had chats. No one individual has the sole right to a social conscience. All of us have a social conscience; we may not always agree in debate but at least we try to reach the same conclusions in that regard.

I refer to the first supplementary budget introduced by this Government in which, as Deputy Kyne said, 300,000 people were taken out of the universal social charge and the VAT rate was reduced to 9% in order to encourage the hospitality sector to hire more employees. There was also a redistribution of wealth by means of a pension levy on pension funds because middle-class people pay for their pensions but the bulk of pension funds was made up of those people who sought to avoid paying tax. Deputy O'Sullivan might agree with me on that point, that it was beneficial for those on low pay or those looking for work.

I refer to a report I did in 2011 which stems from a report done by the Department of Social Protection, which was a review of applications for unemployment benefit and assistance scheme conditions for workers not employed full-time. At that time, many people were employed part-time while now, more than 90% of workers are in full-time employment. There seems to be an unfair anomaly whereby people who are willing to work part-time, ten hours a week, are not being treated fairly. A person who does ten hours work spread over five days is not entitled to social welfare payment. If a person does ten hours work over two days, he or she is entitled to three days' payment. In any man's language that does not seem fair. We are trying to encourage people back to work and part-time work is often the first step. Now that the economy is beginning to improve - although a recession is never over until people feel the difference in their pockets and we are not there quite yet - and when in the next few years unemployment is at an acceptable level of 5% or 7% I suggest that we could consider initiatives to help people who want to get back to work. I suggest that social welfare payments could be paid for hours worked rather than for days worked. I support Deputy O'Sullivan in her efforts. The Government amendment is in partial agreement with her motion. I welcome the debate and I will support the Government amendment to the motion.

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