Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for coming before us and for making very professional and concise presentations. When time is limited, it is sometimes easier to get into discussing the detail of a particular matter rather than rambling on. That is probably a lesson for us, as politicians.

My first question is directed to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Reference was made to maintaining primary spending, particularly in the non-pay area of public spending. However, no mention is made of pay, which is by far the biggest area. I accept that the Haddington Road agreement was recently put in place but ICTU's submission document glides over the targeted redundancy programme promised for the public services during the next 12 months or so in order to reduce numbers by between 6,000 to 7,000. I would have thought that the issue of employment should have figured in the presentation. A targeted redundancy package was not included in the Haddington Road agreement because the ICTU's members would never have voted in favour of such. However, I would have hoped - in the context of the budget and next year's public sector pay bill - the Irish Congress of Trade Unions would have commented on this matter. Does the fact that it has not remarked upon the published plan to reduce numbers indicate that congress has acquiesced to said plan before the budget has even been introduced? Perhaps Dr. Healy might comment on that matter.

I wish to raise a couple of issues with the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, INOU. In the context of family income supplement, the issue of minimum hours is important and must be dealt with. This ties in to the issue relating to jobseeker's payments being based on the number of hours worked rather than the number of days per week worked. I refer in this regard to those - mainly women - who are employed as cleaners. These women work three hours or perhaps a little more each day, meaning they are employed for between 15 to 17 hours per week. As a result of the fact that they work every day, they are not eligible to sign on and claim jobseeker's allowance or to obtain family income supplement. This is an important issue and perhaps the representatives from the INOU will comment on it.

I wonder whether something of a trick is being used in order to massage the figures relating to community employment. Many people are placed on community employment schemes for one year. This removes them from the statistics relating to the long-term unemployment for 12 months. They then go back on jobseeker's allowance the following year and are no longer classed as being long-term unemployed. This seems to be a way of moving people out of the category relating to long-term unemployment when it comes to official statistics. Will the representatives from the INOU indicate whether they see a trend in this regard?

I was shocked to discover from Mr. Doorley of the National Youth Council of Ireland that within the EU we have the fourth highest percentage of young people who are not in education or training. Will he explain why that is the case? I thought the figure stood at somewhere between 70% to 80%. I fully support what was said in respect of funding for youth work. Members are all meeting representatives from organisations which do not have funds. I support the proposal from the National Youth Council of Ireland regarding the sponsorship of large sporting and cultural events by the drinks industry should be brought to an end and that some other mechanism should be found in this regard.

The main point made by Ms Irwin on behalf of the National Women's Council of Ireland merits a full Dáil debate. The past couple of budgets were not gender proofed. This year's budget included the most savage attacks on women, in particular, that I have witnessed during my 15 years as a Member of the Oireachtas. Child benefit was cut. In the context of one-parent family payments, the age limit entered the reckoning in July and people lost out as a result. The latter were then transferred to jobseeker's allowance in respect of which a lower income disregard applies. This all means that they have lost approximately €50 per week and has resulted in many of them being obliged to give up their jobs because it was not worth their while to remain in employment. A tax on maternity benefit was also introduced this year. Between 80% and 90% of carers in this country are women and the cut relating to respite services certainly had an impact on them. There is a need for a special Dáil debate on this matter in order to ensure that something similar will not happen on this occasion.