Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the various groups for coming in and for their submissions. I apologise on behalf of the committee for the fact that they were kept waiting. It was not intentional.

I have read the submissions and it would be very difficult to argue against any of the requirements. We can be sure they will all not be granted in this budget. I can ascertain the priorities from reading the submissions and the Opposition will do its very best to have as many as possible met. As Mr. Dolan has stated, it is time to redress the balance. There has been a very traumatic adjustment over the last number of years and many very respected organisations - some of which are State organisations - have concluded that the adjustment has been borne very disproportionately by the poorer sections of society which include, of course, the elderly poor and people with disabilities.

Turning to a few specific aspects of the submissions, we all know the effect of the medical card rule changes. In the AV room at a meeting with some senior officials from the HSE about four months ago we were told that any outstanding discretionary medical cards would be returned to people within three weeks. I do not know what is happening elsewhere but I do know that in my own area there are still a number of people waiting for a decision on their discretionary medical cards to be returned to them.

The free telephone rental allowance is very high on the priority list. Is there any evidence of how many people - what proportion of people - have abandoned their security system because they could no longer afford the telephone rental charges? We were also assured at the time of the removal of the free telephone rental allowance that technology was available to make this system work with mobile telephones. I do not think that is the case and if so are there any examples of it?

On water charges, there will, as I understand it from the information we have so far, be a waiver of approximately €100 per annum for eligible people. It will be confined to those receiving the household benefits package, as far as I can see. Elderly people who are in receipt of social welfare, who might for instance have a son, daughter or grandchild living with them, will not qualify. It means a person on Jobseeker's Allowance under the age of 66 will not qualify.

The request for a fortnight's extension on the fuel allowance is very reasonable. I also agree that there should be some flexibility when the weather is particularly harsh. On the bereavement grant, are there any examples of how the abolition of the grant is working out in practice? We were told when the grant was abolished that people could apply for the burial grant. This continues to be available. Unfortunately, the budget out of which the burial grant is paid has also been reduced. In this regard how has the circle has been squared?

On allowances for people with disabilities, we must also ascertain when the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant, which have ceased to operate since the decision of the Ombudsman some time ago, will be reinstated. The delay has been quite extraordinary.