Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This meeting has been convened for the purpose of considering the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2015 which was referred to the select sub-committee by order of the Dáil on 4 March. The main purpose of this Bill is to amend the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 to provide for the introduction of the back-to-work family dividend which was announced in budget 2015 to help jobseekers with families and lone parents return to work. The Bill also provides for a number of other changes relating to the jobseeker's allowance, the authentication of the identity of a person presenting for a social welfare payment, the use of personal public service, PPS, numbers by the Pyrite Resolution Board and the recovery of social welfare benefits in personal injury cases.

I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Kevin Humphreys, and officials from the Department. I ask members and guests to turn off their mobile telephones or to put them on safe or flight mode. Otherwise they will interfere with the broadcasting equipment.

We have the use of the room until midnight if members wish to be here that long, but the objective is to finish this afternoon if members are agreeable. Second, I refer members to the grouping of amendments. It is proposed to group amendments Nos. 2 and 8 and amendments Nos. 3 and 18 for the purpose of debate. Amendments Nos. 1, 4, 5, 7 and 10 to 22, inclusive, have been ruled out of order. I will explain the reason when we reach each amendment. All other amendments which are not grouped will be discussed individually.