Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their opening statements and briefing documentation they sent as well. Regarding the Department of Social Protection, obviously poverty and tackling and ultimately ending poverty is key and the Department of Social Protection would have the main role as I see it in reducing and ultimately ending poverty in Ireland. It may not be, but is it possible to get an update on the recommendations in the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, which was just mentioned? We are quickly approaching 2025. It is important to say that a lot of the time, we are told that poverty is reducing and SILC data are used to back that up. A lot of the time the overall consistent poverty rate is used and is sometimes said to be reducing. It is important to also note that consistent poverty is not reducing when it comes to one-parent families and particularly those who are out of work due to illness or disability. In fact, consistent poverty rates are rising there and it is important we acknowledge that when we say that overall consistent poverty is reducing when for key parts of our communities, it is not.

The other key role for the Department of Social Protection in ending poverty is obviously the social welfare rates. Whatever way we look at it as regards the positivity of social transfers the bottom line is that every single rate is set below the poverty line. We know that from the work of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, and the MESL, as was also referenced earlier. I believe as part of meeting these goals that we need to look at basing our social welfare rates on something or against something. At the moment that does not exist and when the budget comes there is a circus in the outside world about a fiver and maybe not a fiver and all of that. It is not evidence-based and key to reaching and attaining that goal is to have social welfare rates set to the minimum essential standard of living. That gives certainty to people who are on fixed rates and there will not be this circus every year ahead of budget time. I ask the Department, in line with achieving these goals, to look at the possibility of benchmarking the rates to anything really. I would prefer to see it benchmarked to the MESL but I think that will be really important in meeting our targets.

Regarding unemployment and the challenge for young people in particular, it was said that there was a number of commitments to support young people into training, education and employment. If young people are left on €129 per week, that in itself is a barrier to actually accessing education, training or a job and research shows that because it costs money to go out to seek work. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to bring that back so the rate is not dependent on age essentially, and again I ask the Department for Social Protection to look at that because the commitment is in the programme for Government but there is very little movement on it. I do not believe the goal will be achieved while young jobseekers are on reduced rates.

Lastly, to the Department of Community and Rural Development, I note from its opening statement it does not mention the islands or at least I do not think it did. Comhdháil Oileán na hÉireann sent some documentation to the committee which is really useful and I hope might be passed on to the Department. I presume the sustainable development goals will be a pillar in the new ten-year strategy for the islands and it would be really helpful were the Department of Community and Rural Development in a position to give an update on that, as it is long-awaited.