Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Cathaoirleach is going so fast through the sections that I am losing myself. I welcome the extension back to nine months. It was originally proposed to claw some of this back by going to six months for jobseeker's benefit. I welcome the fact it has been left at nine months, but I reiterate my concern that for those who do not get employment within the nine months there is a second cliff edge, namely, that if they have a partner, the partner’s income comes into play. I know that is a debate for another day, but I want to put down the marker here that that is a cliff edge we have all come across as politicians. Not everybody gets employment, particularly people in the older cohort, who often do not get employment so easily if they become unemployed at 55 or 60 years old and so on. While not an issue for this particular Bill, that second cliff edge is an issue for the forthcoming budget. The Minister mentioned at the beginning that this legislation avoids a cliff edge for people who have reasonably substantial wages where they lose their employment, or it reduces or ameliorates it, but the second cliff edge people hit is after nine months if they have a partner who has an income in their own right. The figure of €60 and 60% after that is quite penal.