Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister and his team for being here. I wish him the very best in his role. His is a huge brief across a number of different areas, but we are discussing social protection today. I also welcome the expansion of the disregard for carers. That was a long time coming but it is great to see it will be here in July. It will bring a certain amount of relief to many families in the same way that the new jobseeker's pay-related benefit scheme launched in March has done. The fact that 12,500 people availed of it just shows the appetite that was there for it. It is really welcome.

I will tease something out regarding the bereaved partners Bill. I know it is not for today's discussion, but let us look at the case of a woman who is on the widow's pension and who cannot avail of illness benefit if she gets sick at work. I have am that soldier. When I lost my husband in 2011, I had to return to work within six months. I had been on a career break and had to return to work. As time went by, with the kids and everything else, I got sick, but could not avail of illness benefit. I was very fortunate in that I had an employer who was prepared to pay me, but many employers are not to do that. I would have had to give up the widow's pension to get illness benefit, so I could never get sick. That was the reality. That was my world. It is the world of an awful lot of other people. Is there a chance or opportunity, when the bereaved partners Bill is being considered, to review that piece that was introduced in 2013? It was not there previously. There was a piece where women could have the widow's pension but could also avail of illness benefit. Even if it is only half of that benefit, it would go a long way towards recognising that there has been a loss in a household, which, at the same time, is down one income.

Is it correct that the people maintaining the my future fund scheme are not an Irish company but a company outside the State? Is it correct that the Department is struggling to fill the CEO position? It has been advertised more than once, with a salary of €220,000. Does the Minister think there has been enough advertising of the scheme? We are now six months out from its launch. It is great in respect of where we are going but, at the same time, are we doing enough to bring employers on board? Do they have an understanding of it?

I welcome the Minister's offer that the Department will work with us on the wage subsidy scheme. Informing employers about that scheme is very important. The ability programme, which was brought in by the previous Minister, former Deputy Humphreys, and which I hope the Department will keep, is a game-changer in moving from 3% to 6%.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for his leniency. On the fuel allowance, I go back to the issue of the single person versus the married couple, or joint income persons of older ages, where the amounts involved are €524 versus €1,048. If somebody were able to avail of the €1,048 and then lost his or her partner but was over the threshold, the gap between €524 and €1,048 is huge. I am talking hypothetically in order not to confuse everybody, but if my partner or husband died and I was on the old age pension and he had a small pension of €200, I would be over the threshold by a couple of euro and would not qualify for the €524. I would be over by €6 or €7. Is there flexibility in the review of the fuel allowance?

On the carer's allowance appeals section in the Department, are there enough staff addressing appeals? Some appeals have been in train since last September. One on my desk has been ongoing since August. The issue is the time taken to address appeals. Nobody seems to be able talk about them. When you ring about something going to appeals, you are told it is out of the section's hands. Is there a way of moving appeals on a little quicker? I apologise for all the questions and thank the Cathaoirleach for his leniency.