Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection

Estimates for Public Services 2015 - Vote 37: Minister for Social Protection

3:15 pm

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have quite a number of questions about the document itself which we might get to at some stage. One of the questions, not specific to the document, is a policy question which is starting to emerge, namely, the issue of adult dependents looking for access to job activation.

Since they are not in receipt of a social welfare payment, they fall into this category. There are others who are working and not in receipt of a payment. Some days ago I was dealing with a woman, who works for two hours a day for five days a week. She does not receive a jobseeker's allowance because of the way it is staggered. This means that she is not in receipt of a social welfare payment, which means that she is excluded from courses or schemes that may help her to move beyond the period of two hours a day and better her position or find a full-time job. As she owns her own house, her options are limited.

Questions such as these are often hidden in the middle. Some of the rules and regulations prevent the population from benefiting from what can be quite a beneficial system. I give credit to the Department and the Minister in regard to what others have said about the Intreo offices and the logic behind the system. This should have been achieved years ago. The programme has been beneficial to many people and I hope it will continue to be rolled out to the benefit of those concerned. I refer also to the IT system. I understand the time it takes to roll it out.

My main question is related to the introduction. Does the Chairman want me to leave it or deal with it now?