Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Before Deputy Haughey leaves the Chamber I want to say that I know he does not believe the spin from the Department of Social and Family Affairs. I know the Minister has a good spinner because he is from Mayo, and if there is one thing we are good at in Mayo it is spinning. The Minister has been good at one thing since coming to office and I compliment him and congratulate him on that; his spin doctors have never worked as well. However, when one looks at the reality, nothing is there.

I want to give Deputy Haughey some examples, as I heard him refer to one a moment ago. Because a review is taking place, there has been no change in the diet supplement. If there is one thing the Government has been good at, it is reports and reviews. It should set up a Government magazine called, 'Review', because everything is reviewed. A great deal of money has been spent on spin doctors and programme managers. I do not blame the officials. I compliment the officials. I have worked with them for years and know they do an excellent job. The problem is they are not heeded and the spin is sent out by the spinners.

I agree with Deputy Haughey's point in regard to lone parents. As a public representative I am sick and tired of listening to people say at political meetings, clinics or whatever, how well people are doing on social welfare, especially lone parents. Deputy Haughey is right, that is incorrect.

We are all aware of the outrageous attack Mr. Myers and Dr. Walsh recently made on lone parents. Mr. Myers had to retract his original article. It created a debate in the country and that was no harm. Most lone parents are on €170 per week and one can add another couple of euro for each child. I challenge any politician in this House to live on €200 per week.

I have never had as many elderly people in my clinics since Christmas who have concerns about the free schemes. There is total confusion, not with the Department of Social and Family Affairs, but in regard to the ESB. The ESB has increased its charges and people who were able to get by on the allocation of free units can no longer do so. The ESB appears to be overcharging people or ripping them off in some way. I have never had as many complaints from people on this matter.

I also wish to raise a few other issues. The first relates to the three different payments of child dependant allowance, an issue I raise every year and will continue to raise. I have asked before that this issue be referred to the Equality Authority for it to make a judgment on the matter. There should not be three different kinds of payments. Children are supposed to be equal under the Constitution. Why then does the Department of Social and Family Affairs continue to pay different rates for different groups of children? Rather than carrying out a review in respect of this issue, the Government should do the right thing and bring all the payments up to the €21.60 rate rather than paying three different rates.

In light of today's Supreme Court judgment on patients' pension deductions, the Department of Social and Family Affairs needs to address the manner in which it deals with the affairs of elderly people. A person might live to 90, 91, 92 or 93 years of age and be cared for by his or her family; or alternatively he or she might live alone with a carer looking after him or her, doing a bit of shopping and paying the few little bills. When the person dies, if he or she is in receipt of a non-contributory pension, it can cause problems. For example, I am aware of a case in which a person in her 90s in her lifetime had saved €16,800. She had lived in a residential home for the last few years and when probate was carried out, the State claimed she should not have had any savings. I accept that a non-contributory pension is supposed to be means-tested but surely to God the State should not track back for 20 years to take account of the old rather than the present-day disregard and seek to recoup more than €10,000 from the family to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. A group that had a case before the courts previously and is preparing to take it before the courts again contacted me. If a 90 year old leaves €16,800, surely to God the State should not claim €10,000 from the family, particularly if the person was sick and could live within his or her pension. Will the Minister tell the House how a woman of 90 years of age and who might not have been means-tested for ten or 20 years would know to telephone the Department of Social and Family Affairs to inform the officials that she has €10,000, €12,000 or €15,000 in the bank? It is an issue that must be examined by the Department quickly.

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