James Breen (Clare, Independent)

The Minister, when he informed the House that the projected level of social welfare expenditure this year is more than €12.25 billion, noted:

This level of expenditure is the highest ever on social welfare and is indicative of the Government's priority to protect and improve the living standards of social welfare recipients. It is a clear demonstration of this Government's commitment to addressing the needs of people with disabilities and their carers, children, the elderly, widowed persons, the unemployed, those who are parenting alone and many others who are disadvantaged, vulnerable or on the margins of society.

The truth is that the Social Welfare Consolidation Bill 2005 merely consolidates a range of inequalities and insufficient attempts to help people who are deserving of our assistance. The House is spending time consolidating a series of Acts into a single large Bill, which will be so complex that a lengthy explanation will be required to make it clearly understood. The Bill does nothing to address the plight of those who are dependent on social welfare. I understand a consolidation Bill does not allow for significant amendments to be made to social welfare legislation. Surely the time debating the Bill would be better spent discussing ways to assist those who need our help.

Ireland still has unacceptable levels of poverty, including a shameful incidence of child poverty. According to the Combat Poverty Agency, poor children have been found to be at a threefold risk of social exclusion from schools, their peers and social-cultural norms. As well as immediate social costs, poverty generates long-term economic costs in terms of low productivity, more unemployment and additional social provision. This problem needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency. Although the Minister has pledged to work on the issue, he must place it at the top of his agenda if those living in poverty, who are among the most vulnerable in society, are to be helped.

The Minister referred to his commitment to carers. I am committed to the work done by carers and praise them for the unselfish manner in which they dedicate their time and resources to caring for people. Carers save the Exchequer a fortune and more must be done for them. While the grant introduced last year will help, more needs to be done. We must recognise the role played by carers and ensure they are adequately resourced to continue their valuable work. The Minister should respond immediately to the call by the Carers Association for a national strategy for carers.

The means test for carers must be abolished. The Minister will claim he does not have sufficient money in the coffers to fund such a measure but they have never been so full. In light of the recent wastage of vast amounts of taxpayers' money by the Government, it is disgraceful that carers are being treated so harshly. The Government pays lip service to carers. It would cost the taxpayer in excess of €1,000 per week to care for somebody in a residential care setting, yet those willing to provide full-time care for a loved one in their homes, a preferable scenario for the person in care, are paid a pittance of an allowance which is means-tested before they obtain it. The treatment of carers does not make economic sense and is certainly not moral or just.

More than half of full-time carers are effectively ignored and left to make ends meet on their own. This is disgraceful behaviour on the part of the Government and I demand that the Minister take immediate action to remedy the situation rather than spending valuable time on consolidating previous Acts which do not do enough to help those in need. I put it to the Minister, who would have to agree, that the fuel allowance is too small and inadequate for people to survive.

There is the matter of appeals on which I will question the Minister. It takes four months for an appeal to go through. This causes significant trauma and anxiety for the people who are appealing the fact an entitlement is being taken from them.

I spoke to the Minister last year about the anomalies in the Bill, whereby when a carer travels from Ennis with a child under the age of 16, the child is paid a fare allowance and the carer travels free. Surely this is an anomaly which must be addressed.

When a farmer in my constituency, who paid his PRSI contributions on his farm but who in the past ten years took up insurable employment for three weeks, applied for his pension he was told it would be reduced by 50% as a result of having three weeks' insurable employment. That is not right or fair. That man needs to get his entitlements for which he paid on his farm over the past 12 to 15 years.

Where a father and mother who are married and caring in their home for a loved one who has a disability, if the father dies his widow is not entitled to claim carer's allowance despite the fact she enjoyed the allowance when her husband lived. That should be changed.

On child poverty, one need only walk the streets of this city any night to see young lads, who have been tossed out of their homes, sleeping on door steps. What is the Government doing about it? It must be tackled as a matter of urgency.

The Minister is sincere in his efforts to tackle these problems but they must be tackled now, not in the future. I am confident the Minister will tackle them. The money is there, if the will is there.

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