Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I am glad of the opportunity to speak on the Bill. Since the Minister's appointment to his current portfolio, he has listened to what is being said. He is not as arrogant as some of his Front Bench colleagues who have lost touch with the people as well as losing touch with their ministerial responsibilities.

I praise the Minister's staff and compliment them on having saved taxpayers and the State a fortune in detecting social welfare fraud. The Minister and his officials issue annual reports which in recent years have shown that much money has been recovered through the detection of fraud in the social welfare system. I compliment those who work in that unit on saving the State and the taxpayers money. Social welfare fraudsters are taking money from those who need it most. While we do not like saying this to our constituents, taking welfare money under false pretences amounts to robbing taxpayers.

I also compliment departmental officials on responding well when parliamentary questions are tabled in the Dáil. One might have difficulties in getting through to some offices at times, but the officials generally do a good job in preparing replies to questions. I compliment them on performing well in this regard. We can be critical of officials sometimes because people may have to wait a long time for social welfare payments to which they are entitled. They should receive such payments as soon as possible. Most of the sections in the Minister's Department work well, however, in trying to get payments out as quickly as possible. They also deal with queries as swiftly as possible.

I would like the Minister and his officials to examine the issue of people who are refused unemployment assistance because it is assumed they are not searching for work, even though they provide evidence to the contrary. One person intends to take an action against the Department to Social and Family Affairs in this regard and I will support him. If he wants a financial subscription I will give it to him. Some such people are seeking their stamp money, but an official at the social welfare office may tell them they are not actively seeking work, even though they might produce five or six letters from potential employers. In Ballina during the week I came across somebody who found it degrading to visit the social welfare office. They sought unemployment assistance and brought in proof that they were seeking work, but an official behind the desk said he was not satisfied that the person was actively looking for work.

I am delighted that somebody is taking a case against the Department and I hope the judges will take a sympathetic approach to that person. The person felt they had been degraded, even though they had produced the necessary proof of seeking work. They felt so strongly about how they were treated that they are now planning to take a case to court. I wish them well and hope the Judiciary will not take the Government's side. It should take the side of the person who produces evidence of seeking work, even though someone behind a counter may say they were not doing so. I ask the Minister to examine this situation immediately. This is happening in County Mayo, although I do not know if it is due to a directive from the Minister or his Department. The taxpayer will have to pick up the tab in the end when this case comes to court. I compliment that person on taking the case. I am glad they have done so because it is wrong for someone behind a counter to act in that way just because they may not like the look of a person. There has been very little employment for a long time in the area to which I am referring, but any time employment came up that person accepted it.

I will give the Minister another example, although when I wrote to him about it he did not do much about it. This concerned someone in my constituency who accepted a temporary job every time one came up. He is a temporary postman and hopes he will get that job on a full-time basis. He was not seeking unemployment assistance, but unemployment benefit, that is the money he paid into. He went to the social welfare office but was refused unemployment benefit and he is now going to appeal. I will accompany him to the appeal because I think any appeals officer will agree when he sees the record concerned — I sent the Minister his record. That person worked at every single opportunity a job came up. For the first time this year, however, his request for unemployment benefit was disallowed because it was deemed that he was not actively seeking work. His record proves, however, that he accepted job vacancies every time they arose.

I wish to ask the Minister a straight question. Has a new directive been issued from the Department whereby whether people have proof of seeking work, they are told they are not actively seeking work? If so, the Minister is only codding the system because people are going to the Health Service Executive where they are paid by the community welfare officer. Nine times out of ten, this money will have to be paid back so it amounts to one arm of the State paying another.

People are upset and hurt, however, because they are being made to look foolish. I hope that if such a directive has been issued, the Minister will respond immediately by issuing another directive asking his officials to be fair to people who have tried to work when work was available. If somebody produces evidence of seeking work, such as a letter, social welfare officials should not say they are not satisfied. Who are they to say that from behind a counter?

If I tabled a question to the Minister asking him to get a job for a particular person in Ballina, Westport or Castlebar, the reply would be that it is not the responsibility of the social welfare officer. Neither is it the responsibility of the social welfare officer, however, to make a judgment when somebody produces a letter stating that they have sought work. I know that the court case will be won, but I ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan, to deal with that quickly to prevent taxpayers from having to pay out to fight the case. It is not right. If someone enters the country with letters and shows that he or she is seeking work, that person should be paid immediately, unless it can be proven otherwise. I have no problem with action being taken in the case of a person working and drawing the benefit, but I am talking here about someone seeking work.

Last week the Minister granted generous increases. I listened to Deputies Penrose and McCormack, with whom I agree. We cannot be negative, and the budget contained some very positive things. The increases were generous and I would love to see more. I hope that the increases will be protected. I urge that local authorities should be allowed to take only a percentage of the increases that have been granted to people on social welfare. There is no point in their receiving €14, €16 or €17 if local authorities take €7, €8 or €9 from them in extra rent.

Last week the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, in his budget speech, reduced taxes on home heating oil. I will tell the Minister of two events that are not his responsibility but that of the Government. On Wednesday, when the Minister announced in the Dáil that the Government was reducing the taxes on home heating oil, the oil companies increased the price. If that is not rip-off Ireland, I do not know what is. I know it is not the responsibility of the Department of Social and Family Affairs, but I ask the Government to investigate that immediately.

Yesterday I received several telephone calls from constituents in my clinic who had contacted the oil companies and been told that they were not passing on any reductions that the Government had granted in taxation because of the rise in the price of oil. That is rip-off Ireland and there should be an immediate investigation. If the Government makes an effort to reduce taxes on home heating oil, that should be passed on. If last Wednesday the Government had raised taxes, on Thursday morning all the oil companies would have erected new signs showing increases in their prices. Shame on the millionaires. The Minister and Government must act to protect the weaker of society and investigate the oil companies.

I want to ask the Minister a direct question and I hope that he can answer me in his reply or that his officials will write to me directly. I had a constituent whose mother was very sick and who came home from America. The person is Irish, having been born and reared in Ireland and never cost the taxpayers of this country anything. The person returned to care for that sick mother.

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