Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I should prefer to be in Tallaght waiting to see if Manchester United might score. However, it is important to do one's duty and I was very anxious to contribute to this debate. On a sad note I went to Mass this evening because this is the 25th anniversary of the shooting dead of Garda Pat Reynolds.

This is an important debate, and listening carefully to the contributions from across the floor of the House, the Opposition is getting close to admitting that the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan, is doing his job. He is certainly revolutionising the Department and carrying the torch passed on by his predecessors, as even Deputy Connaughton has conceded, while at the same time taking radical measures, which is good. I am glad he is not being distracted by all the talk about a general election.

In the old days when the Taoiseach of the day called an election, all the parties held their conventions and we knocked on doors for three weeks. Nowadays, people believe there is an election pending because of the hype and it is important none of us gets distracted. There are at least 90 days to go, and indeed, the Taoiseach hinted to my constituency colleague, Deputy Rabbitte, today, that it might be even longer. That is good because it means the Government can get on with its business and Deputy Brennan can continue to introduce the reforms he wants. Like everyone else I am looking forward to the general election. I am not looking for a job. I was elected to do a job and I shall be happy for my term to continue so I may represent the issues that are of concern to me.

As regards the social welfare remit, there are issues of concern to me, as well as other colleagues. I am always happy to represent them. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs. I am also secretary of the Fianna Fáil social and family affairs policy group and I get the opportunity to work with colleagues and the Minister on many issues of concern to people, which will be raised throughout this debate. I was glad of the good news last week that Deputy Brennan made what the media called the historic North-South deal to provide free travel for the elderly. As someone who meets many elderly people on a regular basis, that is something people were waiting for and have welcomed. There have been a number of such initiatives in recent times that the Minister and his predecessors have been able to introduce. It is important that should continue to be done. It is not patronising, but all Members of the House refer to the elderly in terms of being the people who paved the way for the tiger economy, and who now need special attention. I am proud of what has been achieved in recent years. This Fianna Fáil-led Government with the PDs has reached a target. There will be a good deal of talk about new targets, but it is important to assure the elderly they will continue to be looked after. As with other issues one can think about when the economy is doing so well, we should look after people and provide the necessary resources. I am glad to be a member of a party and supporter of a Government that is doing precisely that.

I listen to what people are saying as regards these issues. I am a member of the board of Tallaght Welfare Society. Through contact with the elderly in the Glenview Lodge facility and the Dublin south facility in Kiltipper Road and the other clubs around the constituency, I seek out views on what people are saying on issues concerning senior citizens. It is very important we continue to support the elderly in every way possible. There are many issues in this Bill on which one might comment. I listened carefully to the many issues raised by my colleague, Deputy Kelleher. I have a good deal of sympathy with what he said, including the point about the need for a debate on immigrants. Regarding returned emigrants, in particular, we all tend to talk about people who have gone abroad. There was a time in the last century when many people went abroad to seek employment, myself included, and my father and grandfather. Thank God those times have changed and people now emigrate because they want to. It is a choice and there are many professionals who do that. I challenge the Minister in this regard, however, and I should like his officials to take note.

People who are encouraged to come home by FÁS, or advertisements for jobs, tell me that when they go to the local Department of Social and Family Affairs office in Ireland, they sometimes find it difficult to get their message across. The Department talks about habitual residency and so on. The Department has to uphold its regulations and I have no problem with that. Frequently, however, families return home from Europe, America and other parts of the world and want to stay, yet find there is not enough time to find a job. It should be easier. I am not saying we should stand at the ports and hand out jobs, although as Deputy Kelleher said, sometimes we are told that is what we are doing for other people. We should ensure, however, that the system is fair for people who want to return to Ireland, be it to my constituency, elsewhere in the Dublin region or elsewhere in the country. I am not so sure, nor am I convinced that is happening. I hope the Minister will look at this. I am not asking him to give out freebies. However, if State agencies are encouraging people to come back from abroad, we should be facilitating them when they arrive if they need help to get them over a short period of adjustment. There is certainly some evidence available which indicates this is not happening in the manner it should be, and I want that to be examined.

That raises the point I have often mentioned in terms of the Department. I do not wish to sound patronising, but I have always said the Department of Social and Family Affairs is the best arm of Government for dealing with parliamentary questions and, I am sure, with queries from the public. It is very important we continue to say the whole question of communications is vital and the Department must continue to ensure people understand their rights.

As I said previously, I recall attending an event at which the former Fine Gael Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald, made a speech about citizens information centres during which he said many people approach public representatives, particularly TDs, because the benefits to which they are entitled are not clearly set out. I often say to constituents that I cannot get them what they want, but sometimes I have to contact not only the Department of Social and Family Affairs, as the Acting Chairman will be aware, but other Departments not to seek to get people something to which they are not entitled but to make sure they get that to which they are entitled. Department's should be advised to make sure its advertising is effective and its communication system gets the message across.

I repeat what I said at an Oireachtas joint committee last week about the phenomenon of swipe cards, with which I have no problem. Like others, I recognise this is an aspect of progress. I was not being flippant when I said I come from a bygone Dublin era and that I often wonder what my granny would think of the new ways we do business today. The use of a swipe card to collect social welfare payments is a good move. I am not against progress but we must ensure that not only the elderly but people in my age group and younger are not confused by the introduction of this new system. When the Department introduces changes to the system it must recognise they will pose a challenge to people, particularly older people. I ask the Department to be sympathetic in this regard and to ensure it gets its message across in a precise manner.

The remit of the Department of Social and Family Affairs in regard to lone parents has been the subject of debate for a long period. The Minister brought forward a number of radical proposals in this regard. I attended a conference in Farmleigh at which these proposals were discussed with various groups and I assume the proposals are still in gestation in that sense. It is important the Minister recognises the challenges faced by those who wish to qualify for lone parents benefit. The Department must continue to make it possible for such people to gain their entitlements under the system. This is not only an urban problem or one facing people in Tallaght in my constituency, which is the third largest population centre in the country. Much of what happens there can be reflected throughout the country. We should ensure that people in receipt of lone parents benefit are not stuck in a poverty trap. We must help them progress. Issues are raised with many of us at our clinics regarding the difficulties faced by single parents because they have friends or even partners, around which there are issues which the Minister has promised to examine. There is also the question of how people qualify for this benefit.

When the Minister brought forward these proposals I did not believe they would be easily implemented or simply get the nod. There is a view that reform is necessary. However, we must be careful of the counter view that has been brought to my attention and that of others regarding people who have not sought to qualify for this payment and still face the same challenges. While we must be careful in dealing with this matter, there are issues to be addressed.

The Department should endeavour to create a system whereby recipients of social welfare benefit can return to work without jeopardising their entitlements. I have often said that an ever more liberal regime should prevail in regard to the sliding scale applying to rent subsidies and so on. Many young people in receipt of social welfare payments call to my clinic. They want to return to work but if they do so they face losing their rent supplement and other payments. I do not suggest the Department should simply hand out payments to these people but we should try to encourage them to return to employment.

I am pleased to represent my constituency. I was always happy to be involved in community work. I was a reluctant politician; I did not sit at my desk in school contemplating becoming one. When I moved to live in Tallaght, I did not plan to be a public representative and certainly not to be elected to this House. I became involved in my community and there were always issues of interest to people. It was said in the past that Tallaght had the population of a city but the status of village and that it had a high level of unemployment. I am glad to represent my town and wider constituency where many changes have taken place and many more people from the area are now in the workplace. However, there is still a need for the social welfare office. I am glad Tallaght has as modern a social welfare facility as anywhere in the country. It provides a first class service and the staff there answer the telephones. I was interested in what the previous speaker said. I do not have St. Peter's telephone number and I am not able to make the comparison Deputy Connaughton made. If one were to telephone my local social welfare office, as I do regularly on behalf of my constituents, one would get through to a member of staff, which is a good feature of the system.

In the next 90 days as we approach the general election, many people will say that more increases in benefits are required and that matters should be dealt with differently, and these matters will be debated. However, I am glad that issues that require attention are being ticked off. I mention in particular the work of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs under the able chairmanship of Deputy Penrose and Deputy Carty, the convenor of the group. We have seriously examined a number of issues of concern to people. We have reflected across party lines the issues that need to be addressed. While some criticism will be always levelled, we should continue to build on the progress made by dealing with the challenges faced by carers in recent years. We will never reach a stage where everything will be perfect and where people at risk in whatever age group will be okay. The challenge facing the economy is to ensure we continue to look after those people. I have no hesitation in saying, even from my position on the Government backbenches and I am proud to be here, that when our economy is doing well, we must continue to tackle poverty, particularly child poverty, and I was pleased to hear the Minister say that tonight.

It is not good enough today that people are still poor at a time when our economy is doing well. That is the challenge facing us politically. I often quote my party leader, the Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, who said that at a time when all boats are clearly rising — even my Opposition colleagues no longer deny that — we must remember there will be always the few small boats. Those small boats exist in all our communities and they must be looked after. We should not be ashamed to do that. Irrespective of what people say in the run-up to the general election about who we should look after, who will vote, and so on, it is right and proper that we look after those in need in whatever category, and we should continue to do that. I hope that ideal is not lost. Social inclusion is important, as my predecessor, the former Deputy, Chris Flood, often said here. It is important in every constituency whether it be in Cork, Donegal, Mayo, Kerry or the Dublin region. As we go forward and hopefully the economy continues to improve, we should do that.

It is important that the Department does not lose sight of its remit to help people return to employment. Other agencies are involved in job creation. People are concerned about job security. Tallaght has lost jobs in the past and there will be always difficulties in that regard. Where job losses occur, of which there have been a number in other constituencies recently, the Department must respond to such challenges and provide for people who have lost their jobs. I bring to the Dáil my own life experiences. I was made redundant three times in my life and happily I survived. It is important that assistance is available when people and families are so vulnerable.

I thank the Acting Chairman for giving me the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I compliment the Minister and I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, tells him that the work he is doing is appreciated on both sides of the House. I know that from listening to the Opposition spokespersons, even though they have to make their odd political point, which is fair enough.

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