Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me this opportunity to speak to this important legislation, the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2008. It gives us the opportunity to examine in detail our social welfare and pensions system. It is also a chance to ensure we support the weakest sections of society and ensure they will always receive their maximum entitlements and be treated with respect and dignity. As Members of the Oireachtas, we all have a duty to ensure all those on social welfare payments and pensioners are treated with respect and dignity. To prevent poverty and disadvantage we must put education, jobs and quality housing at the top of the agenda. If we do not focus on those three issues, we are going nowhere. It is very important that we include this in today's debate on social welfare. That is why we must invest in education, make sensible investments plans and develop quality planning in our communities. I will revert to these issues later, which are all linked to the issue of social welfare and pensions.

The Bill provides for the implementation of certain social welfare improvements announced in budget 2008. These include increases in child benefit, early child care supplement and the respite care grant. Provision is also made for an increase in the income limit for the one-parent family payment and changes in the assessment of income for the purposes of qualification for the payment.

Part 3 of the Bill provides for the necessary legislative changes to the Pensions Act 1990, to allow for the implementation of the recommendations in the report of the Pensions Board to the Minister for Social and Family Affairs on trusteeship.

Sections 12 to 17, inclusive, set out the necessary legislative provisions for the payment of blind welfare allowance and domiciliary care allowance by the Department of Social and Family Affairs, with effect from early 2009. These schemes are currently administered by the Department of Health and Children.

It is important to note that in the introduction to this legislation, one sees the emphasis on child care, child benefit, respite care grants and supporting one-parent families. I commend the Minister, Deputy Martin Cullen, on his work during the build up to the budget. There was much talk about the downturn in the economy and many people were expecting cuts in these areas. I commend the Minister and his staff on their work in pushing this agenda and including the weaker sections of society in their plans.

Section 3 provides for an increase of €6 in the lower monthly rate of child benefit and €8 in the higher rate, bringing them to €166 and €203 per month, respectively. The increase in child benefit will be effective from April 2008. Families who receive the monthly payment via their bank accounts will receive the budget increase from April 2008, while those who receive payment via personalised payable order books, encashable at post offices, will be paid in the first week in May 2008, backdated to April 2008. This is very important.

Section 4 provides for an increase of €100 in the annual rate of early child care supplement bringing the annual rate to €1,100 and the quarterly rate to €275. The increases will apply from the first quarter of 2008. Again, one sees the emphasis on child benefit and child care. It is very difficult for families with young children. Child care costs have gone through the roof over the past five or six years. This is an attempt to increase support for families in that situation.

Section 6 provides that a person transferring back to illness benefit from invalidity pension will be entitled to a full personal rate of illness benefit where they have the required number of contributions in the relevant tax year.

Section 7 provides that a person moving from disability allowance to the non-contributory State pension at age 66 will not receive a lower rate of payment due to a less favourable capital disregard on the non-contributory State pension scheme.

Section 8 raises the earnings limit for receipt of one-parent family payment to €425, as announced in budget 2008. It also makes provision for the income to be assessed in a manner to be prescribed by regulations. The regulations will provide for the disregard of social insurance contributions, health contributions, superannuation contributions and trade union subscriptions for the purposes of assessment of earnings for one-parent family payment.

Section 9 increases the respite care grant to €1,700 as announced in budget 2008. The increase will apply from 5 June 2008. It is important to focus on this issue as well as to commend and thank the many people involved in caring for people with disabilities and the elderly. We have a responsibility and a duty towards them. Before the budget, I heard rumours that the respite care grant would be cut, which concerned me greatly at the time. However, we can see that it has been delivered on and we will push for more in the future. It is important to ensure that we look after and support carers of the elderly and those with disabilities. I will return to the issue of disabilities later and respond to queries raised by my colleagues earlier in the debate.

Section 10 provides for the deletion of the out-dated term "penal servitude". It also provides that a person shall not be considered to be detained in legal custody for the purposes of entitlement to disability allowance when he or she is detained for treatment under an admission order or renewal order made under the Mental Health Act 2001. I welcome this section, which is important. When one is referring to social welfare and disadvantage, it is important to ensure that those in the prison system are given proper training. I am concerned about recent events where a number of prisoners who were due to be released within months and who had a record of good behaviour could not participate in some pre-release programmes. I ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to examine this issue. There are some excellent pre-release programmes in the Irish Prison Service but some constituents of mine were turned down when they applied for them. Their families were very disappointed. We must ensure that when people do something wrong, they serve their time but if they have a serious change in attitude and wish to reintegrate into society, we must do something progressive for them.

Section 11 provides that a "homemaker" may include a person who is resident in the State or who is, or is the spouse of, a member of the Defence Forces or a civil servant in the Civil Service of the Government or the State, is in the service, outside the State, of the Government, the State or an international organisation, or is a volunteer development worker. The section also provides that a deciding officer may decide the question as to whether a person is to be deemed a homemaker at any time. I welcome this section.

Sections 12 to 14, inclusive, set out the conditions for entitlement to blind welfare allowance, the rates of payment, the provisions for the calculation of means, the consequential amendments and the transitional provisions to allow for the transfer of the administration of the scheme from the Department of Health and Children to the Department of Social and Family Affairs, with effect from early 2009. Again, these are progressive and sensible provisions.

Sections 15 to 17, inclusive, set out the conditions for eligibility for receipt of domiciliary care allowance, the rates of payment, the consequential amendments and the transitional provisions to allow for the transfer of the administration of the payment of an allowance for the domiciliary care of children from the Department of Health and Children to the Department of Social and Family Affairs, with effect from early 2009. It is very important that we focus on these issues. The blind welfare allowance is very important and I commend the Minister on the major grant he gave recently to Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind as a contribution towards the development of services for blind people. The domiciliary care allowance is also important and must be kept under review. These issues should never been on any list when it comes to planning the finances of the future.

Section 24 provides for the disregard for the purposes of rent and mortgage interest supplement of any amount of carer's benefit in excess of the basic rate of supplementary welfare allowance, in line with current arrangements for carer's allowance. It also provides for changes in the rules for the calculation of the income disregard. The legislation is being amended to clearly state that the disregard applies to all income and to clarify that additional income includes earnings, family income supplement and all maintenance.

The overall theme of the legislation is to support those on welfare and to support the weaker sections of society. This is very important. We should not take our eye off the ball when it comes to this type of expenditure. I know there are battles for different issues at Cabinet, but I am sure all Members of the Oireachtas support these kinds of progressive provisions.

When discussing the issue of the elderly and other matters, we must consider the overview of the budget. Spending on health services for the elderly accounted for more than one third of the extra health spending announced on budget day, a story that is not told anywhere in the media. Of the €396 million in additional spending, €135 million has been earmarked for the elderly, but not many have stated this in the House. The bulk of 81%, or €110 million, of the additional funding for the elderly will be spent on the introduction of the planned nursing home scheme, a fair deal. In contrast, just €25 million will be invested in expanding community care initiatives.

The key areas to benefit from increased spending include €10 million to provide an extra 350 home care packages aimed at helping 1,000 people to remain at home or to return home from hospital. During 2007, more than 4,000 packages were provided to assist 10,500 people. Some €5 million will be spent to provide 216,000 more home help hours than last year's figure of 11.8 million home help hours. These background figures are not heard about. Some €3.6 million will be spent on 1,100 more day or respite places than last year's amount of 21,000.

The €135 million package includes €3 million to improve the service provision of palliative care and €2 million to support voluntary groups working on delivering services in partnership with the HSE. These are progressive and sensible measures in respect of the elderly. We must focus on this matter and make no apologies when delivering the services, which should be highlighted. I commend the fact that an extra €2 million is being given to voluntary and community groups, particularly those working with the elderly and the disadvantaged. In my agreement with the Taoiseach, I pushed this issue strongly and I welcome that these types of projects are being rolled out in the budget.

It is important that we challenge those who claim that nothing is being done or Deputies who state that something is not worth the paper it is written on. Everyone welcomes the sensible investment of €2.5 million in cystic fibrosis services at Beaumont Hospital. Over the next 18 months, a project will be rolled out to deliver cystic fibrosis services at St. Vincent's Hospital. We should rally around and support this project. I welcome the €108,000 being invested in northside schools and the €88,000 in ICT grants for 18 schools in my constituency. With the €200,000 paid to the Stardust victims' committee, these are sensible and important measures. People discuss cuts in services, yet I see 117 new employees in frontline services in Dublin North-Central since 5 September, 110 staff being appointed to frontline services in Beaumont Hospital and, recently, €183,422 for the Donnycarney community youth centre and €102,386 for the women's refuge in Coolock. There is nothing wrong with these sensible, progressive and welcome measures.

I challenge those who state that nothing has occurred in respect of broader, national issues. I tell them to read the budget — €50 million extra in disability services, €25 million extra for care of the elderly and €35 million for cancer services. Another figure relevant to this debate is the additional €18 million for special educational needs. An additional €124 million and €50 million will be invested in social housing and affordable housing, respectively. I referred to carer's benefit and the carer's allowance. Despite the downturn in the economy and negative whinging from some Deputies, many have fought hard to introduce, defend and develop these services. It is a difficult battle at times, but good things should be recognised for what they are. This debate on social welfare is concerned with looking after the weaker sections of society, such as the elderly, and doing something practical. Our sleeves are rolled up and the work is ongoing.

If one wishes to end poverty and disadvantage, one needs three key elements — education, jobs and quality housing. I welcome the developments in the Cromcastle area in Dublin North-Central, such as the beautifully planned northside town centre. I challenge those who whinge about this issue, some of whom are from my constituency and stated it is not enough. The development comprises a sport and recreation centre of 2,600 sq. m, a community centre of 400 sq. m, a library of 1,400 sq. m and leisure buildings of 2,000 sq. m. These proposed facilities are approximately 6,400 sq. m in area and for the use of all communities. The community centre south of Oscar Traynor Road will be ideally situated to facilitate general community use in Kilmore West while the sport and recreation centre will be situated north of the road to facilitate Kilmore West's sporting community and other communities in the vicinity of the Northside Shopping Centre. The quoted figure of 140 sq. m is important. The new facilities will be considerably larger than those currently provided and will be ideally situated for existing user groups and the increasing population.

The sensible Cromcastle and northside town centre plan is important in terms of tackling disadvantage because the area in question needs an economic lift. I commend Céline Reilly and the staff of the Dublin North-Central sector in Dublin City Council for their magnificent work in putting this project together. I urge the Government to stick with the plan because it relates to housing and sport, community and recreation facilities. It will clean up the northside. As anyone who knows the parts of Coolock and Kilmore in question is aware, the people need a break and to get on with this investment. I look forward to these developments occurring in the next two or three years. To the cynics, I am confident it will be before the next election.

We should examine expenditure. The budget will strengthen the drugs task force by €12.5 million, which is important given that some communities are riddled by disadvantage, as shown recently. We must support communities and we need the Garda and Operation Anvil, but we must tackle social exclusion and isolation and challenge those who block such measures. Drugs comprise so large an industry and there is such a large market because many people take drugs, cocaine in particular in recent years. I challenge the people in question to cop on to themselves and to stop this nonsense because it destroys communities, blocks our accident and emergency units, causes assaults on nightclub bouncers and leads to the slaughter of people like Donna Cleary in Coolock in my constituency. It is important that we highlight these effects of cocaine and other drugs, but it is up to people to be responsible.

I welcome the main provisions and sensible proposals in the Bill, which is progressive legislation. I look forward to ensuring a fairer society. I urge all Members, regardless of politics, to build on the ethos of the legislation. We must defend our pensioners and people on social welfare payments. However, I welcome the plan of other Departments to get as many people off social welfare payments as possible and to get people into jobs. With jobs and decent houses and communities, people will grow up and have healthy and happy environments. They will make a considerable contribution to the State, as occurred in previous projects. I welcome the Bill's ethos and I will support it.

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