John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Wall for sharing time.

This is an important debate as it relates to expenditure of €17 billion. Deputy Wall made a relevant point on local authorities neutering the positive effects of increases in social welfare payments by taking liberties and imposing higher charges. It is essential that we secure value for money from those who receive large allocations from the Department. I compliment departmental officials on the outstanding and efficient work they do on behalf of the Minister.

I ask the Minister to note an anomaly I propose to highlight. Last month the Taoiseach opened the new Irish Aid volunteering and information centre on O'Connell Street. The centre is designed to promote public awareness and understanding of development issues and the role of Irish Aid. I endorse the Taoiseach's comments at the opening on the positive impact Irish Aid and our missionaries and volunteers are making in crucial areas such as health care, housing, education and the fight against HIV and AIDS in developing countries. Many such volunteers come from my constituency of Sligo-Leitrim and do excellent work in developing countries, often in complex and trying circumstances.

One recently returned volunteer worker lost three years of her PRSI contributions through no fault of her own. This was due to a scheme operated by the Department of Social and Family Affairs under which those classified as volunteer development workers, VDWs, may qualify for credited contributions or VDW credits in respect of a period spent working in a developing country and any preparatory period beforehand. The relevant rules covering this circumstance are set out in the Social Welfare (Special Provisions for Volunteer Workers) Regulations 1985. Clause 6, subsection 2, states contributions "shall only be credited to an insured person under the provisions of these regulations for such period or aggregate of periods as does not exceed 5 years".

Some volunteer development workers work abroad on Irish Aid projects for an aggregate period greater than five years. The five year limit means that experienced volunteer development workers who continue their valuable work beyond a five year period are penalised by loss of credited contributions. Volunteer workers who have experienced this loss of PSRI credits regard it as unjust and unethical that Irish Aid would recruit people for volunteer work in developing countries and fail to value them sufficiently to cover their PRSI for the full duration of their work abroad.

Irish Aid is the overseas development arm of the Department of Foreign Affairs. With a budget approaching €1 billion this year, it is entirely reasonable that volunteer development workers who spend more than five years working on Irish Aid projects should be covered for the full period of their work in developing countries. I understand some other European Union countries which operate a scheme to provide social insurance cover for their volunteers working abroad do not have any such time limit.

In addition, volunteers should be formally advised at the start of their assignment about any term limits for PRSI contributions. They must also be formally and specifically advised of the term limits leading to the expiry of their PRSI contribution coverage. It is not acceptable that volunteers may return home to discover they have lost valuable PRSI contributions. This leads them to feel abandoned, forgotten and unrecognised.

I call on the Ministers for Social and Family Affairs, and Foreign Affairs to solve the problem of the loss of PRSI credits for volunteer workers who spend a period greater than five years in developing countries. I ask the Minister to accept that the cost to Irish Aid of paying the PRSI of volunteers working in developing countries would be minimal in the context of an overall budget of nearly €1 billion. More important, it would demonstrate that we value the work our volunteer workers do in the developing world.

A small number, probably less than 100, have already lost their PRSI credits. I am also advised of one case in which a volunteer lost 11 years' credits, a significant loss for the individual concerned. As part of an initiative to remove the five year limit, I ask the Minister to deal sympathetically with the issue of arrears, as the number of individuals involved is small. These are genuine cases.

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