M J Nolan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

I share with Deputies on all sides of the House the concern about the extraordinary increase in the number of people signing on the live register. We are living in unprecedented and extraordinary economic times. There was a time when the economy changed by the week, but now it is not changing by the week nor by the day but by the hour. The Government must recognise that and deal with the issues as they arise. The increase in the number of those signing on the live register is indicative of what is happening not only in Ireland but in the international economy. It may be fire-fighting to an extent, but the Government has had to deal with the economy, which has been in a downturn for some time, and with issues as they arise such as the extraordinary scenes we witnessed last week when the banking sector was on the brink of collapse and would have done so were it not for the quick and effective action of the Government in dealing with the matter on Tuesday night. Its action is to be commended and Ministers for Finance in other countries, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, are taking a leaf out of the Government's book.

It is important to record, lest we forget, that more than 640,000 jobs were created in the past 11 years and more than 2 million people are working in this country. I am glad the Minister for Social and Family Affairs is present in the Chamber. She referred to the back to work and back to education allowances. We should encourage young people, in particular, who now find themselves unemployed, having lost a job, and who wish to seek further education to take up that allowance. One of the conditions of the back to education allowance is that the person must be unemployed and signing on for unemployment assistance for the 12 months immediately prior to claiming the allowance, but some individuals may not have been entitled to unemployment for one reason or other, perhaps based on their parents' income. I ask that changes be introduced to allow those individuals to avail of this scheme because it is worthwhile. Education was the cornerstone of our economic recovery in the past 20 years and anything the Minister can do, other than pay out social welfare, to encourage people back into the education system is to be welcomed.

Another issue to which I wish to refer is that of energy efficiency and the impact that the increasingly high cost of fuel is having on social welfare recipients, particularly those who are senior citizens. In recent years, Government policy has focused on increasing primary social welfare rates in order to ensure that those on benefit payments can meet their heating and basic living costs throughout the year. There has been a dramatic rise in the cost of fuel and heating oil during the past months. In recent days, the price of oil has decreased but it is still significantly higher than it was 12 months ago.

The Department of Social and Family Affairs also pays dedicated allowances that are specifically designed to supplement other payments. These include the electricity or gas allowance, paid as part of the household benefits package, and the fuel allowance scheme and are aimed at mitigating the impact of high energy costs. I accept that times are difficult but I encourage the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, in the context of next week's budget, to fight her corner and ensure that those on the margins of society are well catered for. People are uncertain with regard to what they are facing into this winter and they deserve the protection and guardianship of the Government and the Minister in particular.

The Government will have a difficult job in addressing the problems we face. It is acting effectively, efficiently and in a timely manner on the domestic scene. Unfortunately, however, Ireland's is a small, open economy and it is, to a large extent, dependent on what happens overseas. Much of what occurs is outside our control. While we have systems and regulations in place in respect of domestic matters, we have no control over what is happening in the United States, which seems to be the source of all the problems that have been experienced to date. I hope someone will, following the presidential election next month, take control of the US and that there will be light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully by spring of next year.

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