Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)

In my long experience in this House I have never seen a more vicious Social Welfare Bill. There are reasons for part of it because the Minister found herself in a difficult position. Some of the measures are most unfair. I refer to those trapped in social welfare and those who can be kept out of the social welfare net if a small amount of imagination is used in the Department of Social and Family Affairs and other Departments.

It is of great importance that at a time when the country is on its knees, we try to be reasonably fair to those who cannot get a euro anywhere else but from social welfare. This comment is more relevant now than any time in the past. Anyone on the average social welfare payment of approximately €200 does not have a great quality of life, in good times or bad. In this assembly, we must ensure that those who genuinely depend on social welfare are looked after through disability or illness payment. I refer also to the aged and the carers. Anyone bleeding the system unnecessarily and unjustly must be penalised. I heard the Minister refer to this recently.

For the teeming thousands losing their jobs, we had better understand, from a psychological point of view, that step from the last day they were in employment. This applies irrespective of how many levies were imposed on wages, which we will all know about in a couple of weeks. The baseline of social welfare is a very dark place to be. However it could be organised, it is not fair or reasonable to deny people the Christmas bonus. It has been a traditional high point over the years. Even when we did not have it as good before the Celtic tiger there was a bonus at Christmas for most recipients of social welfare. This applied not alone to the elderly but to the unemployed, people with disabilities, etc. The payment was usually made at the end of November.

The bonus had two or three beneficial effects. It was very satisfying for the recipients and was an indication of a kind of Christmas box from the State, which demonstrated the recipients should be treated in this way. Every euro of the payment was spent locally, with businesses in cities, towns and villages being the direct beneficiaries of what was quite a lot of money.

Given the history we have and even with the financial straitjacket we are currently in, one would think the principle of the payment would have been adhered to. Even if the Government and Department could not come up with all the payment this year, why was half of it not paid? A half a loaf is better than no bread. It would give a signal from Government to those elderly people that it is thinking of them even in an hour of great national need. Instead, the whole payment has been scrapped, which is despicable conduct. I hope that if savings are found in the Department between now and next October and November, something will be done to provide the people with some type of Christmas bonus. Even if the payment was halved, it would be some way of saying that the State appreciates what pensioners have done for the country over the years.

I have another issue I wish to discuss which relates to social welfare. It is reasonable to raise it on an occasion such as this. It concerns the new administration of the medical card applications. Two or three weeks ago I got an opportunity at a meeting of the Oireachtas health committee to raise this issue with the Minister for Health and Children and Professor Drumm. I cannot understand why 1.5 million people across the country would have to apply to an office in Finglas in Dublin for a medical card. Whatever bureaucracy that may have existed in counties or headquarters hitherto, a person now has to deliver all the information to an office in Finglas in Dublin which has just one freefone number. I will give anybody €100 if he or she can get through to that number in one day, let alone one call. The freefone number is there because it means nobody can get through.

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