Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I agree with Deputy Penrose on medical cards. I spoke about this two weeks ago on a Private Members' motion and I also tabled the matter for a debate on the Adjournment. I agree with Deputy Penrose that it would be a big mistake not to process applications locally. Government policy was to decentralise bodies from Dublin to the regions and now we are going in the other direction, from the regions to Dublin. This is wrong and should not be allowed to happen.

While I am sometimes very critical of the way officials work, I realise community welfare officers are under awful pressure at present. They are finding circumstances very difficult and many are out sick with stress because of their workload. The Minister was to supply extra staff; in some cases she did so and in others she did not. It is impossible for the officers to work under the present conditions.

Consider the position of farmers who will be seeking farm assist payments. A major milk producer contacted me some days ago and stated he had been producing milk for the past few years and was never on social welfare. He asked to be assessed for a farm assist payment and was told he would have to be assessed on last year's income. Circumstances have changed in this country so fast that one should no longer carry out a means test based on last year's income. Those days are over. A year ago, every business in the country was flying while today they are all in difficulty. Builders, businesses and farmers are in difficulty.

I ask the Minister and her officials to adopt a different line on farm assist payments such that accounts from last year or earlier will not be sought. Those days are over. Whatever money the farmers had last year is gone today. I ask the Minister and her officials to talk with the staff and make life easier for farmers who are going through difficult times. I refer to farmers who never drew social welfare payments and who depended solely on the land. They are now finding matters difficult because the milk prices they received 20 years ago were higher than those they receive today.

The Minister made some minor changes regarding the back-to-work and back-to-education allowances. We need new thinking and ideas in the Department of Social and Family Affairs. There is no point adhering to the old rule that one must be unemployed for 12 months before going on a FÁS scheme. This period has now been changed to nine months.

See this speech in context