Cyprian Brady (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I very much welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Bill because such Bills are crucial in the situation in which the country finds itself. The Bill is about providing people with opportunities and choices. For many years I have heard people regularly saying that they had no alternative but to sign on, and that there was nothing else they could do. There will always be a certain cohort of people who for a myriad of reasons, cannot find employment or simply cannot work. They are the disadvantaged and vulnerable people we have to look after. There are also those who take advantage of the system and by fraud or other means, prevent resources from being used to help those most disadvantaged and those who need the most assistance.

Fianna Fáil has always sought to look after the most vulnerable in society. Over successive Governments we have substantially increased social welfare across the board. Although we are in very tough and challenging economic times, we must ensure that the most vulnerable in our society continue to be protected, particularly the elderly. As we know, everything we have is built on the effort and commitment of our senior citizens. Over the past 12 years, we have increased pension rates by approximately 120%, unemployment benefits by almost 130% and child benefit payments by more than 330%. Difficult decisions have been made and remain to be made. However, this side of the House should not make any apology for increasing those payments.

The Bill affects various parts of the social welfare system in particular ways. Sections 17 and 18 make changes for those on long-term allowances, such as the supplementary welfare and jobseeker's allowances. The key word in this legislation is "appropriate". An appropriate course in training or a programme of work under the employment action plan must take into account a number of factors. The client must be suitable for the course as well as the course being suitable for the client and this is crucial for the future.

Issues such as accessibility, child care matters and other family circumstances must all be taken into account before an offer of a course or placement is made. This is where the staff in the Department of Social Protection play a crucial role. There have been a number of approaches to this. The National Youth Council of Ireland raised the issue of a fair and transparent appeals mechanism. This has to be put in place and from discussions with the Minister I know that every effort will be made to ensure that when people go through an appeals mechanism they are given every opportunity to put their case fairly and to be heard and that a fair and equitable decision will be made at the end of the process. This is crucial.

The staff in the Department have a crucial role to play and as a former staff member of the Department of Social Welfare, I remember the Jobsearch programme introduced in the 1980s. At the time there was massive unemployment. The claims of people on the live register were assessed and they was interviewed by a senior member of staff. Their educational and training requirements were assessed and they were offered a position with FÁS, then called AnCO.

I agree that incentives have to be given to people, particularly to young people, to make the effort to seek employment. It is very easy for an individual, particularly a young person, to fall into the rut of having nothing to do and having no reason to get up in the morning. In parts of the country, including parts of my constituency, there have been generations of unemployment and there are no incentives for people to get up in the morning and that is passed down from generation to generation. In some areas, there is an expectation that the State will support as is needed. That is not in the interest of the client, never mind in the interest of the State.

We live in changing times and one can look at the make up of family units compared with what they were 20 or 30 years ago. Section 24 of the Bill deals with the phased changes to the Department's one-parent family payment. From April 2011, the one-parent family payment will be made until the youngest child reaches 13 years of age instead of the current arrangements whereby it is paid until the child reaches the age of 18, or 22 in the case of somebody in education or college. We have to encourage those parents, and ensure they are in a position to take up opportunities of employment or further education. This is not about putting a barrier in somebody's way; it is about trying to eliminate welfare dependency and encourage independence.

I understand that many of these parents find themselves in very difficult financial circumstances at present and we have to be fair and equitable about whatever changes we make to this payment. Under the Bill, there will be a six year phasing out period for existing customers with the age 13 cut-off point coming into effect for them in 2016. If the child is in full-time education, there is also a special provision for existing one-parent family payment recipients and this is only right. Many of us are blessed to know how expensive raising a child is and what resources it takes. There must be fair and equitable implementation of this part of the Bill.

I have listened to the debate over the course of the day. There has been much talk about activation and we must look at what it is and what it means. Naturally enough, the measures proposed in the Bill will no doubt be seen as harsh by some groups. It is crucial that those who find themselves in the very vulnerable position of having to claim a welfare payment are treated with courtesy and have their dignity recognised and supported. Many people are now signing on who had never before experienced the trauma of redundancy, a reduction in working hours or a change in working conditions. The sooner those people get back into the workforce, the better for them and their families and every effort has to be made to minimise the time they are on welfare payments.

Joblessness, and the enforced inactivity that goes with it, is one of the biggest challenges facing many households at present. I look forward to the Minister bringing a joined-up approach to all the issues faced by unemployed people and doing so in conjunction with suitable and adequate income supports.

The proposals in the Bill on reducing jobseeker's payments where people refuse training, or disqualifying them from jobseeker's payments where they refuse a reasonable offer of suitable employment are not about punishing the vulnerable. They are about ensuring that social welfare resources get to the many people who are in very difficult circumstances because of joblessness.

I welcome the Minister's plans to place more emphasis on the area of job activation and work schemes. There are many unemployed people who would appreciate meaningful work activity. A requirement for work activity would act as a deterrent to the minority of people who might claim a jobseekers payment and earn and undeclared income at the same time. Significant savings have been made in fraud prevention. Those who take advantage of the system are in the minority. This Bill is balanced in the sense that it gives people an opportunity to further themselves if they find themselves in a position where they cannot find employment. There are opportunities and it give people choices, something which is to be welcomed. When one considers that this year the State will spend just under €21 billion those resources have to be managed.

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