Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation, certain aspects of which I welcome. Undoubtedly, there is a need to consolidate the areas of employment, training, the social welfare system and job creation. Too often we forget what training is about. There should be something at the end of the training programme. Too many of the programmes in operation currently are short term, temporary programmes and do not have a defined function at the end of the road. Linking job creation to the end of a training or education programme is very important as is linking it to the social welfare system.

I welcome the consolidation proposal but I am not sure how it will work in practice with the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Social Protection in terms of staff and the various programmes.

Electronic certification for jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit is a welcome move to bring us into the 21st century. Appropriate protective mechanisms will be a welcome development.

Rent supplement is the most interesting area of the Bill and the Minister could have gone a good deal further in this regard, although what he has done is extremely welcome. At last, landlords will have to provide tax references. That should have been done by the Minister's predecessors a long time ago. It is incredible that landlords in receipt of State money did not have to give any evidence that they were tax compliant. I cannot envisage a situation where a landlord, absentee or otherwise, would not have to be tax compliant. If money is going to the landlord, surely he or she should have a reference number if this money is provided by the State. There should be no exceptions. The Minister must find a mechanism to ensure even non-resident landlords have a tax number and pay some level of tax if they are taking money out of the State. I am not too happy that landlords will not have to take any real action for another 15 months. The requirement will not be automatic until March 2012. That breaking-in period is far too long and should be changed. It is not the Minister's responsibility, but if a landlord is in receipt of State money for rent supplement, why should he or she not be registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board? That is obligatory under the legislation. That may be the mechanism the Minister is using but it is obligatory.

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