Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)

All I am saying to the Minister is that I do not want this to be used to degrade people on social welfare. I want to make sure that people who want to go out and work can do so and that who want to be retrained will be retrained.

We do not want to see the shenanigans that went on in the past in FÁS. I welcome the movement of FÁS to the Department of Social Protection. It is the one positive in the Bill. I hope it will mean that we will have a one-stop shop whereby people will sign on for their payments and then be taken to another person who will see how they can be retrained to re-enter the workforce. I hope this will happen. What went on in FÁS over the past 20 years can never be allowed to happen in this country again. I hope the Minister will have a strong role on this. I hope he ensures that what went on in FÁS over the past 20 years will never happen again; it was a disgrace. This is why the most vulnerable, those on social welfare, are being targeted today. Those involved in FÁS lived like lords and kings, flying first class to the United States and going to basketball games and ball games and staying in the best hotels. It was no wonder. At a time when we had almost full employment we gave FÁS €1 billion more than when people were looking for work. I hope the Minister will deal with this.

Tomorrow, I will put pressure on the Fianna Fáil backbenchers and Independent Deputies. The Independent Deputies walk with Fianna Fáil and do what they are told by the Government. An Independent Deputy elected to the House should judge every piece of legislation based on what is put before him or her. Tomorrow, two or three Independent Deputies will support the Government. I will ask them to vote with their conscience and not for themselves. This is wrong and if they have any type of conscience they will know that one cannot take money away from carers, the blind, those with disabilities or the most vulnerable in society. How can anyone live on €188 a week? It cannot be done by a family.

I never thought that Fianna Fail would be so anti-family. With regard to child benefit, why did the Government not do what Fine Gael has been suggesting in recent years? Why does it not target child benefit? It is a universal payment and I never want to see it taken away from women, but sometimes universal payments do not work. However, it would work if it were targeted at the most vulnerable, the people who need it most, particularly those with large families who are on social welfare. They should be given more. This is why what the Government did yesterday with regard to child benefit is wrong and will not work. It has been cut across the board and it will have a major effect on large families who are on social welfare. It is wrong.

Tomorrow, on Committee Stage I will pose a number of questions. Earlier this year, we had a debate on jobseeker's benefit. What changes have taken place in the budget and what changes will be made in the Bill? Will the Minister clarify this when he replies to the Second Stage debate? The universal social contribution will have a major effect, particularly on pensioners and those on low incomes. We do not want to have a situation whereby it is better to be on social welfare than to have a job. People who work must be rewarded and we must encourage people to go into the workplace and take up work. We do not want people to be better off on social welfare and not taking up low paid jobs. Action must be taken on rent supplement. People in receipt of rent supplement cannot take up employment because they would be far worse off if they went to work than if they remain on rent supplement. The Minister needs to deal with this and I hope that he does so quickly.

At present, there is great anger. Since I entered politics, my e-mail, telephone and office have never been busier than they are today. People are frightened. They feel that through the cuts made yesterday people on social welfare have been targeted for the second year in a row. They are already under stress and under pressure. Yesterday, €10 was also removed from the supplementary income. It is frightening for people and they are concerned about it, particularly those awaiting appeals. At present, 20,000 people are awaiting appeals and the Minister and the Department should be dealing with these. People should not have to wait six or seven months for appeals. We need to simplify the entire process. We need to make it easier for people to get their payments or to make appeals and we need adjudication on those appeals far more quickly than happens currently. It is wrong to have a situation where people are knocked off welfare while they are making an appeal yet must wait six or seven months for their appeal to be heard.

This has been a savage budget. It has hurt the old, the weak and the sick. I appeal to Fianna Fáil backbenchers, to the Green Party and to Independent Deputies to take the opportunity we offer them tomorrow to vote against the proposed cuts, particularly the cuts in carer's allowance, the pension for the blind and child benefit. We will give them that opportunity and I hope some of them vote with their consciences and support the people who elected them. They should remember that it will not be too long before they must go before the people, who will adjudicate on them. I know how the people will adjudicate and that they will deal with these Deputies on the doorsteps.

See this speech in context