Dáil debates

Thursday, 9 December 2010

Social Welfare Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages

 

1:00 pm

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I oppose this Bill in its entirety because it is consequential to a Budget Statement made on Tuesday last, one of the most unfair budgets that has ever been seen by this State. In particular, it is unfair on those who are dependent on welfare payments in the State and I oppose it on that on that basis.

I also believe there was an alternative. This alternative should have been pursued by the Government rather than targeting the most vulnerable in our society, who, in many cases, are living in abject poverty. The consequences of what is contained in this Bill will have a detrimental effect and will increase the levels of poverty in our society. This is an absolute disgrace considering that the Government, which is implementing it, is one that was elected on a platform of protecting the most vulnerable.

As I stated in the few minutes I had on Second Stage, the fact that the title of the Department was changed not so long ago to Social Protection was welcome, except that we see there is no protection being given when the very little those dependent on social welfare are getting is now being cut further. It has been cut over the past number of budgets and the cumulative effect of those cuts has never been measured properly by the Department.

One of the key aspects of any legislation proposed here is that there should be an impact assessment of the effects not only in terms of throwing out figures such as the 4% or €8 decrease, but of a cut on those on social welfare. In the main, these people are already struggling to make ends meet considering the increase in the cost of education, housing, electricity, gas, transport, health, mortgage interest and communications, which I listed previously. These are the effects. What little was there already is being further squeezed. As I stated on Second Stage, these families are dependent on public services and their costs will also be increased given that the Government has further cut the grants to local government and public transport organisations. Many of the other social support networks which are available or should be available to those who are struggling have also been cut in the budget. Some were also cut in previous budgets and people are finding it difficult to manage.

The Bill contains quite a range of proposals and virtually every one of them is detrimental to those dependent on social welfare payments. Every section of the Bill should be opposed because the effect of the entirety of the Bill is to make those dependent on social welfare worse off, and much worse off in many cases. It is scandalous that the richer people in our society will be hit proportionately far less. People dependent on social welfare spend all of their money. They do not save their money, put it away, hide it in bank accounts or squirrel it away in offshore accounts because they do not have money to do so. They spend their money locally. The effect of all of these cuts will be further job losses rather than what the Minister stated, which is that by this time next year the social welfare bill will have been reduced. I believe the opposite is the case and that we will see, particularly among local retailers, job losses because there will be less money going around.

The effect of the cut in the Christmas bonus last year was to send many people onto the dole queues. With regard to dole queues, the Minister has proposed a new community work placement programme with 5,000 places. Any new initiative such as this should be welcomed but it is bizarre that there does not seem to be any facility for people who might want to participate in the programme. One does not apply to the scheme; one will be forced onto it.

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