Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Bill and I commend the Minister on her stewardship of it. I share the Minister's objective that the social welfare system must be focused on those most in need. The job of Government, the State and especially the Department of Social Protection is to protect and assist those who require the help of the State. In keeping with the comments of Deputies Naughten and Catherine Byrne I maintain it is important to reform our social welfare system and to have a focused social welfare system which protects and assists those who most need help.

It is important to assert in the House the importance of having a value on employment and of having people in work who are not dependent on social welfare. The job of Government is to prevent people from being dependent on welfare, to move people off welfare into employment, to allow people to have respect, dignity and self worth and to empower people. In her fine address Deputy Catherine Byrne made reference to people in need of help. We must empower people and give them hope and opportunity to be employed and to be in employment.

Job creation should be a pivotal axis in the Government's future policy direction. This axis is contained within the Bill, which has several activation measures that anyone who is serious about people and community would deem praiseworthy, including the restoration of the minimum wage, the halving of the lower rate of employers' PRSI contributions and the national internship programme.

In her speech, the Minister referred to social welfare as being a contract between citizens and the State. The Minister is correct; it is a contract. People enter into a contract and act to honour the responsibility that they take up when they sign up for social welfare. A society should be judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable members. The provision of social welfare is one mechanism we use to assist those most in need. However, the payments we provide come with responsibilities for those who make claims, including the responsibility to comply with the regulations set down and not to make false claims. We do not need or require TV3 or RTE to inform us that there is a need to tackle social welfare fraud. The previous Government made an attempt to start the process and it is the duty of this Government to continue it. It is fair to say society will not look favourably on those who breach their responsibilities.

It is important to encourage people to come forward, to be honest and to stand up and be counted. Deputy Catherine Byrne made reference to the issue of rent allowance. There must be reform and transparency in the system. This year more than 1,000 welfare fraud tip-offs are being made every month. Last year, some 12,000 tip-offs were made, double the figure for 2009. Therefore, as our resources become tighter people are beginning more and more to self-police fraudulent claims. There should be greater activity in the elimination of fraud and in activity related to the policing of fraudulent claims. In 2008, almost €476 million in social welfare payments was saved through fraud control measures, an increase of €29 million. The target we set was €600 million. In the context of our significantly reduced resources savings can be made.

The measures to combat social welfare crime will assist in the fight against the hidden economy and the black market, which is flourishing. People are doing very well in the black market. The measures we will introduce will ensure value for money is delivered to the taxpayer. Those who abuse welfare payments provided by the State deserve to be held to account. This must be part of what we do as a Government. The Minister's proposals will assist in this while at the same time ensuring that those most in need of our assistance will benefit as required. We will be judged on the delivery of the way in which we look after those in most urgent need and on social welfare.

Yesterday, Deputy Cowen made reference to me in one of his remarks and quoted me. This is a coalition Government, a Government of two parties committed to serving and to working for the people to bring about real, meaningful change, which will deliver in terms of unemployment benefit, jobs and political reform.

There can be no red line or blue line issues. Our interest is the national interest. The Minister, Deputy Burton, has led the way in regard to social welfare. Those of us who are privileged to be elected to this House must bring about reform of the system and of the Government of our country. The Fianna Fáil - Green Party and Fianna Fáil - Progressive Democrats Governments funked that; they did not have the bottle to do it. They made a complete mishap of everything they have done. When I hear lectures from Members opposite about what is in this Bill and in the jobs initiative I laugh. I reflect on what happened during the past decade and I see the missed opportunities and the people who are now impoverished as a consequence of the failed policies that those Governments pursued. That is the reality. Before they come into this House and lecture us, they should stand up and scrutinise their record on how they dealt with people and the money they wasted during the past decade.

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