Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and I am generally supportive of this legislation. I am an admirer of the Minister and what she is trying to do with social welfare. It is not an easy job. Before Government backbenchers or others get alarmed, I should say that I appreciate the difficult job she has had because of the recession and the number of problems she has faced while looking to reform. She has a good relationship with most of us on this side of the House and all politicians.

I welcome the change to the status of retained firefighters, who have given sterling service to the State and have been unfairly hit by the pension levy as they are not full-time workers. They risk life and limb to answer a call to defend others and save people's lives, so it is good to recognise that they should be exempt from certain conditions for pension schemes and entitlements such as jobseeker's allowance.

I welcome that there will be a new board, although I forget exactly what the name will be. I know that with the eight appointees the Minister might insist there should be a voice for widows, pensioners, lone parents and those in small business. I would be glad to assist the Minister in this regard as such people would be fair and have a better understanding of the matters at hand. I know the chairman works free of charge but there are many good people in community organisations and volunteers who could make a good contribution and have some common sense.

The self-employed are not being recognised enough although I salute the Minister's efforts to allow them pay some PRSI and get something back. I have been self-employed for 30 years and I know how the sector employs people, pays taxes and has the nightmare of organising work and ensuring everything is done correctly and is above board by meeting all the regulations. That is only correct and there is a good relationship with many employees. A business may founder, as many did, because of the recession and all the employees would be looked after, which is only correct. However, the self-employed person and his or her family get no recognition. They have all the pain and no gain. They want some recognition and we need those people to create jobs and employment for the economy. We do not want them to be made into paupers.

I welcome the good news today on the employment front and any bit of good news in that respect is important. The new identification cards will be a major step forward and I do not understand why they were not put in place ten or 15 years ago. It is not rocket science to have a person's identity matched to a PPS number and picture. I hope it will stop fraud.

Fraud damages the good people.

I do not use the train much but I took it this week from Limerick Junction. I asked the man at the station how business was and he told me it was desperate. I am sure he was an employee of Irish Rail. He told me without the free travel scheme the station would be silent. I met two people from Cork in the guesthouse this morning who are in Dublin for two nights. It is important for the economy that they are allowed to travel and it gives the people themselves the freedom and initiative to get out of the house. They told me Killarney and Westport train stations would close down without the free travel scheme. The business communities in these towns take initiatives and provide offers to attract people. It is wonderful for people to be able to forget about the economy and economic issues for a day or two and go away and see how other people live and enjoy themselves and relax. Irish Rail supports trips taken by the Carers Association, day care centres and active retirement groups and it is very important to encourage people such as these to get out. The free travel scheme must remain in place and Iarnród Éireann should not be sold off as rich pickings for companies who want to take the lucrative routes and forget about the subsidies for the people who built up the country and worked hard.

We can all demonise lone parents but most of them are genuine. There will be a gap when children are between the ages of seven and 14. Parents can take part in training and be upskilled to meet the needs of the jobs market. I cannot imagine how difficult it is to be a lone parent. Lone parents are isolated and trying to look after the family, and they may not be able to keep abreast of the changes in society and the different skill sets required to obtain employment again and be of assistance and play a meaningful part in the workforce.

The farm assist scheme needs to be examined even more thoroughly. I praise the benefits of the rural social scheme because farmers have time on their hands. A bit of off-farm income is wonderful and the schemes in which they have been involved have been wide and varied, including graveyards, research, genealogy, tidy towns and caring associations such as community alert and visiting family members or the elderly, and no better people to do so because the farmer's instinct is to work hard. This scheme needs to be broadened and farmers need to be given a bit more leeway because anomalies exist between the farm assist scheme and jobseeker's allowance and this is unfair.

I hate to be critical but I am aware of a case involving a person from my area and I have spoken to the Minister about it. It is with regard to an application made in May 2011. While the person has received payment, he has been waiting for back payments since January 2012. I telephoned the Department and was told it would be another week. On various occasions I have been told it would be days or weeks. I know the staff are under pressure and busy, but it is very frustrating to be told indicative dates in good faith and then it does not happen. From May 2011 to now is too long to have to wait. The gentleman still has not received his due rewards. He was originally refused but appealed and passed all the medicals and was awarded in January 2013 but is still waiting for the arrears. If he is receiving payments he is in the system so it would not be rocket science for somebody to calculate the amount of arrears and pay it out, whether weekly or in another way. At least he should be informed of his entitlements and how long it might take to pay. He should be given certainty because it is unfair. People must go through rigorous tests and many hoops and loops. He has a genuine disability. Iarraim ar an Aire é sin a dhéanamh. I know social welfare officers do their best but they are understaffed. I know significant changes have occurred in social welfare and it is a pity.

I thank the Minister for her stewardship in the Department. She does not have an easy role and her partners in government do not have the same values as she does. She is a member of the old Labour Party I knew and she is trying to live up to those ideals. She is serving the Department and the country with a modicum of respect and dignity and she is fighting her corner in Cabinet to ensure moneys are voted for this very difficult area in these very difficult times.

I agree with previous speakers that these reforms should have been made years ago but various Ministers did not do so, including some from the party of which I was a member. I accept this. Photographic identification should have been introduced yonks ago because it will stop the myths and rumours about people flying out of the country and collecting social welfare and rudaí mar sin. It is only right that those who deserve social welfare and those who have paid their way, paid stamps and are entitled to it received full support. If there are fraudsters and chancers, of which there are a minority in every walk of life, they must be dealt with stringently particularly with regard to free travel. Why should they defraud this wonderful service and deny others the privilege of travelling? Mar focal scor, just again gabhaim mo bhuíochas don Aire as an sár obair atá á dhéanamh aici gach lá.

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