Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to participate in this debate. There is no doubt this Bill will give effect to a number of social welfare and pension reforms, with changes in liability for PRSI contributions, broadening the PRSI base, changes to the jobseeker’s payment scheme, enhanced identity authentication requirements for claiming social welfare and the changes in the Government structure of the Pensions Board. First I compliment the Minister on working towards what I believe she hopes to achieve, a modern social welfare system that is trying to build in flexibility. While our social welfare system is huge and turns very slowly, and it takes a very long time to make changes to it, the Minister is trying to make the social welfare system fit for purpose and I hope to be able to help her in those endeavours.

Like my colleague, I congratulate the Minister on solving the situation for the retained firefighters. A number of them are in my constituency and I felt very sorry for most of them. I have made representations on behalf of a number of retained firefighters and some have had to endure financial hardships. As a result, many have accumulated severe debt through mortgage arrears, credit card debt, household expenses and, in some cases, very severe medical expenses. All of this is because they were classed by the Department as “not being openly available for full-time work.”

I was recently approached by a retained fire officer who informed me that he was due to undergo a review by the Department regarding his entitlement to jobseeker's benefit. Because of the arduous nature of the process over nine months ago, he became extremely negative towards the State. He claimed that at this stage, the process had become so complicated, time consuming and stressful, he was seriously considering resigning his post in the fire service to go on jobseeker's allowance altogether. It was no longer worth the hassle for him or for his family who were really struggling with their expenses. In light of this case and others I represent in similar circumstances, I am pleased the Minister has taken all of our representations on board and has seen fit to incorporate a provision within this Bill to ensure all retained firefighters are exempt from having to satisfy the sub-loss rule, and that any days of employment when they are firefighting will not reduce their jobseeker’s claim. Regarding availability for work, I am delighted the proximity clause in itself does not render a claimant unavailable for full-time employment provided they are genuinely seeking work. On this basis, retained firefighters will be able to re-qualify continually for jobseeker's benefit as they will not have to suffer a sub-loss, even in situations where firefighting is their main employment.

The new jobseeker’s allowance transition announced by the Minister is another welcome addition. The Department recognises that it would be very difficult for some lone parents to meet the conditionality attached to the jobseeker’s allowance which requires recipients to be available for, and genuinely seeking, full-time work. Under the new arrangement, unemployed lone parents with a youngest child aged between seven and 14 years will not have to fulfil this requirement. I have long thought that education is the great equaliser and am delighted the Minister sees it this way too. This Bill allows for lone parents to engage with education, training and employment supports to help them upskill and make them more job-ready for when they can dedicate more time to the labour force. This Bill will exempt former one-parent family recipients from having to be genuinely seeking employment, available for employment and proving unemployment, but who satisfy the jobseeker’s allowance means test. These reforms will allow parents to access and avail of part-time work, which is more suitable to a particular moment in their lives. That is what is required. I am delighted with this flexibility and I compliment the Minister on introducing it because I have always believed we needed this in our social welfare system.

We must introduce a scheme that self-employed people can pay into. We must learn the lessons from the Celtic tiger. There are any number of people who have suffered very badly. They have to pay into it but we must devise a scheme where they will be able to avail of that.

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