Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am very concerned about these provisions. I have argued with the Minister for Social Protection in the past regarding the provision in legislation to deduct up to 15% of a person's social welfare payment in the case of overpayments. Now we have a Minister of State in another Department, who also is a member of the Labour Party, seeking to allow for deductions from social welfare moneys in a way which denies people control. The vast majority of adults are able to manage the few pennies they get from social welfare, but these provisions take any degree of control over their payments from them. There is often a situation where a person faces an exceptional payment such as a particularly high ESB bill, as many people faced following the particularly cold winter the year before last. In those circumstances, some people will put off paying their rent until the following week or month. It is not a practice one would like to see happening all the time but, in the main, people are clever enough to manage their own affairs and willing to endure a degree of suffering on the second or third month to ensure their rent is up to date.

The vast majority of local authority tenants have good rent payment records. On the other hand, there are those who make a hames of it and cannot manage their money. Help is available in that situation, and successive Governments have encouraged people to go to the Money Advice & Budgeting Service, MABS. It is a good thing to assist people in managing their finances and put in the types of orders the Minister of State is providing for here to help them. What is not acceptable, however, is to not write into legislation a provision for a compulsory deduction from social welfare payments. That is very much in the realm of Big Brother and it leads one to ask where it will stop. For example, would the value of food or butter vouchers, if they are ever reintroduced, be deducted at source? Will the Government continue deducting until those on social welfare are left without a penny?

It is important to note that not all persons dependent on social welfare are in receipt of €188 or more per week - anybody under the age of 22 receives only €100. If anybody on this lower rate is in the HAP scheme, will the €30, €40 or €50 rent payment be deducted from their social welfare? What will they be left with to feed themselves and pay the electricity bill? These provisions have not been properly thought out. There must be some degree of control left to those who are reluctantly dependent on social welfare. It is a sad indictment of this State that we have so many in that situation, unwillingly dependent on social protection payments and the provision of social housing. It shows what a basket case the country has become.

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