Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to share time with Deputy Pat Breen. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. We must acknowledge the latest figures from the CSO, to the effect that 4,300 fewer people are on the live register compared to this time last month. There is a decrease from 10.3% to 10.1% of the population. It remains far too high but the rate of decline is increasing and that must be welcomed.

To contextualise that, the Department of Social Protection is introducing this Bill as part of a suite of measures to make it more attractive for households to take up employment where it is available and to avoid poverty traps becoming more of an issue. More than any country in the European Union, there is a major issue with jobless households in Ireland. Figures presented by different institutes make for stark reading. The reasons for it are not clear but perhaps the Department of Social Protection has a better background on why, in the EU context, Ireland's figure for jobless households is so high and so out of sync with other European countries.

This is leading to the creation of huge social problems and is the main factor in the consistent poverty rates in many sectors of our society. This figure, when combined the figure for inter-generational unemployment, and the blackspots in this regard in both urban and rural areas, indicates there is an amount of work still to be done to address the poverty issue. This Bill which, as I said, provides, among other things, for transition payments for lone parents is one of many measures being introduced to tackle what is a difficult nut to crack in terms of getting back people into the labour market.

I am familiar with people from my constituency of Cork South-West who, in terms of their having been unemployed for years, are most vulnerable and would not at this stage, without careful coaching and nursing, be capable of returning to the labour market. We need to be more proactive in how we deal with these people. As I said, many of these people have been unemployed for so long they are in a rut, have lost all of their confidence and see nothing beyond their weekly social welfare payment. While the Department of Social Protection plays a vital role in terms of getting people off the system and back into work, employers are more inclined to take on people who are just out of college or people, who because they only recently lost a job, have not been on the register for a long time. The latter people are attractive to employ. A huge cohort of people do not fit that bill.

The recently established Intreo offices and supervisors of schemes are playing a positive role in getting people back to work. The Department could be far more proactive in identifying through the transition supervisors those people who, because they lack confidence, have an intellectual or physical disability or are experiencing other issues because of, for example, the environment in which they are living, will not, without help, ever again access work. These people must in the first instance be identified and then dealt with in a sensitive, proactive manner. Through address of this problem we will make significant progress in terms of reducing our long-term unemployment and jobless household figures. If we fail to tackle this problem the result will be a continuing albatross around our necks with respect to social protection. There are many other initiatives that could be introduced to attract people back into employment which offers dignity, an increased standard of living and hope. One such initiative is the provision of an online portal, which when accessed by people using their PPSN or a PIN would provide them with information on their entitlements under the social welfare system. The current system in terms of submission of the initial application, time spent awaiting a decision and, perhaps, the appeals process, is time consuming, unwieldy and, in many cases, far from efficient.

The minimum wage issue is being examined by the low pay commission. Many people have raised with me the issue of a possible increase in the minimum wage leading to a decrease by the labour market in work hours, which will be of no net benefit to people on low pay. This issue needs to be addressed. In an effort to combat employers decreasing work hours should the minimum wage be increased, perhaps consideration could be given to the introduction of a tiered structure in respect of the minimum wage, whereby the person working a 20 hour week would be paid a slightly higher per hour rate, the person working a 30 hour week would be paid a slightly lower rate and the person working up to 39 hours would be paid the national minimum wage as recommended by the low pay commission.

Another issue which I have previously raised in the House, which although not relevant to this legislation needs to be addressed, is that of people who have been assessed on PRSI payments made over their working lives. This is an issue that affects in the main women who left the workforce when they got married who, because they made no PRSI contributions during the period they were not in employment, when they return to the workforce are crucified when it comes to drawing a State contributory pension.

The Intreo offices rolled out to date have been a hugely positive development in the social protection system. They act as a one-stop-shop for people who find themselves in the unfortunate position of having been given their P45 by way of assisting them to get back into the workplace as quickly as possible. This service needs to be ramped up nationally. There are parts of this country in which social welfare services are very fragmented. In many cases, local offices, CWO offices and so on are located in different buildings. For example, in Bantry these services are located in three different buildings. I appeal to the Department to consider roll-out of the Intreo office template nationally. People who engage proactively with the system are dealt with positively. As I said in my opening remarks, there will always be people for whom we will have to go the extra mile in terms of encouraging them back into further education and work.

My final point relates to the high rate of over-turned decisions on appeal and whether this is the result of front line staff making the wrong decisions. This issue needs further examination. In many cases initial decisions by deciding officers in respect of claims for disability payments and so on are being overturned on appeal.

I again welcome this Bill which forms part of a suite of measures that need to be undertaken. I look forward to further progress in the coming months and years with respect to jobless households.

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