Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Great news, a Cheann Comhairle.

I wish to raise a number of matters with our new Minister for Social Protection and to wish him well in his role as Minister of that Department. Many problems have been created in recent years which made it difficult for people who wished to get on community employment, CE, schemes as well as those in the Department trying to administer them. One problem is that a person has to be unemployed for 12 months before he or she can go on the CE scheme. Someone who finds a place on a scheme is denied going on it until he or she is 12 months unemployed. In other words, people are being denied the opportunity of staying in the workforce and that is very wrong. Will the Minister address this problem? A period of three months may be more appropriate. It would give them a chance to get rolling again and to get back into the workforce.

Another rule is the year 2000 rule. If a person was on a scheme and accumulated six years of work on the scheme, he or she will be denied the possibility of going on the scheme after the six years has passed. A person aged 58 years or 59 years will not be able to go on the scheme any more. In other words, they will have no opportunities and will be locked inside at home. They will have no opportunity to get out and feel like they are doing good for anyone. They are waiting to get the pension and that is their only outlook. This was not the case before the year 2000. Will the Minister examine this rule and see if it can be changed?

Until four or five years ago, scheme entitlements could be interchanged between husbands and wives and partners and spouses. This suited, in particular, farmers, who were in receipt of farm assist payments, in the summer time. They could swap with their wives who would be allowed to go on the scheme instead of them while there was work to be done on the farm or other work that needed attention. This was a very sensible option but the option is now denied them. Approximately four years ago, the rule was changed and they are now denied that opportunity.

Everywhere in the country - take a place like Kilgarvan - there is another stupid rule. If three people on the scheme reach the age of 62 together, only one can remain on the scheme. People operating the scheme will have to send two people home. They will have to draw their names out of a hat and, depending on how they organise it, the fellow that stays in the hat stays working and the other two have to go home. That is wrong. I am asking that that rule be changed as well and that they are all given the chance to work until the age of 66 years when they reach the pension age.

The other rule is that a person has to be 25 years of age before he or she can go on one of these schemes. It is very wrong that youngsters have to stay at home and that they have to be 25 years before they can go on the scheme and go work in graveyards or GAA fields or something like that.

I refer to lone parents, especially young girls who get in the family way and have a child, which is a joy. However, they need assistance to get them started and until four or five years ago, they were able to get double payments. They were able to get their social welfare payment and they were allowed to go on the CE scheme and work. This has changed and they are now denied that possibility. There is no incentive for them to work now because they will get the same amount under the scheme as they would get under the lone parent scheme if they stay at home.

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