Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am taking ten minutes, Deputy Funchion is taking five minutes and Deputies Munster and Buckley are taking two and a half minutes each. I spoke in this House on the Revised Estimates for social welfare earlier this year and spoke about looking beyond the broad figures and at the reality of people's lives. In my constituency of Dublin Bay North, I see what people are facing every day and it is a difficult reality. Seeing the reality of people’s lives was, unfortunately, not mirrored in the policy behind the Bill. It does not effectively deal with the people who most require the assistance of the State.

It is relevant to look beyond the figures and, most importantly, to look at the purpose of this Bill. Surely at its heart, this Bill should be about protection of the most vulnerable. It should be about providing the moneys of the State in a fair and equitable manner as the words "fair and equitable" were sent around willingly by Ministers in recent weeks. This Bill should be about addressing inequalities and aiding those most in need of aid. What it should be about and what it is about are, unfortunately, different in action. Although some provisions are welcome and will be welcomed by those who suffered previous cuts in their payments, we believe this Bill does not achieve the end result of fairness and falls considerably short in addressing the major inequalities in society.

A more equal society, if that is the intention of the Government, would recognise the different needs of different groups and attempt to address these needs, rather than see a figure on a page and simply increase it for political ends to suit a new political arrangement among its brothers.

Not only is the Bill largely unfair in content for the people it affects, but it is also unfair in application. For instance, pensioners and others must wait a little over four months for their payment in March. Considering news last week of the lengthy waiting times for social welfare payments in the first place, does the Minister and his Department like to people to wait? They wait in anticipation for a disappointing amount. In reading the various amendments the Bill proposes, Members of this House, and particularly Government Members, must remember the effect, or more importantly the lack of effect, this Bill will have in people's lives.

If we are to look at the figures contained in the Schedule of the Bill, we must be conscious of other figures, such as the high consistent child poverty rate in this State of 11.2%. One in four lone-parent families in this country are seeking the services of organisations such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Barnardos. There is a consistent child poverty rate of 22.1% in lone-parent families. In what way does this Bill address child poverty?

What effect will €2.70 have on those aged under 24 when we take the figure on the page and place it into people's everyday expenses? This group continues to suffer and has suffered previous horrendous cuts to their social welfare payments. We know of the high rate of homelessness among the under-24s. Focus Ireland has stated that "Young people who are homeless can be prevented from moving on into independent living due to the unintended consequences of the reduced rate of social welfare paid..." Many young people who become homeless are trapped in emergency accommodation for long periods. How does the Bill address this problem for these young people?

As I said, the first rise in certain social welfare payments in many years is welcome. However, the broad dusting of payments is not. In terms of this broad approach, where are the priorities in the Bill? The Minister could have done things differently. For example, in the budget, the Government indirectly gave 2,000 people €20 million with the increase in the inheritance tax threshold. Let us compare this with the Sinn Féin proposal in our alternative budget to increase the fuel allowance which would have cost the State €27 million. An estimated 28% of households are suffering from fuel poverty. As we are debating the Bill tonight, people are cold in their homes.

Another proposal from Sinn Féin was to reverse one of the most cynical, cruel and heartless cuts of the previous Government, which would have cost €15 million. I refer to the bereavement grant. This payment was intended to assist families at their most difficult of times as they struggle to pay for funeral expenses.

The policy approach seems to be one-size-fits-all, suggesting, "There you go, lads, we're all happy". However, many advocacy groups dealing with poverty would question the Bill's fairness and equity. Social Justice Ireland has stated that the budget overall favoured the wealthiest and that it did not take any significant steps to address inequalities in society. Sinn Féin proposed a completely different approach. We would have sought a greater rise in social welfare rates for the under-26s, an increase in the fuel allowance and changes to the transition State pension as well as looking after those living alone and those with disabilities.

I am not being disrespectful in saying this but does the Minster actually see the problems people are facing? If not, I invite him to my constituency to see at first hand the difficulties people are facing on a daily basis and how the Bill will affect them. As this Bill passes, we must be conscious of the type of society we are creating. The Government needs to consider the message it is portraying and what the most vulnerable mean to it.

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