Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute on Report Stage of the Bill, as I did on Committee Stage, working with our spokesperson, Deputy Willie O’Dea, who has submitted the amendment on our behalf. This time last year when I was not a Member of the House but had worked for many years as a public representative in County Donegal, particularly with seasonal and part-time workers, I asked Deputy Willie O’Dea to submit an amendment to the Social Welfare Bill 2015 and he was glad to do. We were told at the time, however, that it involved a potential charge on the Exchequer and it was ruled out of order. We had to find another way to introduce it this year and we did so on Committee Stage. The Minister said: “I do not know if the Deputy would be willing to accept that we will report on all of these issues next year but that this would not be written into the legislation to give us some flexibility around it.” I know that Deputy Willie O’Dea withdrew the amendment at the time because we were taking the Minister’s commitment in good faith. The report should be available by the end of March or shortly afterwards.

Any objective report would highlight the anomalies. The income of those who work part time or seasonally supplements their social welfare payments, but now there is no incentive to do this. I know of a company in the north west which required 17 people to come out for a few days last week. They said they could not do so because it would break their continuity and that if they earned more than €12.70 per day or €63.50 per week, would make them ineligible to receive unemployment benefit. That amounts to an income of €3,302 per year which should not be sufficient to deny anyone the right to obtain a social protection payment. We all realise the important role of seasonal and part-time workers in fisheries, agriculture and the hospitality sector at peak periods. This measure has serious implications for all of the people concerned.

I am pleased that the Minister gave a commitment to come back to the Dáil. Perhaps he might confirm that commitment today. I know that many Members are asking for reports, but this would be a specific one and if the Minister were to give a commitment to review the matter, we could move on. Without second guessing those who would prepare the report, they would see the anomalies and make recommendations that would be in the interests of everyone.

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