Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for this opportunity to speak to this Bill which, among other things, will ensure that one-parent families in this country are better supported financially into the future. It will ensure that mothers who have given birth to their newborns prematurely are allocated extensions to their entitlements for maternity leave. It will ensure that all social welfare recipients will receive an increase in their weekly payments from March of next year.

The fact that we are here today introducing yet another positive Social Welfare Bill, which will ensure that increased funding on social security is made available to some of the most vulnerable people in our society, must be welcomed, especially when one considers the difficult years of cuts and austerity, from which we have only recently emerged. It was very difficult in those dark economic days, which must never be forgotten by us as legislators when introducing this type of social welfare legislation, which, as I am sure we would all agree, will introduce positive changes for many people across the country. I say that as many of those on the Opposition benches, and I heard some of their contributions, would believe that blank cheques should have been written by the Government to introduce increased spending levels at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection that would simply be unsustainable to afford and that would not be in keeping with the policy of ensuring that the books are balanced and that we have control on our spending into the future.

As the Minister and other Members will be acutely aware, we have experienced a lost decade in this country due to an irresponsible and negligent fiscal approach, which led to the former Department of Social Protection ultimately becoming heavily restrained in its efforts to provide the assistance needed for many years. I am glad we as party are not repeating the said approach while in government or in this Bill before us.

There are many particular positive elements contained in this Bill which I want to welcome briefly. Before I deal with those sections, I welcome the fact that we are back in this House dealing with this legislation, considering that for many hours during the past weekend we were all thinking that this debate would not be resumed and that we would not be able to progress its provisions.

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