Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We welcome the increases for pensioners and those on social welfare payments. While we welcome the announcement about the invalidity pension for the self-employed - who were always the poor relations, especially when the country hit a wall and they did not get anything - there are problems with it that I hope the Department will resolve. A farmer does not need to have cattle to get a single farm payment but he or she could get someone in to cut the grass and sell the bales and thereby be entitled to an invalidity pension.

For years, the Department encouraged people to go to banks more so than to post offices to conduct their business. The post office might be the only place where someone would see elderly people on a Friday. I encourage the Department, wherever it can do so, to promote and help post offices.

The extra numbers for the rural social scheme are welcome. The work done on those schemes throughout the country is invaluable. The Tidy Towns committees, Tús and CE schemes do massive work because county councils do not have workers to keep small towns tidy. The schemes ensure that people on small farms remained viable and gave them an existence. Unfortunately, people of 62 or younger who have been on the schemes for several years are being told they must head for the hills. This work was good for their mental health. Will the Minister and the officials do something for these people? In many places, the schemes advertise for people and do not get anyone to fill the vacancies. On the one hand, that is good because more people are at work but, on the other, next year the Tidy Towns competitions, the schools and graveyards, where great work was done by those on the rural social scheme did incredible work for the fabric of life in rural Ireland, may lose out. There may be problems in some areas where the council and those who operate the rural social scheme are arguing about insurance. They should tease that matter out because we want the work to be done. In the past year, this has caught up with us. I do not admire some of the schemes for getting people back to work but Tús and CE are doing massive work. We know the councils do not have the staff. My Christmas wish is that the Minister try to sort that out for the new year because it would give a new lease of life to many communities that do Trojan work to make their towns look better.

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