John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will be supporting the amendment. Deputy Willie O'Dea is correct. In the run-up to the last general election the working family payment was the big new idea from Fine Gael. It was nearly the only big issue on which its members were running, but there was no substance other than the name, and there was much questioning. There were no ideas, only statements to the effect that there would be analysis and that more detail would be brought forward on the payment. There was an expectation that it would be forthcoming in the run-up to the taking of the Social Welfare Bill, but all we have got is a name change from "family income supplement" to the "working family payment". There was a lot of hype and absolutely no substance whatsoever.

There is much concern about family income supplement, as it stands. In particular, there is a lot of precarious employment. There are zero-hour contracts. Essentially, family income supplement supplements employers to continue with precarious employment and zero-hour contracts, etc. Therefore, considerable issues arise. It is only when we introduce an acceptable living wage that this issue will be tackled. I will certainly be supporting the Fianna Fáil amendment which proposes that a report be produced within six months on the serious anomalies identified and what needs to be done to ensure those who need the payments most receive them.

There are serious concerns. There are some good employers, but there are also some who are exploiting workers and using family income supplement, or the working family payment, as it is now to be called, to supplement low pay levels.

See this speech in context