Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I compliment the Department of Social Protection on its work since Covid-19 emerged. We have seen unprecedented demand on the Department. It is important that we think about its staff, the Minister and the people running the Department. They have done Trojan work under severe pressure in a short time to ensure that most people affected by Covid-19 have been dealt with.

When the Covid restrictions were introduced by the previous Government, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and I discussed some of the anomalies in the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, and how they had arisen. We accept that there will be anomalies when an scheme is introduced in an emergency, but I call on the Minister for Social Protection to think of over-66s who are in receipt of pensions and, for example, own pubs that are closed. There are still costs associated with their pubs. Whereas others who were not at pension age got €350 per week, over-66s were still only on their pensions of €234 or €235. The difference between €350 and the standard pension rate would have been of considerable help to them. They are suffering because of that. Will the Minister examine this anomaly? It does not affect too many people and it is important that we examine it.

I wish to cite two further issues. The issue of families looking for carer's allowance is regularly raised at my office in Tuam and when I meet constituents around Galway East. The time it takes to process an application for carer's allowance is in the region of 15 weeks. There is often a refusal, at which point the application must go to a review and then an appeal. Some people have given up work to care for someone at home and could be without an income for up to 30 weeks. While I accept that if they are granted the carer's allowance, it will be backdated, but will the Minister examine the structure of the application process? Will she set in place a reasonable timeframe of, for example, four weeks for decisions to be made? If we are to keep people being cared for at home, it is important that we provide their carers with the support they need.

A long-running issue that I have encountered a great deal in recent years is that of the community employment, CE, scheme supervisors' claim for recognition and pension rights. The Minister is working to find a solution. Every community has benefited from the work of CE schemes. It is important that we take on board the community dividends of the work that has been carried out by these schemes for many years, work that no other government stakeholder can do.

Our towns and villages have benefited enormously from this but what we need to do is, once and for all, provide some sort of recognition for the supervisors who manage all that. It is important because a number of supervisors have worked all their lives on these schemes. They are part of the society in which they live and they are now going to retire. Whatever proposition the Minister comes up with, it is important that all supervisors are included retrospectively.

Lastly, on the whole idea of social welfare and what is being paid out, it is important we make sure the weakest in our society are taken care of. People on CE schemes or rural social schemes who are over 55 and who have little chance of getting work again should be allowed to remain on the CE schemes. We should concentrate our efforts on the younger cohort of people who are involved in JobPath or who are on jobseeker's allowance. It is important that we look at this in a fresh light because many people on these schemes will not find jobs. It is important that we make the Tús workers available to the companies that are managing the Tús operations. They are finding it difficult to get the names from the Department of Social Protection. I ask the Minister to look at this as well.

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