Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In her opening speech, the Minister stated the measures in the budget were designed to reach the people who need them most. I could not disagree more with this statement. Unfortunately, the budget was clearly not designed to target those most in need. This was very clearly proven in the decision to give everyone in the country, including Deputies, a €600 energy credit. This is far from a targeted approach.

The Minister was correct, however, when she said the Government compiled a budget that puts money in people's pockets - the pockets of big oil and energy companies, that is, because it is they rather than ordinary people who are being paid directly through the energy credit. It is important that we remember that.

The increases in the Social Welfare Bill 2022 do very little to protect the vulnerable in society during the cost-of-living crisis. We all know that once-off lump sum payments do very little to adequately address people's financial needs. The cost-of-living crisis is not going anywhere and once-off payments are not going to help anyone in the long term. The Department needs to stop putting an emphasis on lump-sum payments and meagre welfare increases year after year. We need to pay social welfare recipients sufficiently.

Many welfare recipients in my constituency, Donegal, have told me they are struggling to put food on the table each week and pay their electricity bills each month. It is devastating and the Bill does not go far enough for these people. It is clear that the social welfare system as a whole is in desperate need of a major overhaul.

Many times throughout this year I have raised the issue of community employment, CE, workers in Donegal who are still waiting for ex gratia payments promised almost a year ago. I am very glad to note section 12 of the Bill provides for the payments at last.

I would be grateful if the Minister would let us know when she expects these payments to be made. Will they be paid before Christmas or will it be in the new year? The former community employment workers are waiting for these payments. I welcome section 17 which exempts the ex gratiapayment for CE supervisors and assistant supervisors from income tax, given that they have been waiting on it for so long.

While they were mentioned in an earlier debate, I am very disappointed to see the Bill makes no mention of community welfare officers, CWOs, or the situation they are facing. I recently raised this issue in the Chamber. CWOs are under severe pressure, especially in my constituency of Donegal where they are stretched thinly.

There has been a significant increase in exceptional needs applications due to the cost-of-living, energy crisis and housing crises we are experiencing. The workload of community welfare officers has doubled, if not trebled, and there has been no increase in resources or supports. In fact the Department has gone back to an online system and pulled back from the system where CWOs would meet members of the public to address their needs. Moneys have been spent doing up offices but CWOs are not available.

It is incredibly disappointing that CWOs have been forgotten about in this legislation. I acknowledge that the Minister made some changes regarding the means test for fuel allowance, following the debate on last year’s Social Welfare Bill. I commend her on that and urge her to take on board the contributions to this debate and address the increased demands community welfare officers currently face as soon as possible. We need more CWOs. They need increased support and we need to ensure they are available and accessible to the general public. I cannot overstate the importance of this matter and the importance of the community welfare officer role in our communities.

I ask the Minister to scrap any ideas of creating a tiered social welfare system. I know she plans on bringing a proposal to Cabinet by Christmas detailing changes to the social welfare system. While I fully agree that many changes are needed to the system, the suggestion that higher earners could get larger social welfare payments if they lose their jobs is a very dangerous one. I urge the Minister to ensure that extensive consultation is allowed for any proposed changes to the social welfare system because it supports the most vulnerable in society. It cannot be allowed to turn into yet another system that favours top earners and values their contribution over the contribution of everyone else in society. Although this Bill goes some way towards temporarily assisting those in need, it does not take any real steps to adequately address people’s needs or keep people out of poverty. One in ten people is experiencing food poverty in this country. One in nine people in Donegal is experiencing food poverty. Will the Minister advise what this legislation will do about that?

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