Margaret Cox (Fianna Fail)

My script was not supplied by anybody. I am stating a fact regarding this particular issue. If we see people going back to education after 15 months of unemployment through the back to education allowance, it will be a better focus of the scheme. It will allow other people to have money to which they are more entitled. It is being raised from six months to 15 months in respect of third level, not second level, and I do not have a difficulty with it.

One of the difficulties with rent allowance is that the people who benefit most are not those who receive the allowance and get housing and accommodation, but the landlords who sometimes get in excess of €800,000 or €900,000 per annum from the State for the provision of private rented accommodation. These include landlords who provide substandard accommodation to the most vulnerable in our society and it is time the whole system was reviewed.

I accept Senator O'Meara's point that we will see over the next couple of weeks the impact it will have on the community. We must be clear about how we implement that decision. If there is a need for review to ensure the homeless, disabled people and those most in need get that allowance under the discretion the Minister is continuing to allow at health board level, that must take place.

Social welfare payments must be put in context. There is an increase in the social welfare spend. The Book of Estimates involves €40 billion of funding and some €10.6 billion will be spent on social welfare. That is what we need to focus on and it is time to evaluate the schemes to make sure the money we are continuing to provides goes to where it is most needed, which is to look after, as Fianna Fáil has always done, the people most in need.