Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

The Minister's statement warrants comment. The manner in which he spelled out the situation was informative but it could be circulated with other examples. As Senator Terry said, the Minister should be commended. There have been significant and focused improvements in social welfare, particularly in recent years. The Minister has taken a keen interest in the matter and impressed everyone by the manner with which he has approached this portfolio.

I welcome the encouragement given to people to escape the poverty trap. It is significant that in the example given, an additional social welfare payment of €18,000 will be made to someone who works and earns €20,000 as opposed to someone who is unemployed. I welcome this measure. The manner in which the Minister recently dealt with the lone parents issue shows the same philosophy of encouraging people to avail of opportunities in the workplace without penalising them. People have often tried to get jobs in the black economy and did not avail of better job opportunities because they might have lost their social welfare benefits pound for pound. It was a difficult and stark choice. While the Minister will agree that it is not a panacea, this encouragement will be a significant step in the right direction for people who are on modest social welfare or other incomes if progress continues.

As Senator Terry stated, it is important to holistically tackle the range of other issues. Often, the problem is not monetary poverty, rather poverty of thinking and ambition. I am not speaking on a partisan basis because I speak my mind and, if I believed the Minister was wrong, I would say so. In this instance the Minister deserves every credit for what he has done.