Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I support the request for a substantive question and answer session during our debate on the economy as it would be very helpful.

One fact we have had to deal with as public representatives in our own constituencies over the past number of months arises from the significant number of additional people who are unemployed. Senator Fitzgerald indicated that 40,000 or so people have become unemployed since Deputy Brian Cowen became Taoiseach. The issue is the difficulty in the processing of social welfare claims.

We have many big issues to discuss with regard to economic matters and job creation but 40,000 or 50,000 people have unfortunately become unemployed over the past five or six months. They are finding it very difficult to have their rightful entitlement to social welfare processed, which is grossly unfair.

During the reign of Deputy Michael Woods — perhaps "reign" is the wrong word but he was there so long we almost considered it a reign — or period as Minister responsible for social welfare matters, there was great progress in the computerisation of social welfare records. It resulted in the streamlining of the system and payments were made on time.

Something seems to have gone wrong within the Department of Social and Family Affairs from a claims processing perspective. People are waiting not just weeks but months to have unemployment benefit claims processed. The State is saving virtually nothing because the HSE must come forward with supplementary welfare payments.

Will the Leader confer with the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Hanafin, and try to clear this blockage? It is bad enough that 50,000 people have lost their jobs over the past five or six months and we hear it on a daily basis in every town and townland. The least those people could expect is that having been compliant taxpayers and paid social insurance, they would receive their entitlements on time. We should try to deal with and resolve the problem, getting the computers running again so people, in their time of great need and distress, can at least be assured of their financial entitlements