Pearse Doherty (Sinn Fein)

This affects 30% of the workforce in Donegal and, unfortunately, they are dependent on social welfare payments. If the Minister wants a pre-election debate, we can have that.

I understand there are activation measures but, as the Minister asked earlier, is this the chicken or the egg? People are not crying out for legislation that will penalise them if they do not take up a training place, whether adequate or not. They want training courses and, more important, the jobs that will follow. They want a job creation strategy and a stimulus package from the Government. The Minister should outline what is in place and if people are defrauding the system, they need to be taken out across the board. He will get support across the political spectrum for that initiative.

However, that is not the issue in these amendments. As public representatives, we deal with cases day in, day out where legislation is being implemented by officials on the ground in a way that is unfair and callous and penalises people on the lowest incomes in our society. I will not pass judgment on the Minister's intentions, as he may be introducing this in good faith, but this measure gives officials discretion to cut social welfare payments in circumstances where training courses may not be adequate. For example, a participant might have to travel by taxi to a course and, therefore, incur a large cost. Where is the provision in the legislation to exempt them? If somebody from Gweedore has to take a taxi to and from Dungloe, which is only seven miles over the road, five days a week-----