Lisa McDonald (Fianna Fail)

We need to acknowledge that change is now happening and is a good thing. We must go forward from here. Most of us have spent much time over the past year indulging in going over the past and wondering what went wrong and when it went wrong. The one thing we have to do from now on is move forward, make the changes that need to be made and make a better life for the citizens of the country. The Bill goes a long way towards sorting out some of the problems in the system.

Tightening up on tax compliance with regard to rent allowance is very good. I cannot believe it was not in place until now and that rent supplement was being paid out to landlords not registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board. I have heard of landlords collecting from the State but not collecting from their tenants. This is all part of the problem of trying to diagnose whether rents have reduced. As the Minister has stated, it is very difficult. The State is providing half the rent payments so 50% of the market is the State. It is very difficult, therefore, to see whether we are complicit in keeping rent levels high.

It is very important to have contact between the Department of Social Protection and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government which has responsibility for housing. The standard of accommodation for many people in receipt of rent supplement in private rented dwellings is higher than in social housing. Even if one has to get windows done, make small changes or fix leaks, it is easier to do so in private rented dwellings where one deals with a landlord rather than in social housing where one deals with a local authority. We need to look at this.

I came across a recent example in my constituency, whereby a pregnant mother living in social accommodation with her toddler had a yard full of vermin and a back door that was falling down. In the end, I had to write to the local authority and state the accommodation was so unsuitable that the local authority was effectively evicting the girl because it was giving her no choice but to move out. I had to do this to try to protect her from going back on the social housing list and put her into a private rented dwelling and get her on the rent supplement scheme. It took a long time to sort it out and it is these types of little things that will be the quirks in the system.

I suggest that as landlords, local authorities need to meet the standards of the Private Residential Tenancies Board. I know there is a difference between private accommodation and the State but we need to find some way of ensuring the standard of accommodation is correct and the same across the board. This is in line with Fianna Fáil policy and we need to ensure it is done.

The transfer of the staff to the Department is a good move, as is the provision in the Bill for means testing. These are welcome moves. I agree it is important to involve people in training and work experience, although I have concerns that we are, unfortunately, training people for emigration. We need to try to ensure we get these people back and provide jobs for them. I was very interested to hear what Senator Feargal Quinn had to say about a young architect or solicitor who offered to work for free and who within three months had become indispensable to her employer because she rolled up her sleeves and worked very hard. That is the kind of ethos that has built this country and which we must ensure survives. It is important to make a difference and encourage people to work rather than allow them get into a rut. I am very impressed by the number of young people looking for work and willing to work for free to keep their skills up. Please God they will get into the system. One of the problems regarding employment is not so much that the work is not available, rather that employers cannot pay their staff. I have heard many stories of employers working till 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. on a Friday because they cannot afford a secretary. When people are available to do that kind of work, progress is quicker. The proposals in this Bill make up an important part of our rejuvenation of the economy and will go some way towards providing it with a boost.

I agree with Senator McFadden who lauded the provision regarding partial capacity, which will help people on invalidity pension to work if they wish to. Dealing with the differentiation between fit and unfit is a worthy and welcome amendment to the current situation. However, I should warn against a situation that may follow on this. Some of those on disability are people who may have injured their backs at work. Many of these people have not much formal education as they are people who have been labouring all their lives. They need to be retrained and will need to start again at the beginning. It is important staff are compassionate in their dealings with these people because many of them may suffer from dyslexia or some other problem which was not caught when they were in school 20 or 30 years ago. If they were in school now, these issues would come to the surface and they would be helped and given the assistance they require, but back when they were at school such assistance was not provided, which illustrates the significant change that has come about in our education system.

I have in mind a very humble person who is constantly being called in by social welfare officials to see whether he is better and able for work. He has a contribution to make, but it is very difficult to find out what that contribution is and to find a suitable position for him. We need to be aware of the compassion required within what we are trying to achieve. At the same time, some people will be thrilled to discover they have the capacity to work. It is a positive language issue and is, as the Minister said, about capacity rather than incapacity. This makes a significant difference. People will not just be thrown on the trash heap any more, but we will examine how we can build something for them as individuals. That is a wonderful amendment.

The measure in respect of the sovereign annuities is welcome and will help keep money in the country and improve the solvency of pension funds. I hope it works and assists matters. I also welcome the amendments in the Bill that will assist the commencement of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act next year.

On the question of electronic certification, I understand this is a general facility in respect of the public services card. I would echo some of the concerns of Senator McFadden, especially with regard to voice control. I think of people like Oliver Callan, who can mimic voices, and wonder how the voice recognition will work. The Minister said that if people use the system by mobile phone, the system will recognise whether the phone is being used within the country. These provisions need to be fleshed out and we should not leave anything wide open. The measures in this respect are an important element in the fight against fraud, however, and must be welcomed. Another example of how the system might be defrauded is the example cited last year of Ballyconnell which had 747 residents according to the last census but approximately 1,000 social welfare claimants. I am not sure of the details on that, but I hope the new measures assist the Border counties in respect of social welfare claimants and the fact that our social welfare payments are higher than those in the UK.

I welcome the amendments and reforms being made through this Bill. It is a well thought out Bill and I look forward to seeing how it will work in practice. I commend the Bill to the House.