John Whelan (Labour)

Christmas is approaching but while it is the season of goodwill, it is also a stressful time for many families. This is the first Christmas in four years in which I have had a job, albeit a temporary one. I was astounded to find out this morning that people who through no fault of their own were made redundant in May have not yet received their redundancy payments from the Department of Social Protection. That delay is not acceptable because it is forcing people into the hands of money lenders.