Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

The Minister is welcome. We must face up to the reality and we all knew the 2012 budget would be very tough. I do not know how we could expect the Department of Social Protection to escape having to make cuts while other Departments would implement them. I compliment the Minister at the outset on being as fair as she can while acknowledging that adjustments must be made in the area of disability. I understand the overall budget cut is €475 million, or approximately 2.2%.

We must start with an overarching philosophy when we consider social protection. We must be fair and equitable, protecting the vulnerable and ensuring there is an incentive to work and to contribute. I am delighted to hear one statement from the Minister, which is the way forward, and that is that the Department of Social Protection must move towards a culture of enablement in the future and fulfil its social contract; it is there not to give hand-outs but to give a hand to people when they need it. Of course, it should also protect the vulnerable, who may never be able to work. That is the way forward.

Having said this, there are some anomalies and other issues I would like to raise for clarification. The key point in the Minister's announcements is that there will be no cut in rates to primary or basic weekly social welfare payments, which is significant. What must be clarified for the public is the difference between primary and supplementary payments. Supplementary payments had become the norm and people still see them as primary, or basic, payments. The Minister is making that distinction but it should be teased out further as some cuts have been described as sneaky. The Minister has clearly indicated that primary rates would not be cut and that must be acknowledged as positive. In the programme for Government we promised that we would maintain primary payments.

We can consider other measures, such as child benefit, which has been maintained. I would be the first to argue that all children should be equal. I have two children and receive child benefit for them. If I had three or four children I would not expect any more for the others. For parents, the major costs are taken on board with the first child and not necessarily the third or fourth child. That move was correct. I am delighted that the Minister has maintained the carers' allowance as carers, like home help, work for that welfare payment. It is very important.

Some issues have been raised with me with regard to the carers' benefit being means tested against the family income supplement. As I understand it, the home help payment is in a similar position. Will the Minister clarify whether the home help payment is also being means tested against the family income supplement? I know of one case which pulled at my heart strings until I considered the specifics. It involves a family with six children, aged from 17.5 years to 15 months, with the mother a full-time carer of a four-year-old with Down's syndrome. The case was shared with the Minister in the Dáil. The mother is outraged because the care of the four-year-old is being means tested against the family income supplement and she is losing €153 per week. I examined the case because the woman was very upset and was crying on the phone; she felt she was being penalised for having a four year old disabled child. Her overall welfare payments were in the region of €49,000 and they are now at €41,000.

Arising from this we must consider what we, as a country and nation, owe our citizens. People need to be clear on this. In the case I mentioned, the father in the family is working, and his hours are down to 34 hours a week, which is close enough to full time. He earns €400 per week. I contacted Social Justice Ireland to see if this woman was threatened by poverty. I learned that the poverty line figure for this family would be €42,000. Taking in the welfare payments which currently exist and the additional income, the woman and her family are protected. They are not at risk of poverty. I will put her question to the Minister. Does she feel the disabled child is being unfairly treated as the carers' payment is being means tested against the family income supplement?

I am delighted to see that the old-age pensioner has been protected, although it is regrettable there has been a six-week reduction in fuel allowance. Nevertheless, many measures have been protected, such as free travel, which means so much to pensioners. I have been told as much. There is also a free television licence and a living alone allowance. We have also protected elder care and social alarms etc. in the environment budget.

I am concerned about the redundancy payment measure. How will it be monitored with regard to the employer? On 1 January this will be introduced and the redundancy rebate will decrease from 60% to 15%. If an employer is worried about the bills for next year, would he or she be likely to let go people before then? How does the Minister plan to monitor the measure? There is a reduction of €1,000 in the training grant for the community employment scheme but will that threaten the legality of the scheme? Will people still be able to afford to pay PRSI? It has been suggested that the cut is threatening the schemes.

I will express some disappointment. I expected to hear an announcement in the budget relating to the long-term unemployed and the part-time jobs programme which Fr. Séan Healy shared with us. He indicated we could take 100,000 off the register for €150 million through a form of community employment or internship scheme. Will the Minister comment on this as it relates to the culture of enablement about which we have spoken?

I am delighted the decision on the disability issue is being reversed for those aged 18 to 25, as like was not being compared with like. A disabled person is not equal to a young unemployed person without any disability. I would be happy to see the full payment go to the parent. I have a 17-year-old child who is not disabled but I would not like to see him with a weekly income. I have relatives who have someone in the family with a disability and the parent found that threatening too. When one has a child with a mild learning difficulty, he or she is well able to get on with life in many respects, but I am not sure about taking responsibility.

The Minister is reducing disability benefit and a doctor must assess that there is at least 15% incapacity. How will this assessment figure be reached? I worked in the field of education and disability. Is the Minister referring only to physical disability?