David Norris (Independent)

No, the important thing is that it is put on the record. It does not matter who says it. The jobseeker's allowance disregard is based on days worked and not worked, which is wrong, as there is a critical shortage of job opportunities.

I am dealing with somebody who has just come back from America, where he was living as an illegal alien. He has three children of his own with his partner, and has adopted his partner's child from a previous relationship. The grilling he has been put through by social welfare officials is unbelievable. They want proof that he was an illegal immigrant, and they want him to go to the American Embassy to obtain this. The American Embassy will not do this. He has given them his birth certificate, his airline receipts, his marriage certificate - the whole works. He has given them every detail but there is an obstruction. I hope and believe that all Members from every party, including both groups of Independents, are on the Department's tail, because deliberate obstruction of the payment of social welfare benefits is rampant throughout the country. People are being held in queues and are not receiving the benefits they have applied for. This man in particular is living on the charity of his brother, which is outrageous.

I do not want to criticise people directly, but there was a man on the radio this morning who has eight children and wants a bigger house because he wants more children. I do not agree with the idea that having children is some kind of human right. When I did my leaving certificate there were 3 billion people on the planet; now there are 7 billion, and there will be 9 billion before I am in my box. It is a sensitive issue. There was a tragic case in which a young boy was seriously injured in an accident when his mother was driving the car. She did not have insurance or a driving licence, and she caused the accident, but the boy was awarded €11.5 million. That is paid by the taxpayer. The child must be looked after properly, and the hospitals must be paid, but I wonder. Maybe this money is absolutely necessary to keep this child in a proper condition.