Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I wish to address the proposed changes to the jobseeker's benefit, to which the Minister has referred. Where a jobseeker's benefit recipient works for part of a week the payment entitlement will be based on a five day week rather than a six day week. This means a number of conditions will apply. The basic premise is that if one's working week is reduced to, say, two days, up to now one would have got four days of jobseeker's benefit. That is based on the six day rule. It is now proposed that it be reduced to a five day rule. The difference that will mean in one's take home income will be significant. Under the previous system if one worked two days and received four days benefit, one would receive a take home income of €125.33 per week and under the new proposal of working two days and receiving three days benefit, one would receive a take home income of €112.80 per week.

Fianna Fáil is totally opposed to these cutbacks. There are more than 133,000 part-time and casual workers on the live register. A substantial number receiving the benefit of the universal social charge cut will find it immediately taken away by the social protection cut. The universal social charge cut will cost the Government €47 million but it will claw back €27 million in reduced social protection payments to part-time workers. Once more the Government is clearly hitting vulnerable low income people - workers who can only work part-time due to the lack of job opportunities available in the current recession. The Minister referred to employers taking on more workers and I have relentlessly drawn attention in the Seanad to the fact that the banks will not give money to small and medium sized companies. The Governor of the Central Bank has vociferously said this. The Minister, Deputy Bruton, is listening to the bankers who say they are giving loans to business but he is not listening to what ISME or the Small Firms Association are saying. Unless the banks give money to companies they cannot develop and grow their business. It is as simple as that.