Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I will hold her to that.

The Minister says repeatedly that she recognises the important role of employers in getting Ireland back to work, and with this in mind the Department will be actively working with employers in each area on getting feedback from them. It will also roll out a road show in the coming weeks, starting with Limerick, in conjunction with IBEC, to interact with and encourage employers to work with the Department. Many employers are not aware of the benefits of taking on an employee who is on the live register, such as Revenue job assist and the PRSI exemption. When one hires a person with a disability, there are employability services such as the wage subsidy scheme, employment services and employers' supports.

It has been brought to my attention that a number of employers have advertised jobs and interviewed people. An employer told me that on one occasion four people were called for interview. Two turned up and were unsuccessful, one did not bother turning up and one was taken on. The two people who turned up but did not get the job asked the employer not to forget their letter for the Department of Social Protection. The person who was taken on remained three days and then left stating it was not worth his while. We are all saying there are no jobs but that is going on. Another Senator brought that to my attention this morning and asked me to raise it. That is going on despite what people say to the contrary.

As we are discussing employers, if the Minister has not done so already I ask her to take off the agenda any proposals to get employers to pay the first four weeks of illness benefit for their employees. While that may look good to employees at the outset, my concern is that it will cost jobs in the long run. Employers are hard-pressed to pay their employees' PRSI contributions let alone their illness benefit. That might be the proverbial final straw for employers. I understand the Minister will refer to absenteeism in the workplace and in particular in the public sector but she should treat workers in the public sector the same as those in the private sector and tell them that if they take time off, they must live on social welfare only just as those in the private sector must do. That might make a difference to the absenteeism rates.

One of the most widespread complaints is about the waiting time for applications to be processed. I was delighted to hear on Tuesday that the Department is making progress in the processing time for applications and while there is still much to be done due to the high volume of applications, it is hoped that by the end of the year invalidity pension applications will be up to date. It is also working vigorously to reduce the waiting times in its other applications offices. I ask the Minister to keep the pressure on the Department to alleviate the backlog of applications and ensure a speedy response to applicants. I trust that the Intreo office will have a positive effect on reducing waiting times.

I welcome also that the social services cards are being issued. I understand that to date, 35,000 cards have been issued and are continuing to be issued daily to everyone. It is hoped that will greatly reduce any fraudulent claims.

I thank the Minister for coming into the House to take this debate. I very much welcome that she is endeavouring not to cut the core social welfare payments rates. I hope she will take on board my concerns and those of my colleagues and give them due consideration when it comes to the budget.

The Minister will be aware that at every opportunity and in committee I raise the issue of the self-employed and the reduced number of benefits for which they can make application. I ask that the same benefits be afforded to the self-employed as are afforded to PAYE workers. I am not asking for a free service but that self-employed people be allowed to pay the same contribution rate as PAYE workers and avail of the same benefits. One of the main benefits they are unable to avail of is family income supplement to help them earn a decent living. The same is the case with carer's benefit and illness benefit.

I know the advisory group that is working on this is preparing a report for the Minister. I hope that when the report is published, we will have an idea of the suggestions the group is making to help the self-employed.

When a self-employed person eventually accesses jobseeker's allowance, he or she is not given a credited contribution simply because of his or her self-employed status. People might think this is a small matter, but I think it is significant because the contribution in question is invaluable in the context of such a person's pension. This anomaly is not addressed, it will have an adverse effect on the future pension entitlements of the self-employed.

I welcome the publication of the national carers strategy, which I had always been fighting for. I respect the commitment of the Minister to the protection of the interests of carers. In that context, I would like to mention the habitual residency condition that applies to Irish people who return to this country to look after a relative. The two-year habitual residency clause is preventing such people from receiving carer's allowance. It is an insult to Irish people who are returning to their own country that they are debarred from it. I ask the Minister to examine the matter.

The Minister will be aware that I am constantly lobbying for the establishment of a central means-testing board. I appreciate that cross-departmental co­operation is needed if this is to happen. Its introduction would save a lot of money and avoid the duplication of work because information would be available to those considering applications for third level grants, social welfare payments such as the back to school allowance, social housing and medical cards. All of the work needed to test a person's means should be done in one office. It would eliminate some of the work of civil servants.

The briefing we received on the social insurance fund made for stark reading. The provisional 2011 deficit of ¤1.5 billion will double to ¤3 billion in 2019 if no action is taken to tackle the shortfall. The contributions of self-employed people would help to tackle this shortfall. Some people are signing for credits without receiving any money. They are keeping up their contributions merely to retain their pension entitlements. A small contribution of ¤1 a week would be an inexpensive means of funding a pension. Perhaps the Minister should consider the matter. These people are not getting money, but are concerned to retain their pension entitlements.

As many Senators have said, the findings of the expert group that examined the reform of child benefit found their way into the media. The Minister will appreciate that many scenarios are being bandied about. If the expert advisory group has finalised its report, perhaps the Minister will advise the House of its findings if she is in a position to do so. She mentioned that the value for money report on community employment schemes has been completed. I am delighted to hear that no scheme has closed down. There was uproar last year. Many of us attended public meetings on this issue at which people expressed their anger. We tried to transmit the message that the Minister kept reiterating, which was that no scheme would close down.