Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to add my voice to the good wishes to Mr. Jimmy Walsh on his retirement. As other speakers have said, he has given the House excellent coverage in the newspapers. I thank him for that and wish him every happiness.

On a number of occasions on the Order of Business and on social welfare debates in the House, I have raised the issue of people who are on illness benefit and applying for invalidity pension being required to submit their P45 when they make an application. I want to clarify that this has now been rectified and is no longer a requirement. The requirement to submit the P45 was causing bother to people because their jobs were being kept open for them. I met Department officials on a number of occasions on this matter, and it has been rectified.

In the Leader's absence some two weeks ago, I asked the Acting Leader to arrange time on the schedule to discuss the abolition of the mobility allowance. We could have a cross-party discussion in the House. We do not need a Minister to do this as we can do it ourselves, just as we did with regard to the jobs initiative. Can we please put time on the schedule to discuss this so we can make a submission and present it to the working group that is addressing the problem at present? I believe it is imperative that a monetary payment is retained by the people who are currently in receipt of this payment. Surely to God, with all the advisers and legal advice we have, and with all the big money they are being paid, somebody can come up with a solution. Many Members would have proposals and we would collate all of their proposals and ideas and present them to the working group.

We are not sitting on the Tuesday after Easter but I am quite willing to come in on that Tuesday afternoon if we cannot find another time in the schedule for it. It is an important issue. The schedule this week was not very heavy and we could have fitted it in somewhere. As I said, we do not need a Minister to do it. I ask the Leader to consider this.