Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to move an amendment to the Order of Business, namely, that No. 18 be taken before No. 2.

I refer to social welfare payments. Senator Heydon referred to the rent supplement scheme. Just over €500 million is spent on rent supplement. There has never been a better time to get some people into longer term accommodation. NAMA has hundreds of thousands of properties up and down the country which could be purchased at a very cheap rate. It is a great time for local authorities to purchase houses. We need to look at the overall spend in social welfare and whether it is fit for purpose today. Simple maths and common sense would tell one that when people are in receipt of social welfare payments, they are unable to obtain employment because they cannot work a five-day working week as their payments will be cut off. The current system in the Department of Social Protection has created astronomical waiting lists, in particular for those in receipt of carer's allowance and disability or other benefits. The current average waiting time for disability allowance is 60 weeks, but we all know of people who are waiting much longer.

Over the weekend I met somebody who has been waiting four years for a disability payment application to be processed. I met the family of another person who was waiting for a payment, who died last week. There is something wrong with a system like that which is not working. The Minister needs to come to the House and we need to have a rational, commonsense debate on this issue. The social welfare budget is approaching €2 billion per month. It is our largest item of expenditure, yet it is not fit for purpose. We all know of people who are receiving payments while others, who are physically worse off, are not and are being continuously refused them. Let us see if we can bring some of what we have learned to the Minister in order that she can make changes.