Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----out of a budget of €20 billion. There are cuts in the budget but there are some positives in it as well. Some €1.08 billion will be spent on work training and education places and related supports for jobseekers, which is an increase of €85 million over this year's figure, is to be welcomed. The Minister has placed great emphasis on work training and education. The fact that a young person on turning 18 years automatically goes on the dole must be stopped and should never have happened. We want to ensure we are much more ambitious for our young people. That ambition must be fostered and developed as they go through the education system at all levels. We must also ensure that the situation which exists in some cases where several generations of some families have never worked is addressed and reversed for the future. Every young person should be helped to achieve his or her full potential. I hope the Minister drives on that initiative.

Another positive is the reduction in the time period a person must be unemployed to be eligible for the JobsPlus scheme. This scheme incentivises employers to offer more job opportunities to young people. Together with the provision of 1,500 extra places on the JobBridge scheme and a 1,000 places on the Tús scheme are all positive developments.

The ring-fencing of an additional 2,000 training places by the Department of Education and Skills and income supports for an additional 2,000 people who will avail of Momentum courses provided by the Department of Education and Skills is very welcome, as is the provision of €2.5 million by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to make funds available to young entrepreneurs via Microfinance Ireland and other start-up schemes. I hope that will help young people who developed skills during the boom times in our country and that some of them will be incentivised to create employment opportunities for themselves and possibly an additional person.

I welcome the provision, not in the Bill but in the budget, of funding for 100 new breakfast clubs that will benefit children in disadvantaged schools, which is a positive move. Almost 200,000 children benefit from that scheme. I am aware how valuable the scheme is because I have practical examples of it working on the ground. It is only right and proper that a child should not have to participate in the education system without being properly nourished.

There are aspects of the Bill that I do not like. I would have preferred if the bereavement grant had not been eliminated but I accept that when resources are scarce we must help the less advantaged, and the exceptional needs payment is the vehicle through which that should be done. I welcome that the widow's, widower's and surviving civil partner grants remain untouched. In many cases the bereavement grant goes into part of an estate, and it is not required in many cases, but people on low incomes require that payment and I hope there will be flexibility in that regard and that we will ensure that the people on very low incomes who come under real pressure at the time of the loss of a loved one will be able to access the exceptional needs payment without any great difficulty.

I regret also that some people will see a reduction in their maternity benefit payment but I am pleased that the duration of the payment remains unaltered.

I applaud the Minister for her efforts in tackling fraud because we must not allow the most needy in our society to suffer as a result of unscrupulous people who are cheating the system. I think it was Senator Whelan who referred to the free travel scheme, which I am pleased has not been touched, but I agree it is being abused. There is no security or traceability regarding the travel passes. There is no excuse for not tackling fraud, and I am glad the IT systems in the various Departments are talking much more easily to each other, so to speak, but I would like to see the free travel scheme tightened up in a way that only people who are entitled to it get to use it.

I seek clarification from the Minister on those in the 18 to 24 age bracket who will receive the €100 per week or €160 per week if they engage in training or education. What will happen if they are unable to access a training or education place? Will those people be eligible or will they qualify for the €160 if they are willing and able to participate but there is no opportunity for them to do so?

Senator O'Donovan referred earlier to the difficulty many people were experiencing with the appeals system. I have had the same difficulties on a number of occasions. The system is cumbersome and is taking too long. What steps are being taken to make it easier to get decisions from the Minister's Department and, where people appeal those decisions, what assurances can the Minister give us that in the coming months we will see a shortening of that particular timescale?

In general, the Bill is positive. There are some aspects of it that------