Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The bottom line is that it was Fianna Fáil which introduced cuts in primary rates.

I listened carefully to what Senator Mary White had to say. I refuse to accept, however, that anybody in this House, of any party or none, actually believes it is in the interests of young people in this country to have a social welfare system which facilitates people as young as 18 years of age in going onto social welfare as opposed to getting involved in work, education or training. As I said earlier - I am not sure whether some of the Members now present were in the Chamber when I said it - from 1 January 2014, we will be offering employers, through the JobsPlus scheme, a monthly cash grant of €300 - equivalent to €75 per week - in respect of any person they take on who has been out of work for between six months and two years. Where a new employee has been unemployed for more than two years, a higher cash-back payment will apply. I ask Senators on all sides of the House, particularly Government Senators, to go out and inform local employers of this significant and important opportunity to help people, both young and older, to get back to work.