Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I very much applaud the very constructive and innovative offer brokered by our colleague, Senator Michael D'Arcy, where hotels in the south east have offered an inducement of five days in the sunny south east to those local residents who are against the concerts. It just might be the initiative to help to broker peace talks.

I refer to the statistical information on social welfare services report published yesterday. Will the Leader arrange a comprehensive debate on social protection expenditure in the next session? Some €20.8 billion was spent by the Department in 2013. Some 32% of all day-to-day spending is now spent by the Department of Social Protection, which represents 12.4% of GDP. Some 1.4 million people are in receipt of a weekly payment and child benefit now amounts to €1.89 billion and is paid to 612,000 families. Given that 782,000 people are in receipt of the free travel pass and many other services are supported by the Department, we need to have a comprehensive debate to see whether we are spending our moneys in the most effective and efficient manner.

A comprehensive debate is required to ascertain whether money is being spent in the most effective and efficient manner and targeted at the most deserving. Such a comprehensive debate would need to be scheduled over several days. I ask the Leader to make the necessary arrangements.