Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. There is nothing more important than having a role model within the household of somebody going out to work.

The Senator mentioned the year 1934 and the question to the then Minister, Mr. Lemass, but we should look back and learn from what happened in the 1990s. During the previous recession there was a group of persons who lost their jobs and did not have an opportunity to go out to work and were left behind as a ersult. With their families, they did not see the Celtic tiger. What we saw in many instances was intergenerational unemployment. What we must do as a team of elected representatives of the people is to make sure, as we move from recession into recovery, everybody will have an opportunity to share in the recovery. The best way to share in it is to ensure every household will have a role model of one member being back at work in order that everybody can aspire to having a good job that pays a fair wage, a good career and a good home and being able to rear a family. The Government, including the Tánaiste, is committed to doing this. That is the reason the Tánaiste introduced the changes in Intreo offices and brought forward so many schemes to make sure persons who were unemployed could stay in contact with the workforce, whether through training, community employment schemes, the JobBridge programme and many other elements. JobsPlus is also playing a significant role in allowing persons who are long-term unemployed to get back into employment.

I accept fully what the Senator has said about those who do not receive a payment from the Department of Social Protection and who have not been able to access such payments in the way she and I would wish, but as we move from recession into recovery, there is an opportunity to make sure they will receive these supports which will help them to get back into employment.

I thank the Senator for the support she gave me in the House during the year I have been a Minister of State. I look forward to working with her in the future.