Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Mullins regarding unemployment figures, which, as he said, are down to 8.6%, and that is as a result of An Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work, part of which strategy is education. As it will probably be my last time speaking on the Order of Business, certainly in this term, and as I feel it has always been my duty here to raise issues and anomalies that concern me, I want to raise one such issue today. I have a constituent who is 19 years of age. He has been accepted for an access to education course in the University of Limerick. The course runs for 13 weeks. He was unemployed. He chose to take up the course in order that he could get into full-time education and to a degree course next year. He has a grant of €400 for the 13 weeks. He has lost his social welfare payment of €100 per week. His father, who is an unemployed blocklayer, is now claiming €29 per week for his son on unemployment assistance. It is costing the family €180 per week in lodgings, travel and food to keep him in Limerick. He does not qualify for a back to education payment because he is under 21. Therefore, in the 13 weeks there is a shortfall to the family of €1,563.

This course is designed to allow this young man to do one module in his chosen subject of aircraft maintenance and would also allow him to get into a full course next year if he passes the first course. However, by far the most astonishing aspect of all this is that the course is specifically for people from disadvantaged areas, and this man is from such an area. How can he sustain himself financially without the required financial support? Will the Leader bring this to the attention of the relevant Minister in order that this anomaly can be closed off. It is proof that we have done a lot of work in government in getting people back into education, but this is an example of more work that needs to be done, and I hope the Government is returned in order that we can deal with those issues into the future.