Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wanted to talk about another issue this morning but I have just come from a briefing by the Department of Social Protection about JobPath. I have very many concerns about this. My first concern is that in the west, the provision is made by the private company Seetec. I have nothing against Seetec, but it is a company that is based in Essex in the UK. One of my questions to the Department of Social Protection is if we had a choice in the matter of social welfare and job activation being privatised or was it an instruction from the EU? I believe our Government had a choice in the matter. It is basically saying that the local employment services, LES, and Intreo were not able to do their job and did not have the resources to do their job properly. Now we have privatised the whole area of social protection.

My other question is around how much would people be paid. For example, if somebody living in Belmullet is taken randomly off the social welfare list and is instructed to take up a position which may be up to one hour away in Castlebar or in Ballina, they do not have a choice the in matter. The only payment they would be given is to keep the social welfare payment. How much would that person then be given in travel allowance? It says there are travel supports available but there are no set out travel costs available. If a person is required to travel for up to one hour to a position, if they do not have the option of public transport then they have the cost of getting a car and insurance, including meeting the rising cost of motor insurance. It is grossly unfair to do that and will end of costing people.

It is also said that there are supports for child care costs but again there is ambiguity around that and how much people would get for child care. If it is decided to grant a child care allowance to them can that be given to a relative or to somebody who is a non-registered childminder? Again, there is no answer to that and it is at the discretion of the Department of Social Protection. I asked the Department if the person concerned has mental health difficulties will the Department accept a letter from a mental health practitioner or a GP to say that this person is not fit to travel or to take up that position? Again, I could not get any answers to that.

I am gravely concerned about the destruction being caused to people who are being forced onto these schemes just to take them off social welfare and to massage the figures so that the Government can say that another person has been taken off social welfare or that they have been put on a boat or a plane and are no longer our responsibility. It is a matter of urgency. I ask the Leader to bring the Minister for Social Protection to the House to answer some of those questions. There are already dozens of complaints lodged about JobPath. Of course it is not only JobPath, it is also about many other schemes into which people are being forced or about their payments being cut completely, which is the nub of the problem. People are then dependent on St. Vincent de Paul to provide a roof over their head or to provide them with food for the week. It is wrong.