Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This morning the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection admitted that the welfare cheats campaign was a mistake. That is a welcome development. Social welfare is about protecting those of us who are most at risk and most vulnerable. It has become somewhat typical of previous Governments and the current Government to try to erode these institutions. Fine Gael policies often seek to exploit society, as I mentioned in my introduction, and to divide it or to moralise about social welfare payments. The Taoiseach in particular and the Government in general have sought to morally justify those social inequalities. Such behaviour facilitates a politics of division. It makes the task of designing an approach to social welfare that actively seeks to confront and eradicate those divisions more difficult.

The increases in social welfare payments, the continuation of the back-to-work dividend and the extension of maternity benefit for mothers of premature babies, among other provisions in this Bill, are to be welcomed. We commend the Minister on those measures. We also perceive significant flaws and have many major concerns. These concerns were brought up by my colleague, Deputy John Brady, in the Dáil where they were not sufficiently dealt with. I ask the Minister to deal with those concerns here today and as the Bill progresses through the Houses.

One such issue is that of the 42,000 older people who have been stripped of their State pensions because of the 2012 changes to pension bands and rates. These changes disproportionately affected women. They were discriminated against for starting to work at an early age or for taking time out to look after their families. I am happy to see that an amendment was passed late last night that brings forward the date by which this anomaly will be dealt with. That is welcome.

The increase of €2 in qualified child payments within the Bill is disappointing. While the Government talks about a growing economy and releases statement after statement welcoming falling live register figures, I wonder what happens to the 140,000 people living in consistent poverty in this State. What about the majority of lone parents who are living in deprivation and cannot afford a warm coat for their children or to heat their own homes? There is a consistent poverty rate of 26.2% among children in lone-parent families. That is more than three times the consistent poverty rate for children in two-parent families. When it comes to tackling child poverty, especially among lone-parent families where it is most prevalent, we need targeted measures and adequate increases.

On Committee Stage in the Dáil, Sinn Féin tabled an amendment to this Bill that called for a report on the impact of cuts to the fuel allowance. After discussions with the Minister, there was agreement to that amendment once it was slightly re-worded. Despite this, the Government refused to accept the amendment on Report Stage yesterday. Will the Minister outline why that was the case? We intend to table this amendment next week and hope the Minister will accept it.

I am also thinking today about the young people who are on reduced rates of jobseeker's payments because of their age. What is a growing economy doing for those young people? Our young job seekers continue to receive reduced levels of jobseeker's payments while facing the exact same costs. Their rents are not cheaper, neither is their food. It is highly unlikely that they hold any fixed assets such as, for example, houses or cars. This is discrimination. This is about citizenship. It is about young people being at peace with their lives. Sinn Féin believes in a better society that is equal and fair. We are on the side of the ordinary people who struggle to make ends meet.

I would be grateful if the Minister could address some of those concerns in her response.