Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming before the House. Fianna Fáil broadly welcomes this Bill which gives effect to a range of social welfare measures announced in budget 2019, including a €5 increase in weekly social welfare payments, although, unfortunately, these increases will not come into effect until March. It also finally puts in place the legislation required to address the anomaly in the calculation of the contributory pension, on which so many of us lobbied.

Fianna Fáil used its best influence to ensure that budget 2019 was fair and that significant resources were directed at those on low incomes and dependent on social welfare. Moreover, it was our party that led the campaign to address the inequities in our pension system and to reverse the disastrous changes introduced by Fine Gael and Labour in 2012 which made it even more difficult for people, particularly women, to qualify for a full State contributory pension. While the Government has been slow to act we are glad that at last there is movement on this issue and that any increases due to this cohort of pensioners will be backdated to 30 March 2018. However, we need clarity from the Minister on how many people will benefit under this new calculation method as there is much confusion on this. A revised calculation method that benefits only a handful of people will not wash with Fianna Fáil and-or those who have been affected. We need details on how the revised method will operate in practice and who will benefit.

While this Bill contains several welcome measures we should not lose sight of the fact that the recovery has not reached all sections of society and this Fine Gael-led Government is failing on several fronts. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul now receives twice as many calls for assistance as in 2008. The child poverty target to reduce by two thirds the number of children in consistent poverty by 2020 will most likely not be met. There are 95,000 children who would have to be lifted out of poverty by 2020 if this target was to be met. Some 780,000 people in Ireland live below the poverty line including 250,000 children. Half of lone parents are experiencing deprivation. Family homelessness increased by over 350% between September 2014 and September 2018. We regularly hear how 10,000 people are homeless. Some 500,000 people are awaiting an outpatient appointment. The Minister has not published the promised national action plan for social inclusion 2018-2021.

Fianna Fáil will continue to hold the Government to account and work for a better Ireland; an Ireland that looks after all sections of society, not just those who, as the Taoiseach put it "get up early in the morning". We will continue to use our influence to deliver progressive social change and policies that benefit society as a whole, not just Fine Gael’s preferred privileged few. I acknowledge that the Minister of State is not a member of Fine Gael but I would have put this to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection had she been here.