Seanad debates

Thursday, 6 December 2018

Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018: Second Stage

 

10:30 am

Photo of Frank FeighanFrank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I am aware he has a great interest in this area. This is very important legislation which will provide a legislative basis for the increase in social welfare rates, including the €5 increase in the maximum rate of all weekly social welfare payments announced in the budget. I very much welcome that, and it has been broadly welcomed by people. An extra €5 may be a lot of money to some people and not enough to others, but it was nice that we were in a position to increase those payments after many years of difficulties in the State.

I pay tribute to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, which has reviewed its processes over the past ten years. If more Departments were like it, this would be a better country. I have seen at first hand the number of initiatives it introduced in very difficult times, saving the taxpayer money but also ensuring that the customers are treated with respect and dignity. That was done in the most difficult of times. Many previous Ministers looked at a better way of taking care of the State's finances while also treating people who were unemployed and entitled to these benefits with huge respect.

The local enterprise offices, LEOs, are one example in this regard. I visited the LEO in Sligo about a year ago and I was bowled over by the changes that were introduced by the people who work there and by those who work for the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. It would do no harm to invite more politicians to the offices to show them the range of services and supports that are offered. I am proud that the Department has moved with the times.

I am contributing to the debate on the Bill on behalf of Senator Butler, who has worked extremely hard for the extension of jobseeker's benefit to the self-employed. I have been self-employed in the past. When the recession came, tens of thousands of people who never received or wanted anything from the State were left totally on their own for one reason or another, be as a result of falling property prices or their businesses going under. Many self-employed people are still angry that they were left in that position and that nothing was put in place for them. The Bill will be of help in that regard. I hope we will never find ourselves in a situation such as that again. It was something nobody foresaw but I saw it at first hand, and I know most of those self-employed people would have spent every penny they had to save their businesses. They would have spent every penny in their pension funds to save the jobs of their staff. Unfortunately, they were unable to do that because the businesses may not have been fit for purpose and things had moved on.

Those of us in public service are privileged to have pensions. There are those who say that the people to whom I refer speculated and brought property and shares during the boom. However, they do not fully realise that the individuals in question bought Bank of Ireland and AIB shares. Those shares were their pensions. They were blue-chip pensions, and they ended up being worthless. The recession impacted even more on them because their shares were their pensions. If someone wanted to set up a pension, they went to professional experts. That was the way farmers and self-employed people looked at it. If it was a blue-chip pension, one got back 1% or 2% every year. These were their pensions, and they were lost. I do not believe we realise the impact that had on the self-employed.

I am delighted that the Christmas bonus will be paid this week, although I understand it is not covered in this legislation. The increase of €25 in the back to school clothing and footwear allowance is very welcome also.

Section 24 formalises the Minister's commitment that analysis of the impact of Brexit on the range of reciprocal arrangements between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the social protection arena will be made public on its completion. The British Government may not have lived up to its obligations on this.

The European Court of Justice ruled that Irish citizens who had worked in the United Kingdom are entitled to the free fuel allowance. My mother got the allowance because my father worked in the UK. It was approximately €330 a year. We hand out money every day and sometimes there is no regard for it, but when those people who had worked as nurses or on building sites in the UK and retired back to Ireland got that €330, they were very grateful. Many of them may no longer be entitled to it - there may have been a change to it - but I wonder if there is the same take-up of it now that there was three, four or five years ago. Are they still getting it? There should be liaison between the two countries on that. I may be wrong, but it was very welcome. It was lovely to get a phone call from someone in Wexford or somewhere else regarding that matter. These people never wanted for anything. They worked all their lives and got something they were entitled to but were very grateful for it and thankful to the United Kingdom taxpayers.I wonder if the arrangement is still reciprocal. I am aware that we are paying a large amount also.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. I believe he accepted a few amendments, which was very welcome. It shows how we can work together to have amendments accepted when they are right and proper. I welcome the Bill and thank the Minister of State.

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