Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

On the question of personal progression plans, my amendment does not seek to remove them. When I debated this issue with the Minister in the past I proposed that she set guidelines on personal progression plans. That would have been a useful step in moving towards the wished-for situation described by Senator O'Reilly. However, my amendment specifically states that the fact of a person having attended a meeting should not be dependent on having the person sign a piece of paper to say that he or she agrees to a particular progression plan for his or her journey and life. Under the scheme at present the Minister may move towards a penalty if somebody is construed as having refused to attend a meeting. The experience of people who have spoken to us is that they have found themselves in a situation where they have been told that unless they sign, a plan they will be regarded as having walked out of the meeting because they did not agree to an agreed conclusion. My point is simple. Where somebody attends a meeting and he or she wishes to consider the proposals that are being put forward for his or her progression for the next one, five, ten or 15 years of life - perhaps the person wishes to seek advice on them and examine other options - the fact that the person is not willing to sign the plan at that meeting should not be construed as he or she not having attended the meeting and thereby being subject to penalty.

On the quality of personal progression plans, it is not for the individual to take a case on this. Individuals at a meeting such as this may well be living on a payment from week to week and will not be in a position to have recourse to the courts, and certainly not before they might find themselves hungry or without heat. In that regard, it is up to the State to set standards. I have spoken to the Minister on this and called for setting standards for personal progression plans. However, this specific amendment is trying to deal with the situation where an attendance and, therefore, the signalled willingness to engage with the State regarding possible options could be denied. Somebody's attendance at a meeting should not be denied because he or she has refused to sign off on a plan at that meeting. It is simply that that their attendance should be registered separate from whether the individual has signed a plan.