Anthony Lawlor (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to debate this very important legislation that enacts changes made in the budget. One of the things I have always liked about that is the smart way we used our money. Rather than giving people straightforward cash, we used it in different ways so that people get benefits across the board rather than simple payments. We must recognise that over the past number of years, the budget in the Department has increased dramatically. This year, it has gone up by €700 million, which works out at an average of €145 per man, woman and child in this State. That is a sizeable sum of money.

I know the Minister is not directly associated with the training fund but the Department is the one Department that increases it. Over the past three years, it has gone up from 0.8% to 0.9% to 1%. I estimate that this will bring in about €900 million next year based on the fact that in 2019, it brought in about €744 million while in 2018, it brought in €166 million. Working off those figures, it should bring in almost €900 million next year, of which €300 million was not used in 2018 and has been set aside as part of the training fund. While the Department does not have a direct input into where that money is being sent, will the Minister do something to monitor how it is being spent? Some of us remember the debacle that was FÁS and the training fund being used to let people go away on foreign trips to the US. We need proper oversight of how that fund is being used because many small businesses struggle.

Although the Minister does not run Springboard courses, to qualify, an unemployed individual must have been in receipt of a payment for nine months. There are people who will fail that test because of their means. It is important that we do something to help those people who would not qualify in respect of the nine months. Once they can do the nine months, they are off their social welfare payment and get nothing. Therefore, they do not qualify for the courses. Could the Minister look at reducing the period from nine months to six so that people who have been on social welfare for six months can qualify? Does the Minister understand where I am coming from?