Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I, too, wish to start by commending the staff in the Department of Social Protection on their work and dedication. Their commitment ensured those who were worst hit during the pandemic received vital financial supports in time. I know many staff worked above and beyond to ensure the first wave of the pandemic unemployment payment was paid as quickly as possible. They were front-line workers. I know many recipients also received their arrears in the past two weeks and I hope all outstanding claims will be dealt with as quickly as possible.

This Bill is being debated on the last sitting week before the Christmas recess in a year in which more citizens than ever have had to engage with the Department. We are also only several weeks away from January when many 65-year-olds will have to sign on the dole instead of being allowed to retire at that age. Most of these citizens have already put in a lifetime of work. People who have worked non-stop since their early teens will be forced to sign on the dole in January. When we come into this House and talk about the progress we have made as a society, we should not forget that people who were mostly involved in manual labour and services have brought us to where we are. Speaking as a young person, I believe many of my friends would identify with this issue, which is close to their hearts. The Government should recognise this and afford these people the dignity of enjoying a well-earned retirement, if that is their choice. I welcome that the legislation providing for an increase in the retirement age has been suspended pending the outcome of the pension commission's deliberations. I do not believe there is a need for a commission. There should be a commitment that no person will be forced to work past 65 years of age.

I am disappointed to see JobPath has been extended into 2021. JobPath is a bad system and a bad scheme. It was set up with little consideration for workers trying to find employment and it has been a cash cow for two major companies in particular. If a good news story were to come from this Bill, it would be that of ending the JobPath scheme. These companies make €311 for each of the more than 280,000 people who have been referred. That is €311 for being referred, not for securing lasting employment. Some 33,000 people have been referred more than once and the companies get a referral fee for the same person twice. The scheme has cost the taxpayer €250 million and has a 7% success rate in securing permanent employment. The Government is asking us to renew a scheme that is costing millions and has a success rate of 7%. In the coming months, I hope many workers will return to the workforce. JobPath is not the solution. It is part of a legacy of austerity and should be scrapped.

I thank the Deputies in the Dáil, including Deputies Kerrane and Joan Collins, and also the Minister, for their engagement with the live music industry.Amendments were successfully passed that will ensure musicians will not have to face losing the pandemic unemployment payment due to accepting casual gigs. I thank the Minister for accepting those amendments on Committee Stage. The engagement with the industry was crucial to understanding and communicating the exceptional nature of their work. For instance, March is a busy month for musicians with St. Patrick's Day and over that weekend. They have to make hay as the sun shines and they would do multiple gigs a day on a weekend whereas April is relatively quiet. Prior to the amendment, musicians would have had to limit their earnings in March to €480 whereas now they will be able to earn up to €960 in that month whereas April is quiet.

I ask the Minister to move to provide some certainty around the future of the PUP before January for artists and musicians to be able to plan into next year. They need to know this very basic support will still be available. As she will know from her engagement with them and her time in the Department with responsibility for culture, the ability to plan gigs and performances for several months ahead is vital and without this certainty many of them will be facing very difficulty decisions over the next few months. We cannot lose the talent that continues to create the culture in our communities and on this island. There is much more to be done for artists and musicians who are still facing a period of uncertainty.