Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the Bill but, like others, I want to raise some important points. On the supports that are given to families who are struggling, such as the 20% of people who are at the bottom of society, those on low incomes and people who are most impacted by the cost of living, as a community development worker, I have to say that I was always told to empower people and support them. Did the Minister ever hear that if you catch a fish for a person, that person only eats for one day but that if you teach him how to fish, he eats for the rest of his life? Giving these one-off payments is important. It helps families for a week or possibly for a month. It might get them out of a bad situation they are in. Overall, however one-off payments are not the answer. We need to increase social welfare for people in order to match the cost of living.

I live in rural Ireland. It is so tough for people around me. Everyone feels the pinch of increases in the cost of living. People having to make hard choices. I know of a Traveller family who cannot heat their home. They have a newborn baby. What they are doing is living with their sister because they do not have the money to be able to heat their home. This is despite the one-off benefits that people are getting.

Many people are struggling, especially at this time of year. I have a long speech in front of me. I do not want to be seen to be against the one-off payments because they are important for people. However, they are not the answer. We need to look at what is more sustainable for people going forward and increase social welfare payments.

On what has already been said, I have supported people to get disability allowance at least three times. I raised this matter with the Minister at the Joint Committee on Disability Matters regarding the fact that the documentation in this regard is extremely hard for people to fill in.

On welfare officers, I agree that we need a review. I do not know if it happens in settled accommodation, but welfare officers often come onto halting sites with members of the Garda Síochána. In many cases, they ask a lot of hard questions and people feel like they are being intimidated and questioned by the Department of Social Protection in respect of something that they deserve.

As the Minister will be aware, 80% of the members of the Traveller community are unemployed. A Behaviour & Attitudes survey that was done in 2017 showed that over 50% of people would not employ a member of the Traveller community. There is work being done by the Government whereby the Irish Traveller Movement will be able to support Travellers to take up internships. We are trying to change the narrative to the effect that Travellers do not want to work because they do want to work but, unfortunately, in many cases, the opportunities are not there.

On the fuel allowance, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is meeting me and the National Traveller Money Advice and Budgeting Service to discuss Travellers who are struggling in terms of getting fair energy bills. We are looking at Travellers, including Travellers who live in trailers, being treated on an equal basis with people from settled communities.

We might need to have a wider conversation with the Minister on the fuel allowance. If there are two families, one in a house and the other living in the back yard in a caravan or trailer, because the address is the same for both, the people living in the back yard are not entitled to the fuel allowance. Last week, I was speaking to a co-ordinator in Donegal. I met with the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, two weeks ago to discuss making sure that the energy credits are given to Travellers in a fair way. It was agreed that the credits will be given through local authorities but that this will not impact on the Traveller accommodation budget. However, there are many Travellers who live on the side of the road in, for example, Donegal. How do we make sure that those Travellers get the credit for electricity? I accept that they use generators, but it is still electricity. As well as that, there is the fuel allowance.

For people from my community, my concern is how do we look to ensure that people are getting treated fairly in this piece of legislation. I will be coming next week with some amendments, and only to make sure that the Traveller community is not left behind - even a few because a few is too many.