Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for her stewardship of the Department of Social Protection. In his contribution earlier, Senator Kyne rightly book marked where we have come from with where we are today. In this evening's debate we should acknowledge the importance of the Fine Gael, Labour Party Government over a five year period. It stabilised the country and created a platform to enable us to get where we are today. Senator Wall is here as a Labour Party representative and his party should be given credit for being a partner in government with Fine Gael and for making decisions at a time when it was not easy. The job of government is to make the right decisions, not to be populist or to try to be all things to all people.

This is a transformational budget and the social welfare package therein targets people at different points on the scale. The Minister's flexibility and her acumen in terms of being able to see around the corner is something the Government should rely on more. Her responsiveness and alacrity in terms of making decisions and making changes will be needed again given the war in Ukraine, which is not ending any time soon, the cost of living crisis and the serious challenges facing us.

We use the word households a lot but I would remind everyone that households are people and it is people's lives that are being affected. I hope we never forget that we are talking about people. We are talking about mums and dads who are making decisions today, grandparents, single parents and so on. We are talking about all of us who make decisions that have an impact. Each of us in our political offices and lives meet and engage with people every day who are genuinely worried about the future. They may be optimistic but they are also worried and concerned. It is more expensive to shop, energy prices have gone up, diesel and petrol prices are fluctuating and people are turning to the Government for support. The Government has to be fair in terms of its social welfare package of €1.2 billion which is the enabling financial scaffolding.

While this may not be an issue specifically for the Department of Social Protection, I have a fear that in the months of January and February we will see many small and medium enterprises in a bit of bother. As I speak, I see someone from Cork in the Public Gallery, Mr. John Cleary, who is an extraordinary man. In the teeth of the recession in 2011 he took a brave risk, began a project in Mahon Point, created employment and invested in our city. It was one of the few sod-turning events attended at the time by the then Taoiseach, former Deputy Enda Kenny. Mr. Cleary has just walked into the Public Gallery. I did not know he was coming in, lest anyone think it was choreographed. People like Mr. Cleary took a gamble at that time and I thank him and others in Cork for doing so. To move forward to today, I have a concern that in the spring of next year we will see people closing shops, restaurants and cafés and in those circumstances, the State will have to get involved. We were very strong in government in the past with our action plan for jobs and getting people back to work.

Finally, I commend the Minister's earlier point about community employment schemes. She is right in saying it is difficult to get people to participate in such schemes in the context of near full employment but those schemes have the capacity to transform our communities. They enhance the public realm and the facilities therein and I am glad the Department is showing a degree of flexibility with regard to community employment schemes. I commend the Minister on her work in the Department of Social Protection.