Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for what has been a marathon session and I confirm that this House has achieved even more relevance than it normally would have considering the huge controversy over the amount of time given to this Bill in the other House. There was no such difficulty in this House and I compliment the Leader of the House on allowing it. While we disagreed on a number of vital issues concerning this legislation, as the Minister knows, it is never personal. It is always political. She batted effectively in defending her corner and while we did not manage to get her to accept any of the amendments we put forward, I believe she has taken on board many of the contributions made on all sides of the House. I wish her well.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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I, too, thank the Minister for the amount of time she dedicated to dealing with the Bill in this House, which highlights the relevance of the House. I thank the Leader for agreeing not to guillotine the debate this week on the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill, which was very productive. We all agree that painful decisions have had to be taken. It gives us no pleasure to do that but we do it in the interests of the country.

David Norris (Independent)
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I also thank the Minister for her courtesy and professionalism because she was clearly on top of all the matters involved in the Bill. She gave good and full answers, although she occasionally took advice from her legal eagles behind her. I regret that none of our amendments was accepted but anybody who reads the Official Report will see that it was a full, clear debate and that on certain amendments the Minister met us part way in that she said she would come back to us or that they were covered in another circumstance. It was a very useful debate. Despite that the Bill was not changed in the House, I believe we have helped to alter to a small extent the context in which these decisions are made. We raised questions which the Minister took seriously, and she undertook in certain circumstances to relay our concerns to some of her colleagues. It was time well spent. It is unusual for a senior Minister to spend a very long time here and as Senators we all appreciate that.

Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael)
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I, too, thank the Minister for coming to the House and explaining the Bill in such detail and with such clarity. She has done a remarkable job. It is a fair and balanced Bill. It is a challenging time to put forward a budget but in the midst of that challenge there is great opportunity for reform, and I congratulate the Minister because I know that is her intention. It is about tackling long-term unemployment. We inherited a passive social welfare system-----

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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Not true.

Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael)
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-----which is at the root of what has been targeted in the Bill. I commend the Minister and the Government on doing that.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Tá mé buíoch gur thóg mo chomhghleacaí, an Seanadóir Cullinane, an díospóireacht ar fad ar ár son. Gabhaim buíochas freisin leis an Aire as a cuid ama a chaitheamh linn.

I will make one plea to the Minister, and I do not want this to be political, in fairness.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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If you listen you might understand what it is all about. We tabled an amendment that was ruled out of order but it was a serious amendment on children and direct provision. We had a debate in the House in recent weeks on direct provision in which Senators from all parties agreed that the direct provision system should be reformed. The Minister is not yet of the same mind but there is a cohort of children in direct provision who are not eligible for children's allowance. There are only about 1,500 of them. We have had a children's referendum recognising the rights of children across the State but these children are left out of that scenario.

I plead with the Minister to review the matter. I appreciate that it is a legal situation between the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Justice and Equality. If we really believe that each child in the country is equal then these children should be included in the children's allowance provision. I call on the Minister to examine the matter even at this late state. If the provision cannot be included in the Bill then I ask her to do so moving forward. I am being genuine.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I do not wish to strike a discordant note. I am glad the Minister has spent time here, as I wish some of her colleagues would do. She has engaged in debate here and has set an example to her ministerial colleagues in Cabinet to spend more time in the House. To be fair, I have never criticised her attendance record because she has attended here, listened and engaged in debate.

We are all commending each other on a good debate on the Bill's provisions but before we take the final vote we must remember that the legislation will reduce and cut jobseeker's supplementary welfare allowance for under-25s.

John Kelly (Labour)
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There was no cut.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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It was not a passive social welfare system. One can tie the news up in any way one wants but that is what is happening, it is a significant cut. The Minister proposes to abolish the bereavement grant so it will be completely gone. In addition, in reducing maternity benefit by €32 per week, the Minister said it was standardisation but it is not, because 96% of women will be affected by the cut and only 4% will gain. The Minister is abolishing the mortgage interest supplement; increasing the waiting days for illness benefit from three to six days; discontinuing the personal weekly rate of €230.30 paid to invalidity pensioners at age 65; and extending PRSI cover to all employed contributors of unearned income.

The following is not in the Bill but the Department of Social Protection has abolished the telephone allowance for the elderly. That has been done already. The Minister has increased minimum contributions for couples from €5.35 to €40 and changes have been made to the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance.

Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael)
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The Senator is making a Second Stage speech.

John Kelly (Labour)
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We have spent three days discussing all of this.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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Let us not be here today saying in any way, shape or form that we welcome any element of the Bill.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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We have acknowledged that difficult decisions had to be made.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I know that the truth might hurt. All I am asking my colleagues opposite, particularly Senators in the Labour Party and the Minister, is how they would respond to the Bill and proposed cuts if they were in opposition.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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If the Senator's party was in government it would make the cuts.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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This is not Second Stage.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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For the people that the Government claims to represent-----

John Kelly (Labour)
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How would the Senator respond?

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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Do the Members opposite really believe that is fair to abolish the bereavement grant and telephone allowance and cut maternity benefit?

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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What about the bonus?

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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The provisions have been dressed up as changing from a passive system to an active system of social welfare. That is patently not true.

I welcome the debate and hope that the Minister will take on board some of the comments made. Let my colleagues opposite remember that how they vote on the Bill today will be remembered and the people will remind them of it at the next available opportunity.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Look at what Fianna Fáil did to get us into this mess.

Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
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We have to cope with what Fianna Fáil did.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I know my colleagues do not like hearing this but I ask them to remember what they promised before the last general election. Please remember what was promised in the programme for Government.

Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)
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What is it to the Senator what we remember?

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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Does the Senator remember what his party did before the last general election?

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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Remember what was promised in the programme for Government. Remember the list of cuts that my colleagues opposite brought forward and are passing again today that followed a disgraceful Social Welfare Bill last year.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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There have been seven harsh Social Welfare Bills but we did not bring them all through.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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Do the Senators remember last year's Social Welfare Bill and the cut to the respite care grant? Do they remember what they did last year? Do they remember cutting the telephone allowance last year?

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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On a point of order-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I ask Senator Moloney to confine her comments to the Bill.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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We all can recall things.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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So the Government Senators do not like hearing the truth.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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Does Senator Darragh O'Brien recall the cut whereby his party took away the Christmas bonus? Does he recall-----

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Senator to allow Senator Darragh O'Brien to conclude without interruption.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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Does the Senator remember the giant cuts that were made to every social recipient by cutting the payment by €16 per week?

John Kelly (Labour)
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What about the Christmas bonus?

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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It is very difficult.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I ask Senator Darragh O'Brien to confine his comments to the Bill.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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It is very difficult.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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The Senator asked us to recall.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I am.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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The Senator asked us to recall and in return I ask him to recall.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I ask Senator Moloney, with all due respect, that if Senator Darragh O'Brien did not interrupt her she should let him conclude, without interruption.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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We did not make Second Stage speeches. Senator Moloney did not make a Second Stage speech.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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Senator Darragh O'Brien is entitled to speak on the Bill and I ask him to confine his comments to the Bill, not the previous ones.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I have confined myself to the Bill but I stated a follow-on effect. Let us not come in here-----

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Fianna Fáil brought the country into economic ruin, yes.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I know the Senator does not like hearing the truth.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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The Senator does not.

Marie Moloney (Labour)
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It is the Senator who does not.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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All I am asking the Senators to do, particularly our Labour Party colleagues opposite, who are apparently champions of the vulnerable and the needy, is to look at what they have done and what they are going to do today.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Who have done? The Senator should look at his own side first.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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We shall not sit here and take that.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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Then leave.

Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail)
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Leave.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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Get up and leave.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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I am not leaving.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I do not care whether the Senator leaves or not.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I ask Senator Darragh O'Brien to confine his comments to the Bill.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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These are the facts. What the Government Senators are voting on today will impact on people who need the State's support. All of their promises and stances made while in opposition mean nothing and we have further proof today that they mean nothing.

During the debate the Minister gave a commitment to revisit some of these areas and to examine activation measures. She has done so and I commend her for parts of that. The fact of the matter is that this is a disgraceful Social Welfare Bill and its cuts will hurt the people who need our assistance. Frankly, if the Government Senators feel good about the debate held over the past three days and they feel that they have done a good job, well great. I shall wait to see what people think about the measures that they have approved here today.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for her presence in the Chamber yesterday. It was a very long day but we had some very good discussions on many issues. At times the debate became party political but, in the round, we tried to confine our contributions to the many amendments being discussed. It was a constructive debate.

I concur with Senator Darragh O'Brien that we must remember that we are here today to vote for a Social Welfare Bill that contains cuts worth over €200 million that will impact on many people across the State.

I represent people who voted for me and my party and I have a responsibility, as a public representative, to articulate their concern to the Minister and the people in the Chamber. I represent people who vote for my party and all of the people who contacted us about various cuts and used e-mail and telephones to express their disappointment at many of the cuts.

Some Senators in the House have clapped themselves on the back for the Bill but we must remind ourselves about some of the cuts. For example, extending the waiting time for illness benefit from three to six days; cuts to maternity benefit; cuts to adoption benefit; cuts to injury benefit; the scrapping of the bereavement grant; cuts to the young jobseeker's allowance; cuts to the supplementary welfare allowance for young people; phasing out of the mortgage interest supplement and its cessation by a certain date; cuts to invalidity pension payment level for 65 year olds; and the other cuts that were announced in the budget that are not part of the social welfare Bill. Many of the cuts are unfair. Yesterday I made the point that if the Minister was in opposition she would oppose the cuts because this is not a Labour Party social welfare Bill or budget. I view it as a Fine Gael budget due to the type of cuts outlined.

I find it very difficult, and share the frustration of the Government representatives, to listen to Fianna Fáil talk about fairness.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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Let us be honest, Fianna Fáil's track record on their budgets-----

Mary White (Fianna Fail)
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I urge the Senator to study economics, for God's sake.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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-----before it came into office tells me that if it was in the position that the Government is in the cuts would be the same or harsher.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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It is very difficult to listen to them.

Ivana Bacik (Independent)
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Sure.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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They were left to enjoy-----

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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It is very difficult to listen to Fianna Fáil.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I will not take an economics lesson from Sinn Féin.

Mary White (Fianna Fail)
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Next time, Senator.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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That is why I believe that the best thing for this country would be for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to merge as one party.

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)
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Hear, hear.

Mary White (Fianna Fail)
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Fine Gael and Sinn Féin.