I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Social Welfare Bill 2020. Typically, the Social Welfare Bill comes before the House in October and November each year. It is a shame that this Bill has come so late this year, particularly in view of the importance of the section which will repeal the pension age increases to 67 in January 2021 and to 68 in 2028, a move I welcome. This will provide the certainty needed to those approaching retirement. I was just outside the convention centre with the Stop 67 campaign group.…

I welcome that the Minister has agreed and has clearly engaged with musicians and others. I hope that this amendment will make a difference to many workers and their families at this time.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. I had a similar amendment which was correctly ruled out of order on foot of the cost to the Exchequer. I fully understand the ruling in that regard. Would the Minister consider paying half of the payment in January? As to listening to the stakeholders and carers themselves, the amendment I had put forward that it would be paid in two halves came directly from Family Carers Ireland, which, as the Minister will know, represents a very significant number of carers throughout …

I move amendment No. 7: In page 9, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: " Report on the effectiveness and adequacy of the Fuel Allowance 18 . The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on the effectiveness, adequacy, coverage and eligibility of the Fuel Allowance Scheme in addressing the heating requirements of households experiencing energy poverty and that the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within nine months of the …

I move amendment No. 8: In page 9, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Report on income limits for Carer’s Allowance 18. The Minister shall carry out a review on the income limits for Carer’s Allowance and explore the expansion of the income limit to allow for those on average industrial incomes to qualify for the payment and that the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within six months of the passing of this Act.”. This amendment calls for a review of the …

I move amendment No. 9: In page 9, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: “Report on the effectiveness of the JobPath scheme 18. The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas on the effectiveness of the JobPath scheme and the impact it is having on the sustainability of other job activation schemes and that the report shall be presented to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within six months of the passing of this Act.”. I am back to JobPath. I hope the Mi…

The Minister has stated that not everyone is going to JobPath, but more people are being referred to it than to any other scheme. That has been the case for a number of years. Regarding the more than 280,000 people who have been referred, the success rate where a job is sustained for longer than 52 weeks is 7%. I welcome the Minister's acknowledgement that the referral fee of €311 is paid twice where a person is referred twice. That is a large amount of money just for sending a person to the same scheme twice. I re…

Yesterday, I launched Sinn Féin's proposals on dealing with household debt. Ahead of that, I reread some of the life stories shared with me as part of our campaign to highlight the issue of household debt. In one case, a person said the children were suffering. That person cannot sleep and the children are not let out to play for fear someone will come to knock on the door about a debt. Another person states those in the household are on the State pension and their electricity and fuel consumption increased due to …

I wish to raise the decision of the European Committee of Social Rights, ECSR, and the Government's compliance with the right to equal pay, as well as the right to equal opportunities in the workplace. The Irish Federation of University Women, through the University Women of Europe, lodged a complaint within the framework of the collective complaints procedure with the ECSR as the monitoring body of the European Social Charter. Ireland was one of 15 EU member states against which complaints were made. In its compla…

We welcome that there has been agreement on how the Covid vaccine will be administered. There needs to be the tightest possible contact between the Northern Executive and the Government. That will be critical in the roll-out of the vaccine, particularly in Border counties. I welcome the level of co-ordination that the Taoiseach has stated remains in place between him and the First Minister and deputy First Minister. We need to see how the vaccine will be rolled out. We must also ensure that there are proper staffin…

The programme for Government commits to investigate the provision of domestic violence paid leave. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, has also called on the Government to ratify the International Labour Organisation, ILO, convention No. 190 on violence and harassment in the world of work. Article 18 of the accompanying recommendation details measures Governments should take to mitigate the impacts of domestic violence at work, which includes leave for the victims of domestic violence, flexible work arrangeme…

How is the Department monitoring the new requirement that those in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment and those applying for it must be genuinely seeking work? How are people expected to meet this requirement? Are there plans for recipients to engage with job activation now or in the new year?

I appreciate the jobseeker requirement but there is a big difference between being available to work and genuinely actively seeking work. While the Minister has said the rule is there, and a number of us sought to remove it through an amendment in August and July when the legislation was going through, at present the Department does not require PUP recipients to be genuinely seeking work. What is the purpose of putting in the rule in the first place? It is a rule but it is not being enforced so I do not really see …

Among the rules to qualify for the PUP is that people are genuinely seeking work but that is only being enforced if people are offered their jobs back and they do not take them up, which I could not imagine anybody doing anyway. These are workers and some of them have never been on social welfare in their lives. The rule on genuinely seeking work as part of the initial criteria will only be enforced if people are offered their jobs back and do not take them. I do not think this has been made clear and I do not see …

I want to ask about the continuation of the JobPath scheme for a further 12 months. This is the second time the scheme has been extended. Can the rates or fees paid to the companies be reduced, given they have now been given a further 12 months? Will the Minister consider allowing participants to move on to other schemes without having to remain with JobPath in consideration of the impact on other schemes, given so many are being referred to JobPath?

I am asking the Minister if there is a clause in the contract between her Department and the JobPath providers, who have been given another 12-month period, that allows her to reduce the fees being paid to those companies. The Minister made a few points. She spoke about value for money. I will give her a brief example in that regard. More than 1,000 people have been referred to JobPath for a third time. Every time someone is referred, the companies get a payment of €311. The Minister mentioned a cost of €873 and sh…

Will the Minister confirm that the referral fee of €311 is paid twice if a person is referred to the scheme twice, that is, in the case of more than 33,000 people who have been referred to the scheme twice? If they are getting the referral fee twice for those same people, that is a cost of more than €10 million. I ask the Minister again if she believes that is value for money? Does she know how many of the 283,826 people who have been referred to JobPath are engaged with the scheme today? Also, the success rate so …

I am sorry, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, but not one single question I asked has been answered.

I just want to make that point.

Yes. The question asks if the Minister will consider a review of the JobPath programme and her views on whether it has provided value for money for the State.