Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I am flabbergasted because clearly the Minister does not know what we are talking about. She does not realise that under the requirements of the Cabinet handbook every year since 1998 the budget is poverty-proofed officially by the social inclusion unit within the Department. The report of that poverty proofing exercise and the assessment of the budget in terms of the impact it is likely to have on people in poverty or at risk of poverty is included in the budget as part of the official documentation. Clearly, she does not realise this has been the practice.

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