Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Tánaiste if he will establish a cross-government initiative to tackle unclaimed entitlements. Revenue admits that PAYE workers have left €480 million behind them in unclaimed reliefs. I estimate that the total for unclaimed entitlements for expenditure programmes is far higher, at about €1.5 billion. This is an enormous sum, more than €2 billion altogether, and these funds have been left unclaimed mostly by the most vulnerable families. I will give the Tánaiste a few examples. We know there has only been a take-up of 3% for the new GP card entitlements, 3% as well for the carer's support grant and 35% for the rent relief. The biggest of all these schemes has only seen a take-up of 25% for the working family payment. A cross-government initiative is needed, therefore, to involve the Revenue and the spending Departments working collaboratively to identify the many vulnerable families missing out on significant entitlements.

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