Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The time of the Minister is invaluable and I want to be constructive in terms of scenario building with regard to the disadvantaged area payment. I have a particular interest in this because I come from a constituency that probably has the greatest uptake of the disadvantaged area payment, second only to Deputy Ó Cuív's constituency - we are in the same county. How does the Minister plan to approach this area? Does he envisage administrative savings?

Is consideration being given to securing savings by shaving the necessary amount from the current payment of €3,200 under the scheme? I am interested to know whether savings have been identified in respect of the approach and methodology used last year. In other words, does the Minister intend to drill down into the current methodology to ensure that the cost of administration does not negatively affect the headline payment under the disadvantaged areas payment scheme?