Dr. Seán Healy:

The non-contributory old age pension is not universal because it is means tested. We are speaking about a non-means tested old age pension which would be paid to everybody at the same level and which would be at the level of the contributory old age pension. There is an illusion that everybody in Ireland is entitled to a pension at least equivalent to the non-contributory old age pension. This is not true. Many people receive a partial payment in their contributory old age pension and they are not in a position to claim on a means tested basis to get the balance through the non-contributory system. A total of 46,000 women receive nothing because they have no entitlement to a pension under any heading. They can make a claim for the non-contributory pension if they do not have enough income to live - whatever the basic parameters are for this at any time - but they do not have a right to it as such. It is means tested and if they have means or notional means, they do not receive it. We are in favour of a universal payment.

The question was asked that if people in social housing have more money available than people in other housing, why should they not have to pay a property tax. My approach is that they should pay tax in another way. If they have more disposable money available than other people, it is not because of their welfare payments, because these payments are already below the poverty line. In most cases a welfare payment does not provide enough to live life with dignity. It is not sufficient to provide the level of income required for a minimally adequate standard of living. Research carried out by the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice shows this to be the case. If the people have money from other sources, this money should be open to taxation in other ways.