Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

We know who the parents are, so we will be looking for some maintenance payments.

I do not want to anticipate what the Cabinet will decide but it is not a question of instant savings from the point of view of the Department. It is a question of whether we are getting value for the money being spent. That is the principle behind it and it is an interdepartmental process set out by the old Department of Finance and maintained by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is a comprehensive work that I hope will be published quickly but it does not have a budgetary impact and is not seen in the context of budgetary figures. When it is available and has been cleared by the Cabinet, I would be happy to come to the committee to discuss it in detail. There are major long-term implications.