Mr. John Stewart:

Further to Dr. Healy's comments, we should also consider the choices and decisions the State makes in regard to tax expenditure, that is, what it does not collect. Work has been done on reducing some of those expenditures, but there are significant opportunities to look more closely at some of the reliefs and the rationale behind them.

From an unemployment perspective, how can someone who is trying to exist on a weekly payment of €188, or less in many cases, take another hit? Many people who are unemployed receive no payments because they do not meet the criteria for the means test. Our submission reflects what unemployed people are saying to us as much as what the organisation is saying to the wider world. We set out a range of proposals which do not require a significant investment of financial resources and would provide choices in terms of how schemes are structured, the qualifying criteria for programmes and how Departments and agencies do their work and, from our perspective, could better support unemployed people. These are fundamental issues that need to be addressed.

It is difficult to answer the question of whether these arguments are being heard. It is something we reflect on in the context of the significant amount of work that goes into preparing a pre-budget submission. However, we approach the question from another direction. We will not do a service to unemployed people if we do not make these arguments. We will continue to make our case, and whether people are listening is another matter entirely.