Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask the witnesses to clarify that when they referred to migrants accessing services they were not referring to asylum seekers or refugees but to migrants who were legally entitled to come to this country. They were speaking about people from the European Economic Area who were entitled to access our social protection services.

As I understand it, habitual residence is an issue because it is open to interpretation and is subjective in some senses. While there are guidelines in place for officials, decisions are often based on whether an individual appears to have a connection or appears to qualify, based on the evidence presented. Quite often that evidence is difficult to put together. Is that a big issue in terms of frustration on the part of clients and the Department?