Averil Power (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Hoey and Mr. Stitt for attending the committee today. The USI paper was excellent. Last night, I spoke at the USI student achievement awards and there has been an increasing professionalisation from that organisation over the past year, which is really positive. It is useful for us, rather than criticising the system, to propose changes that can actually be made. I have a couple of questions. Has this presentation gone to the Minister yet? If so, what kind of feedback, if any, has the USI had? Has the USI been promised any level of engagement to get a response from the Department on the individual recommendations, and the same with SUSI?

I would like to get more detail on the issue of estrangement. When SUSI's representatives attended this committee a few months ago, I raised this issue with them. They acknowledged that the current system has its problems and should be changed. Perhaps the USI representatives can provide more details on how an alternative system could work. Obviously it is difficult and there are sensitivities there, particularly if a person does not have relationships. The whole point of estrangement is that they do not have a relationship with their parents so they may not be able to get co-operation from them in obtaining the type of documentation they need to prove that. It would be helpful therefore is the USI could give us more details on that matter.

Ms Hoey went through each of the areas in considerable detail, which is helpful. We can discuss this in private session, but I propose that the committee should forward the USI paper to the Department and seek its formal response on whether it agrees with the recommendations.

The question of assets is always a sensitive one. Coming from Dublin, I know there has always been a sense that PAYE workers - the people whose income is entirely transparent - are hard done by and that others have been able to manage assets. There were revelations of particular examples of that in the book published by the last Minister's special adviser. An example was given of somebody from a farming background who had considerable assets and how such people are able to work the current system. Does the USI have any sense that there is a willingness to change that? What would a fairer system look like? What would the USI propose in order to treat assets fairly?