Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join with the Chairperson and other colleagues in welcoming Ms Hoey and Mr. Stitt. I thank them for their comprehensive presentation and for identifying what they believe are appropriate solutions. We should forward it to the Department and seek costings for the various USI proposals.

The issue of independence always jumps out at me. I have come across a number of such cases with under-23s. Last year, I remember one case involving a 22 year old man who was living with his partner and two children. He was being assessed on his parents' income and his own income, but one cannot stand over such things. There are a number of instances like that every year. Likewise for the over-23s, difficulties arise every year concerning people's ability to provide evidence of not being domiciled with their parents. They are falling through the cracks and as a result of that they are excluded. There is a common problem in that the Department sets the terms of reference for the grant scheme to SUSI. SUSI implements it rigidly so there is no buffer zone between the Department and SUSI to assess extreme cases. It is black and white, and as a result many people cannot access the system.

I thank the delegation for putting the proposal together which we will promote.