John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not know the full answer, but in 2015 more than 8,000 people managed to secure the increased payment, so there must be some degree of flexibility in the system. It may not be the full level of flexibility that the Deputy would want to see, but there must be some considerable level because we know that in 2015 more than 8,000 top-ups were approved and paid based on applications before the new increased rates came in.