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

Before we revert to Mr. McKeon, he has heard a number of issues. In respect of head 4 and naming and shaming, while nobody is condoning fraud, there is concern that the ultimate sanction should be appropriate to the offence that was committed. There is a big difference between somebody being convicted in court for a relatively small issue and somebody who has habitually committed very serious fraud, for example, by submitting multiple claims. The question is whether the sanction and penalty are appropriate to the crime in all cases. Are there any controls around it or will everybody be treated the same? There are many questions that I do not want to repeat.

In respect of head 5, it was summed up best by Senator Humphreys who asked some very specific and detailed questions. Could Mr. McKeon respond to them with the level of detail the Senator requested? In respect of head 3, members do not disagree with what the Department is trying to do in terms of the guardian payment. What the Department is effectively saying is that the guardian payment is not an income support for the guardian but a payment for the child. Has the Department looked at the consequences of that for all or any other potential payments? Maintenance payments were specifically mentioned. The Department is saying that the payment is the child's payment, not the guardian's payment. Does it or could it apply to other payments that are being made? Has the Department examined that and what might be the possible impact? Mr. McKeon or whoever feels it appropriate to answer can address those questions. We will deal with pensions later.