Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I will also be brief. I welcome this measure. It is something I sought and there is general agreement across the parties that we should pay a Christmas bonus. I also agree that we should make an effort to restore it to 100%. If it cannot be done this year, it certainly should be done in 2018. Based on the current figures, the 100% would amount to €1.7 million more.

I also welcome the continued reduction in the numbers on the live register. A further 43,800 people are off the live register, which is a huge number in one year. The challenge is to continue that progress and keep driving down the figure.

I thank the Minister for attending.