Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Department will continue with the work it has undertaken in any case but I want the report from NUI Maynooth to feed in to it. Because I did not commission the report, I do not know when it will be finished. It could be finished in two months or five. Deputy Kenny may amend the amendment to specify six months but if we come back in six months' time and the report is not available, he must not be aggrieved. I want to be able to give the committee a full report. The report is being produced in order to feed in to budgetary decisions next year.

Giving young people the full €5 increase was not a sign that we think we are being discriminatory. The purpose of the measures is to incentivise young people to take other options rather than stay on the live register. Although Deputies may laugh at me when I say that, I believe we should have greater ambition for our young people than for them to stay on the live register.

I am in the Deputy's hands. The report will be completed in any case. Its purpose is to ensure that at this time next year we will have information in order to allow us to make changes in next year's budget.