Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Keane for her presentation. Is it correct that her analysis suggests that the budget cuts to benefits such as one-parent family payment and child benefit over the past ten years have disproportionately hit women? Is it the view of the ESRI that women who are lone parents and couples with children are more likely to be affected by such cuts?

Dr. Keane alluded to tax increases or reductions being more likely to impact on a man. What about indirect charges? Have they been looked at? A big and polarised debate for us as policymakers is whether public services should be paid for through progressive central taxation, as we would say, or by user charges such as those for water, bins and parking etc. They have multiplied over recent years. We have argued generally that user charges versus progressive taxation are regressive and disproportionately hit the less well off. Is there any analysis as to the gender impact of one versus the other? From what Dr. Keane is saying, I take it that if tax generally affects men more, then user type charges as a way to fund services would be regressive not just in respect of income inequality but also gender inequality.