Dr. Barra Roantree:

Not in applying in the first instance, no.

There is also an inconsistency in that once a person qualifies for social housing, gets onto the list and finds a place under the HAP scheme, his or her income can increase beyond the threshold. However, there will be a cost implication which feeds into other Deputies' points.

Those thresholds reduce eligibility and therefore keep down the costs. It is for policymakers to decide whether the need, in the short term at least, to subsidise people's rents warrants getting rid of those kinds of cliff edges. There is a fundamental trade-off between getting rid of the cliff edges for the good reasons outlined and the cost implications in the short run, while other policies come into play.

Dr. O'Toole will answer the other questions.