Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses can understand that our offices are often a microcosm of what is going on in the Department. If I am picking it up and Ms Stack tells me they have done work on it, there might be a connection. Some people do not get it from the beginning because maybe the Department is more exact now in its assessments, knowing that it is a high-risk allowance. That is as it should be, I am not suggesting otherwise.

I have met people who, having got the non-contributory pension at 65, let us say it is €230 or whatever, and being very frugal old people living alone, do not spend it, and it then accumulates in the bank. Years afterwards they are assessed again for some reason and are stunned when their pensions are cut because they might have thousands of euro in the bank. I know the State pension is the maximum pension, although most people think it is the basic pension and are surprised that it is cut because they did not spend it as they got it.