Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Collins, Dr. Roantree and Dr. Kakoulidou. I will ask two consecutive questions first because I am aware of my time. I am concerned because in the ESRI's budget perspectives paper, reference was made to changes in capital gains taxes for older people. As Sinn Féin's spokesperson for older people, I am interested to hear about the practicalities of this proposal. If the witnesses would outline in layman's terms, or laywoman's terms, for that matter, how this might work, I would appreciate that.

I am interested in our guests' opinion on the provision of basic income, in general and specifically for older people. In my office, we deal with many people who battle red tape when trying to access a sufficient contributory pension. They struggle to prove their working record before 1980 due to the scant records that are available. I am also interested to know how the witnesses think we could pay for a basic income and whether it should apply universally or to just certain sections of society.