Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It strikes me that like the UK, we should look at the Vimes Boots Index. I do not know if the witnesses have been following it. As Mr. O'Brien said, the idea is that there is an extra cost. For example, the good boots might cost €50 and last a lifetime, but everybody is buying €10 boots because they cannot afford that €50. It is the idea of not having capital carrying a financial penalty. They have been looking at the Vimes Boots Index in the UK. It is something we should be looking at, whether it is through a loan guarantee scheme, microcredit or capital grants that are more strategically targeted.