Ms Niamh Callaghan:

We had a range of discussions in the run-up to budget 2023. The decision on the rate for social welfare increases is a policy matter for the Government. As the Government set out in its summer economic statement, the public expenditure strategy is a balancing act all the time. It is about ensuring the public finances are sustainable, ensuring we are not adding to inflationary pressures, and ensuring that we can provide continued investment in different public services, including through social welfare. Ms Connors may wish to say something about the distributional analysis around social welfare.