Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the subject of constant contact, I have had an inordinate number of people come to me on means-tested payments who might not understand that they are means-tested. The main ones are the increase for a qualifying adult for people who are retired, whereby their partner might not have made PRSI contributions and they get their increase for a qualifying adult, and the carer's payment. Many people believe the carer's payment is not means-tested. There might be a ten-year period during which their own or their partner's economic circumstances change and there has not been constant contact. I have dealt with a number of cases where there is a substantial debt as a result, and that is not appropriate. We need more constant contact with those people. I actually think we need to move to the carer's payment not being means-tested, but that is a policy matter that I am not allowed to discuss here. In terms of managing the arrangements, however, we need to have more contact with people on means-tested payments over time because it is not fair where that is not well understood that we then present them with a case five, six, seven or eight years later.