Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 18 January 2024
Public Accounts Committee
Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 37 - Social Protection
Social Insurance Fund 2022
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 13 - Regularity of Social Welfare Payments
Chapter 14 - Ex gratia Payments of €1.4 million to Social Welfare Branch Managers
Chapter 15 - Raising Social Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 16 - Recovery of Welfare Overpayments
Chapter 17 - Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund
9:30 am
Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source
What I am getting at here is not encroaching on policy. Can we ascertain, as a committee, through a review by the Department, that the manpower involved in the means testing of 95,000 is worthwhile? Carers are, in effect, saving billions of euro for the State. Carers Ireland estimates that it is €20 billion per year. If it is €20 billion per year, are we saying it is continually worthwhile to means test, given the amount of administration the Department has to undertake employee-wise and in the man hours invested by the Department? Is it value for money? It might be counterproductive. Is that the way Mr. McKeon is looking at it to advise the Department as to whether or not it should be removed?
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