Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all of our witnesses this morning, and compliment each of them and their Department officials, along with the staff on the ground in each branch of the Intreo offices. They are helpful with any representations we receive, and very professional in how they deal with them. I compliment the Secretary General and the staff.

I start by focusing on the household benefit packages. It is something that is crucial in the current cost-of-living crisis, and also surrounding potential external impacts such as the war in Ukraine and Ireland's increasing age demographic. Will the Department provide more specific data on the current applications received and approved for each of the packages, and the costs associated with them?