Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My point concerns universal payments versus so-called targeted payments. Regarding the means test, we have a mixture of both in the system. With a means-tested payment, there are significant administrative costs and significant delays. The other issue is that if someone is well over the limit, there is no bureaucracy involved - he or she just does not apply - but we need to means test everybody until the limit. Child benefit was examined years ago. Are mortgages going to be taken into account for young parents and childcare? There is an argument in favour of universal benefits and high taxation for the well off but it is about getting a balance. It is not going to be that totally. I often hear the debate about this and ask whether officials realise the hassle for people who do not have access to computers in all this means-testing. They are the ones who actually suffer because the ones who are really well off just do not apply.