Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I again raise a point I made on Second Stage. The Minister may have addressed it in her summing up on Second Stage but I do not think it was. I also echo what Deputy Ó Cuív has raised about the nine-month period and the other pieces. Some Opposition Deputies have made speeches making the point that there are those on lower incomes who would qualify for a much lesser pay-related amount. I think we are probably on the same page on this but I want to make sure it is on the record. The mistake Deputies are making is that they are failing to recognise that people on low incomes would still qualify for jobseeker's allowance because they would meet the income threshold. I raised this point on Second Stage, asking if there has been any examination of whether there is a narrow category of people who fall between two stools. Have we examined that just in case there is a small category of people who might be slightly above the threshold for the full jobseeker's allowance but who might be at the lower end of the pay-related jobseeker’s benefit? I do not imagine the number would be huge, but if there were such a category of people, the consequences would be considerable. We are probably broadly in the same space in relation to this, but I want it checked and examined if it has not already been.