Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)

There is a range of issues there. The one around childcare is really important because that is a big consideration for people who need to go to work. There is no variability. If you are on a low income or you are a multimillionaire, you are likely paying the same for childcare. There is absolutely no distinction made there. In terms of assessing the at risk of poverty and the levels of poverty, there is an important piece of work. It is not being missed by the witnesses but it is being missed in general, namely, the difference between young children and teenagers. We know the households most at risk of poverty are lone parents with teenagers in the family. How can we isolate that?

Would it become overly complicated to have a tiered form of additional means-tested child benefit, gradated first? It is an issue everywhere. It is an issue with the school meals programme. Clearly a four-year-old does not eat the same amount as a 16-year-old but they all get the same allowance. I understand that it might be complicated. On the one hand, we have a hungry child but on the other hand we have food waste and there has to be some way to balance that out. Would be possible or would the complications actually turn people off applying? I am aware that people can sometimes get anxious about having to fill out large forms and provide massive amounts of information. It is also right to say that there is a stigma surrounding means-tested benefits in particular. Is it possible or would it just be overly complicated to try to do something like that?