Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair and all our guests this morning. I thank them for all the work they do for so many people. It is very much appreciated.

I have a couple of questions. Ms Grogan and the Simon Community representatives mentioned rent supplement and an increase to this. I hear on the ground that people are using the rent supplement as a top-up on HAP payments. I am not sure if their organisation has come across this but community welfare officers are informing people they should be looking down this route. This shows the problems people are having with rent supplement and renting in this emergency we have at present. Again, when asking for an increase in rent supplements, the witnesses might come back to us and let us know what type of figure they are looking for.

Several contributors talked about the cost of disability, which is something this committee is looking at. I think it was Ms Murphy from Social Justice Ireland who said €20 would be a good starting point for a weekly payment. Where did that €20 figure come from or is it, as she said, just a starting point? She might come back to us on that and let us know where she came up with the €20 sum. According to many figures I met during the term of the previous committee, the cost of disability was huge, so I am interested where that €20 figure came from.

The multi-annual funding is something everyone has mentioned and it comes up regularly. The witnesses might comment on how that affects their organisations and their planning and staffing. It is something I come across on a regular basis with community groups. They do not know what is happening from year to year. I might get a comment from all the witnesses on the importance of multi-annual funding and how it affects community groups throughout the State.