Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)

I thank the witnesses for staying with us. I will come back to the welfare checks and the 42,000. I am really open to the witnesses telling me that I am wrong. If I am then please do tell me. My concern is growing in terms of the breadth of work that is going to be consistent within these checks. Am I right to say that not one check has started yet? Yes. Right. I nearly failed maths so bear with me. I estimate we have approximately 120 days until 31 March. That would equate roughly to about 350 children per day being checked between now and then. How? As a youth worker for many years, the first thing I would try to do in order to establish someone's welfare is to ask them "How are you?". From the witnesses' first contribution with me I do not get the sense that we are going to be doing this, or that we are going to check that they are engaged somewhere else. Is that the extent of it? To me that is not a welfare check. To me that is "you exist". Am I right in the assumption I am drawing?