Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

One of the issues I deal with daily through my clinics and my office concerns additional needs payments. Is there any justification for or a reason behind these payments having been cut? It is a payment that directly helps people with poverty issues. The amount allocated has been cut from €80 million last year to €58 million this year, which was a €22 million cut in the funding for these additional needs payments in budget 2026. There are also the basic supplementary welfare allowance payments, which obviously people may have to qualify for as well. There was a cut of €18 million in the funding for those payments. Can the reason or rationale for these cuts be explained to me at a time when we are trying to target child poverty?