Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)
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I asked about the Social Insurance Fund, the fall-out in that regard, the €1.5 billion we are lacking, what the Commission has to say about that and the effect that will have on people who are contributing to the fund. Will pensions be in place for them in the future?

There is a section in the Minister's paper called, Ensuring work pays, about which I have questions. Is there a cap on the number of social welfare payments for which a person can qualify? Has this been looked at and is it feasible? For example, a person could be in receipt of rent allowance, a medical card, free fuel, the back to school clothing and footwear allowance, the lone parent allowance, child benefit and maybe even half the jobseeker’s benefit. If one looks at that cumulative picture, what job could meet that in this environment?

I do not agree with the social welfare system in the way it is framed, with 64 schemes. Are we creating a system which is, in itself, mitigating against work? The Minister said three quarters of people are on the basic jobseeker's benefit. There is no issue there. I am talking about the cumulative picture that could be like a social welfare industry which is difficult to get out of. Has a cap on the number of payments going into a household been considered within fair limits?