Mr. Noel Neenan:

That is a very good point, and I echo everything Mr. Killoran said. The practical experiences of people I referred to earlier, in respect of inconsistency in decision-making, even at a senior level, show that in appeal structures there just is not clarity or cohesive thinking. Through the social welfare Acts and so on, the State seeks to identify eligibility, not to identify those we want to exclude. The purpose of a social protection system is to provide social protection, not to bar access to it. While that is the default, the atmosphere and the mood music will change completely because this is much more proactive, positive and welcoming to those who are vulnerable, that is, the very people we are trying to identify and assist.

Senator Keogan asked about the impact. The impact is that people cannot access rights and entitlements or discretionary services, such as the community welfare service, which has very wide discretion in what it can do for people. It is a fantastic component of the State infrastructure where there is very wide discretion to assist people on an exceptional and urgent basis, and that has been the saving of many a case through the actions of an individual officer. Discretion is always important. A lack of clarity can block people significantly and it is important those protocols and clarities be ironed out and put in place.