Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 20 September 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection

General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Child Maintenance and Liable Relatives) Bill 2023: Discussion

Mr. R?n?n Hession:

I cannot give an assurance on that but it is certainly the intention. I am in this Department five years. Prior to that, I worked in the Department of Finance and was completely ignorant of all the work that Revenue had to do to make things happen and implement them. I have learned in my time in this Department that the social welfare system is a very complex computer system. We have started the work of getting ready for this with a view to getting it done by the end of the year and getting it through quickly. The Minister wants it done quickly. We are working on the basis it will be done before Christmas this year, implemented and commenced, etc.