David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)

Does the Minister agree that the target set earlier this year has been missed totally? Will he confirm what the target was when the scheme was first introduced? Was it not to deal with 5,000 cases by the end of this year? Will he explain why only 56 families have been transferred? Will he guarantee that this figure will increase to 356 by the end of this year?

Is the Minister confident that the scheme will work in spite of the failure so far to meet the very modest target to deal with 5,000 cases by the end of this year and given that 33,000 people are awaiting transfer? If the scheme is unsuccessful, as has been the case to date, what action will the Minster take to alleviate the obvious hardship suffered by people dependent on the emergency payment made under the community welfare schemes? What has gone wrong? Why is the scheme not working as the Minister had planned?

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