Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

There are some social welfare payments in respect of which it would be possible to pay the allowance automatically. However, there are other circumstances where people might be in employment or on contributory payments where we would be obliged to consider the household income, etc. We must be in a position to know a family's situation on the occasion of its making an application. It is not quite as easy as it appears.

I accept that this is an extremely valuable payment for people who are obliged to pay for clothing and footwear. For example, if one has two children, the payment is €610. This sum is perhaps larger than any other which a person may previously have held in his or her hands. It is important that we focus on what is required. However, we will certainly promote the scheme from an earlier date next year in order to discover what will be the take-up in respect of it. As already stated, we anticipate that demand will increase over the next 12 months.

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