Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

That is not the case. I have details of two cases. One of these relates to an IT worker living in south Dublin who was obliged to be self-employed last year when his income amounted to €306 per week. When work dried up he applied for assistance and is being assessed as having income this year of €306 per week. Although the man in question does not have any income or any prospect of income, the Department is not providing any support.

The Minister stated that flexibility is available to social welfare offices. While that may be the case, not all deciding officers are exercising it. In light of this and given the current circumstances, will the Minister consider issuing new guidelines on the need to deal with circumstances in which people find themselves without an income? The Department must stop the current nonsense whereby a deciding officer considers that when a person has a certain income in the previous year, he or she is likely to have a similar income in the current year. Those circumstances no longer apply.

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