Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I disagree. I can give the Minister several further examples of people who find themselves in the same position as the man offered a job earning €22,000. Does the Minister take decisions in isolation? Did she decide to examine the qualified child increase and family income supplement or did she examine all benefits, including rent supplement, the medical card? I accept that medical cards are issued by a separate Department. When people are making the decision to return to work they consider the totality of their income and do not focus solely on the potential loss of the qualified child increase. Considering one's entire income is the sensible way to budget for one's family. Did the Minister consider this?

See this speech in context