Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I can get it for the Deputy. Any reasonable technology expense is worthwhile if it gives better outcomes. When I ran community businesses I often said human beings, if not used productively, have a much higher cost than equipment. In any process, if something is repeated ad nauseam to hundreds of thousands of people it makes sense to invest in the technology to automate the process and use resources to better effect, as Deputy Enright has suggested, in looking at high risk people and ensuring they are not working and drawing at the same time.

Deputies Mary O'Rourke and Ulick Burke raised the issue of the back to education allowance and the higher education maintenance grants. Those in receipt of the one-parent family payment are entitled to the higher education grant and will continue to be so. They are not, however, entitled to rent supplement. On the other hand, those in receipt of the back to education allowance will not, under the new regime, be entitled to two maintenance payments. They will be entitled to rent supplement.

An issue has arisen as to why people in receipt of the one-parent family payment cannot get rent supplement. That warrants examination. Some people who are in receipt of the back to education allowance are using their higher education grant to pay for child care and travel expenses. I discussed this issue with the Minister for Education and Skills and I met the Union of Students in Ireland. I am looking at the issue to see if there is a way of addressing it.

The issue of mortgage interest supplement is under review. It is being looked at in the context of personal debt. A committee, under Mr. Hugh Cooney, is looking at this whole question. I see the mortgage interest supplement issue being addressed in that context.

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