Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

Could the Minister ensure that the group looks at the social welfare assessment system? In the Department of Social Protection's means assessment farm land is categorised as property personally used and enjoyed. The assessment is based on the annual income derived from that asset and, quite correctly, there can be no additional calculation of notional means for the value of the asset. That is a fair method of assessment of farm land vis-À-vis income. Similarly, the same position should obtain for shop owners, pub owners or people who run their enterprise from a building adjacent to their house or elsewhere.

Can the Minister give an assurance that the productive assets will be excluded from the means test? That would be a statement that the system will be fair and not discriminatory. We have moved a long way from the time when there were abuses in regard to income returns.

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