Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The relevant figure given by the Minister is €1.5 million. This is the amount the Government will save by depriving 14,000 families, many of whom are living in destitution, others on the verge of destitution, of this particular payment, out of a total budget of €56,472 million. I put it to the Minister that it is disingenuous to say people can have access to the exceptional needs payment in view of the fact that the Government slashed the it last year by €6 million in the budget. The Minister mentioned a figure of €46 million but failed to mention that the amount was €52 million the previous year. The reduction took place at a time when the newspapers carried reports of community welfare officers referring their clients to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and other charities. While the Minister has made various references to lavish payments and dresses costing €300 etc., will she agree that the cap introduced last year of just over €100 per family does not allow for this type of lavish expenditure? Will the Minister review the exceptional needs payment budget with a view to increasing it or, has she any intention of restoring the payment?

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