Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I reiterate the basic payment that this person and others receive is €188 and from the perspective of the €186 threshold, they are snookered.

I take comfort from a sentence of the Minister of State's reply that, "The Minister is reviewing the implications of allowing customers to have deductions made from their welfare payment on a voluntary basis." If they were allowed do it on a voluntary basis, and go into the Department of Social Protection and make the case, whether through me or themselves, would the Minister accept that being taken into consideration instead of having to go through legislation? It is commonsense. Where someone goes in there voluntarily to make the payment, would the Minister take that into consideration?

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