Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for tabling the amendment. I do not propose to accept it for the reasons I outlined on the last occasion, but the Deputy makes a fair point and I share his concerns. I have asked for the issue to be examined.

It would not be appropriate to insert it in legislation because, essentially, it is an administrative arrangement. It might be more difficult and constraining than intended if it was dealt with in legislation. However, I will revert to the Deputy on it. A new overall chief executive has been appointed to the CIB and MABS and I will ask them to examine this issue. Facilitating people, on EasyPay, in a range of payments is the best way of managing their money. We also must be careful not to take too much of their money; therefore, a balance must be struck, certainly at this time of the year. We have good facilities with An Post and the Deputy will recall that we reviewed the legislation relating to household budgeting to make it more effective.

Of the 500 people the Deputy referenced, 300 have found other mechanisms to address their method of payment and been accommodated. They include, principally, people going on the household budget scheme, using An Post mybills.ie, BillPay, PostPoint, Payzone and PayPoint which are available in local shops. A total of 100 people are being actively assisted by MABS to transition to an alternative bill paying service. MABS is examining potential solutions for the remainder or families, who number less than 100.

While I thank the Deputy for the amendment, it should not be incorporated into the Bill. However, I agree with him on this issue and his proposals and share his concerns around it.

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