Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Perhaps I am not as sharp as I thought I was but I am finding it difficult to follow some of this. I am aware of the Supreme Court case and these amendments have been landed before us as a direct result of that. Obviously, efforts were made to try to refine this. I understand the principle behind the incarceration element in trying to deal with Supreme Court judgment but, like Deputy O'Dea, I would say this is drafted very widely and it provides for an almost all-encompassing aspect to the legislation. I would like to have more time to review it. We will be guided by the Attorney General's advice. There is no better advice than that. Obviously, that office has an external senior counsel who has some proficiency in dealing with social welfare issues in this area.

If the central thrust of what is proposed is to deal with people who end up being incarcerated on the basis of payments, like Deputy O'Dea I also was reading paragraph (b) of section 46A (1) of the principal Act. I would like clarification as to precisely who is covered or what does that incorporate. It looks pretty wide or it might provide a foretaste of the next amendment that might be brought forward so that this is covered in a wide enough way to incorporate a future amendment that may well be engaged regarding this aspect of the legislation. For clarification purposes, the Minister might clear that up for us.

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