Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The supplementary welfare payment does not try to bring everybody up to the €350 payment. Rather, it looks at individual outgoings. For example, the Deputy's household might be different to my household if we were both over 66. We are looking at people as individuals, taking account of their outgoings and whether they are necessary. For example, we might pay for somebody's mortgage or rent but not for a large car. We are looking at people as individuals.

I will provide copies of the letters to and from Mandate, which clearly show the legal advice I got from the Attorney General. The Deputy is correct - I said this earlier on - that we need to convene to examine what we should have learned and can learn from the interactions and the swiftness of Debenham's such that we are prepared if and when it does happen again.

The Deputy is also correct that all income is taxable. This will require people to do a self declaration at the end of the year. The reason I have not done an advertising campaign is that we have done a great deal over the last couple of weeks, not least our efforts to try to keep the radios and newspapers with a little revenue coming into them. I do not know how the Revenue Commissions are going to deal with this. It depends on whether they deal with it on a week one, month one basis. That will determine how we let people their entitlements or obligations. As soon as the Revenue Commissions make up their minds the Department will do an advertising campaign.

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