Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Ó Laoghaire and I recently met officials from the Department on this. We had a detailed discussion and one of the key problems is that where somebody's employment circumstances have changed in the past 12 months and their income has fallen, local authorities rigidly state it is the 12-month average irrespective of a change. This is not the flexibility provided for in the circular. The circular provides for flexibility with respect to a one-off payment. This needs to be changed. I will also send details to the Minister of a family in exactly this case. Their income is now below the threshold but their previous income as calculated over the previous 12 months was not. They have been removed after nine years on the list. This is simply not acceptable.

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