Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will revert to the Minister for Social Protection and I ask the Deputy to send me on the details so the case can be examined more closely. I cannot discuss individual cases on the floor of the House. I do not know the full background to it but, obviously, the Government is anxious to incentivise people to work, in the first instance, but also to ensure that there would be basic amounts available to enable people to survive. The Deputy's basic point is that the private pension is militating against the person getting a decent jobseeker's allowance payment. That is the key point he is making here. That may have something to do with the thresholds or other factors of which I am not aware in respect of the details of the case itself. Nonetheless, if the Deputy can send me on the details, I will certainly pursue it. If there are policy implications, we can pursue those in the budgetary context or through the social welfare Bill arising from the budget.

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