Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This Green Paper is for consultation only. Everything is up for discussion. No decisions have been made other than the payment as it currently stands will not reduce.

We will take on board all the submissions we have received. Already I am getting requests to further extend the consultation period. I will give consideration to that as well because some people felt that they should get longer to consider it and make their submissions. This is an inclusive process and I want to hear all the views.

People have made comparisons with the UK. What happened in the UK was very obviously a cost-cutting exercise. What this Green Paper is proposing will cost another €130 million per year. It is not a cost-saving exercise.

We will go through all the submissions. If there are clear red lines for people and we need to go back to the drawing board, that is what we will do.

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