Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not disagree with the Deputy, except on his last point. There is no point in having research carried out and then making the decision ahead of it. I have to bring this matter to the Government and, as a former Minister for children, the Deputy will know what this involves. I am not going to pre-empt the outcome of the research, which is looking at the scheme under a variety of headings, including practice development, well-being, deprivation, sectoral retention and others. The benefits of the scheme have been well enunciated. The Deputy is right in saying there are a limited number of people in it and several different options that could possibly be looked at. People outside the scheme now might ask if it is their turn or is it somebody else's turn. All these aspects will have to be looked at in the round. Once I have the research before me and I can bring a memorandum to the Government, which I hope to do soon, there will be clarity regarding the scheme's future.

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