Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

It is complex as it involves 96 schemes, many of which are means tested. A good outcome will be consistency across schemes and in how means testing is applied. We had a discussion this morning about areas it may not need to or should not apply to in the context of work done by those on these schemes. Even though the Department has a budget of €27 billion, resources are still scarce and they have to be targeted. I want to ensure they are targeted for those most in need, which the means test assists us to do. It has consistently been shown in EU figures to ensure that we target those most in need. A lot more work needs to be done in that space. It is a priority but it is complex given the volume of schemes and the various challenges.

See this speech in context