Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)

As I referred to in my opening statement, the social system operates on the general principle of one person, one payment. This approach is a standard feature of social security systems throughout the world. It means that, generally, the bereaved partner's pension cannot be received at the same time as illness benefit. I know it is probably no comfort, but my earlier contribution also referred to the option of the supplementary welfare allowance. If an individual is struggling to make mortgage repayments or if the cost of rent or other household goods exceeds income, there is that option, but I get the point. That is very much a last resort, which we should be trying to avoid in all cases, and there should be some safety net in place.

I emphasise that I fully recognise the challenges that widows, widowers, surviving civil partners and qualified cohabitants, especially those with children, face. As I have said, and this is the important point we need to take away from this discussion, the Department of Social Protection will continue to keep its range of supports under review. Any changes to the current system would need to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context, taking account of the social insurance contribution rates and the overall sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund.

That being said, I outlined in the earlier statement the overall costs of a lot of these schemes, with the bigger scheme costing about €1.9 billion. I am not the Minister but I will certainly bring this feedback to the Minister, Deputy Calleary. However, on amendments like this, where we are trying to cater for someone who is very vulnerable or has experienced extreme loss, I do not believe the cost and significance would be detrimental to the overall State coffers. That, again, is a message I will bring back to the Minister and, as the Deputy said, a lot of these schemes are always under review.

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