There is a very good record of improvement but there are also big problems. There were the free schemes in the 1960s, which were very imaginative and much credit is due to Charles Haughey when he was a Minister. There was a big improvement in the rates when we joined the EU, both under Frank Cluskey as Minister and again under Charles Haughey in the late 1970s. There were fantastic 25% increases in old age pensions in 1980, 1981 and 1982. In 1987 when the economic situation was dire, one decision made was that there would be no cutbacks in social welfare and the Government implemented the commission on social welfare report, which the previous Fine Gael and Labour coalition had said would cost too much.