Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I will consider this issue before Report Stage. The contribution of Senator Cox, supported by that of Senator Terry, strikes a chord with me. This is an area that is difficult to administer because of the numbers involved. I have already said regarding the rent supplement scheme that we should deal with people on the basis of individual needs, not according to an arbitrary time restriction or set of rules. I still believe that, even in this case. For some schemes, however, in the absence of a system for making individual assessments, there must be rules like those that apply to this scheme.

Every deadline is crude by definition. It is tough if one falls a few hours the wrong side of it. This has happened to us all, depending on age and other factors, in that we me may find we are three or six months short of a particular deadline. This is part of our systems. In the area of social welfare, we should try to focus on individual needs as far as is possible. However, until we design the type of system about which Senator Cox has spoken, we must deal with the system we have. I will consider the points raised by Senators Cox and Terry.