Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

-----but that is part of the rules on cohabitation. We get many complaints in regard to that. People complain about those on disability payments being well able to work. What many do not realise is that as a lone parent one can earn €145 and still get one's full payment. One can still work when claiming disability benefit. People seem to think that it is a case of one or the other.

A total of 115,000 people on the live register also work three days a week or they are on systematic part-time work while being supported by social welfare. One can legitimately get a payment but also work. We need to get the balance right. In so far as any complaint is made about an individual, he or she does not know that a complaint has been made about them nor do they know who made the complaint. The protections are built into the system. The public has been very supportive of that.