Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

As I stated, it is a small amount. These people cost €250 million in one year alone. When the habitual residency legislation was introduced it was assumed that anyone who did not have a right to remain in the State did not have a right to habitual residency. All we are asking in this section is that it should be a precondition of entitlement to access many social welfare benefits that one is entitled to be in the State. The people who have joined us in recent years come from 188 different countries. It would be wrong if people who are not entitled to be in this country were able to build up entitlements to social welfare.