Paul Bradford (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry that I missed the initial moving of the amendment under discussion and the contributions of some colleagues. I have listened with interest to what the Minister has had to say in response. We have to respect the requirement for a balanced approach that ensures needs are met but also ensures this can be funded. We would not be having this discussion, and the financial impact of the abolition of the bereavement grant would not be as significant, if the cost of funerals in this country was not so high. The Minister will appreciate that since our friend Gay Mitchell left the Oireachtas, we no longer receive an annual address on funeral costs as we used to do. Former Deputy Mitchell was always to the fore in comparing funeral costs in this country with those in our EU neighbours. Perhaps some Department other than the Department of Social Protection is responsible for this matter. I never know who is in charge as titles and portfolios change. The Minister might ask her Government colleague who is responsible for these matters to investigate why funeral costs in this country appear to be much higher than the European average. The bereavement grant will no longer be available to offer financial assistance to families who are presented with substantial bills at a difficult emotional time for them, but the bill will still remain.

I agree with Senator Moloney that the difficulty with saying that exceptional needs payments can generally be made by community welfare offices across the country in cases of difficulty, for example, following a bereavement or the withdrawal of a medical card, is that one office might approve an application, but another office might refuse an identical application. There does not appear to be a standard response to requests for exceptional needs payments. Perhaps a little clarification is required in this regard.