David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the context of this cut and a number of other cuts we discussed earlier, the Minister has spoken about the exceptional needs payment as an option. The problem with that, as someone mentioned earlier, is that public representatives often have to make representations to community welfare officers about exceptional needs payments.

Public representatives obviously must make representations to the community welfare officers about the exceptional needs payment. It is discretionary first and foremost. I do not believe all of the people covered by their social insurance contributions who would ordinarily get this payment and all the other payments about which we spoke earlier and which have been cut, will get the exceptional needs payment. It will be a very small percentage. The Minister is obviously trying to save money and come up with savings she says need to be made. That means that people will lose out. To say that there is blanket protection in terms of the exceptional needs payment is true to an extent. It is there for some people but I would argue that only a very small minority will get something from that fund. If that is not the case, we will not have cuts. If everybody who is covered gets money back through the exceptional needs payment, there are no savings, which does not make sense. In respect of all the cuts that have been mentioned, there has been an attempt to argue that people will get paid and that no cuts exist when, in fact, they do. That is the point I am making.