Colette Kelleher (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed with the Minister of State's response. We really need clear sight of the impact of budgetary measures on sustaining income growth for the bottom 40%. I absolutely understand the focus on jobs and the need for employment but there is such a group as the working poor, particularly in the context of very high rents.

The Minister of State says we must examine cumulative measures. We must examine all the measures. There was a time when the yardstick was that rent would be about 25% of one's income but we now know this proportion is very much higher for many. Therefore, I do not accept there are sufficient reporting arrangements to pull all the information together. It is not a question of standing still but of sustainable growth in income for the 40%. I wish the Minister of State would have accepted our recommendation, which I will press.