Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am partially reassured but I ask the Minister of State to clarify a couple of points. There is one social welfare payment explicitly mentioned, namely, children's allowance. Why is that payment specifically mentioned but others are not? Am I to understand from the Minister of State's description - because it is not in the Act - that, in calculating net disposable income, social welfare payments which may contribute to the achievement of reasonable living expenses will be discounted in the calculation of net? If persons are in receipt of these payments and the payments bring their income towards the reasonable living expenses threshold, while remaining below it, will that income contributing to reasonable living expenses but below the reasonable living expenses threshold not then be counted as net disposable income? I want to be absolutely clear about social welfare payments and the receipt of them. The Bill explicitly states that social welfare payments will be counted towards the €60 amount. However, it will be counted towards it only after the threshold of reasonable living expenses has been met. That is what I want to clarify.

The Minister of State seems to be telling me, and I would be greatly reassured if that was the case, that social welfare payments may be part of how reasonable living expenses are achieved and that the consideration of non-disposable income rather than net disposable income is where social welfare payments may be effectively reaching the person. It is very clear in the Bill that social welfare payments are not counted towards the €60 when it comes to considering the €60 over net disposable income. Will the Minister of State confirm the payments are being dealt with in the non-disposable income towards reasonable living expenses section? I will then be assured we do not need to deal with them in this section around net disposable income. Why has the choice been made to name children's allowance in the Bill and not other child-related payments, such as the qualified child payment and the qualified child increase?