John Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. While I appreciate his response, I still feel there is a fundamental flaw in the system. Income that is received for maintenance payments is factored into the consideration of assessable income for the individual that receives it yet, on the other hand, it is not taken into account in policy terms for the person who pays it out. While I appreciate what the Minister of State said in regard to couples, the issue I am raising is particularly associated with separated couples where maintenance is paid as a result of a court order. In such circumstances, I believe the maintenance payment should be factored into the consideration of deductible income for the purposes of inclusion on the social housing list in the exact same way it is factored into the consideration for the person who receives it at the other end.

I would appreciate it if the Minister of State would bring this back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to have a second look at it. There have been some changes in the new policy as to what is permitted. This is specifically mentioned in the 2021 policy, over and above what had been the case. Perhaps there was flexibility in the previous 2011 policy that is not there in the 2021 policy.