Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

While I understand the purpose of the amendment, we cannot accept it because this as an emergency measure and we want to be quick. There is benefit in universality. It is much easier, much quicker and much less expensive. We have the electricity meter or billing system to be able to action this. If we start trying to separate out a number of exceptions, we would be stuck in appeals and a whole range of other processes. This would put back the delivery of this important financial payment to people at a particularly hard time. I am afraid, therefore, that we cannot accept the amendment.