Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 151 of 11 December 2012, if he will provide more detailed information on the work being undertaken by the Revenue Commissioners with a Government Department and a public sector agency regarding means testing for State benefits. [56938/12]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that the level of a person’s annual income is one of the criteria that is taken into account in the means assessment process. I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that they have been examining the feasibility of putting in place arrangements for verifying the annual income details of individuals electronically in the context of a means assessment. Such verification would be on foot of a request, which is supported by appropriate legislation, from a public sector organisation. As well as minimising the burden on the individual who is the subject of the means assessment, this process would also provide third party verification of the income provided by the individual who is being means assessed. I am further advised that discussions are well advanced with the Health Services Executive (HSE), for the purposes of medical card applications, and the Department of Education & Skills, for the purposes of third-level educational grant applications, whereby Revenue would provide, following a request from either organisation, an electronic confirmation of the amount of an individual’s annual income where that individual has applied for either a medical card or an educational grant.

In the case of the HSE, enabling legislation is required before any form of data exchange can take place and I understand that this is planned for 2013. In the case of the Department of Education & Skills, the required legislation is already in place and how the data exchange process would operate in practice is under active discussion.

I fully welcome this initiative that is being undertaken by Revenue, the HSE and the Department of Education & Skills. It is an excellent example of inter-agency collaboration that is a key part of the public service reform agenda. When it is up and running, it will offer significant savings to the citizen as it will reduce the amount of physical documentation that they have to provide to the means assessor and it should result in a quicker service, it will also minimise potential instances of fraud and error in applications for medical cards and third-level grants and will benefit the public sector organisations concerned by reducing unnecessary contacts with citizens.