The recently-established Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare should investigate the 2.62 million discrepancy between Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers in circulation and the population, Fine Gael Senator Fidelma Healy Eames has said.
It was revealed this week that there are 7.2 million PPS numbers for a population of only 4.58 million and Senator Eames, who is Fine Gael Social Protection Spokeswoman in the Seanad, said it provided strong potential for abuse of the welfare system.
Senator Healy Eames has written to Group chairwoman, barrister Ita Mangan suggesting a "social welfare income cap" on a household basis to "stem a culture of social welfare reliance at an intergenerational level".
The group should also examine the degree to which unemployment assistance could be "decoupled" from other social welfare schemes, the Senator added.
She has also proposed a study of the legal possibility of paying child benefit in respect of non-resident children at the rate of their home country rather than the Irish rate.
