Has the Minister any proposals to change the procedure whereby assessment of means is based on the means of a claimant on a particular day? I am thinking in particular of young people whose father or mother may be working and, on the day an inspector calls, the income for that particular week may be higher relative to the overall income of the household. Has the Minister any plans to change that and take a more general approach to income into the household?

I will be reviewing the whole operation of that system for a variety of reasons, not just the one the Deputy mentioned. I appreciate the point the Deputy is making.

There is also the question of people wanting to avail themselves of casual work and being able to be away for very short periods. There are arrangements which facilitate this, but they may not be flexible enough to deal with the circumstances that arise.

Another aspect is the difficulty in doing all these calculations repeatedly and changing them and so on. We have now just completed computerising the unemployment assistance in Dublin and are starting in Cork. That will offer new opportunities for flexibility which were not available hitherto. That is something that can be looked at. The increased cost would obviously be a factor to be taken into consideration.

Arising out of the Minister's indication that a wider review is taking place, I suggested previously that a self-assessment system could be introduced in relation to unemployment assistance, just as there is in relation to the self-employed in the tax area, where there would be a requirement to provide documentation, thus reducing the delays that are involved at present in making assessments. Has the Minister any intention of considering that aspect?

One of the reasons that approach has not gained any favour in the past is the lack of control and flexibility in the whole system. Certainly, I shall consider the possibility of its becoming more flexible in a variety of ways.