Means assessments for small-farm families
Boylan said unrealistic valuations of farm stock and income leave some small-farm families below the poverty line, with children going to school hungry. Woods offered to investigate individual cases, and Boylan said he regularly provides them.
Is the Minister aware that there are many families on small farms living below the poverty line as a result of social welfare officers not being qualified to assess their means, that they are being assessed as having incomes which are not realisable and that their stock is being assessed at a value which is not realisable at the mart? Will the Minister take some action to improve their position? Children of those households are going to school with no food.
Comment on this
If the Deputy provides me with information on particular cases I will be very happy to follow them up.