Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the context of the conversation we had at the start of the meeting, we ask Ms Kelly to explore if she is aware of another indicator inside or outside the Department. This may be a conversation the committee also needs to have with the Central Statistics Office, CSO, to see what data might be available as a more effective indicator of what is happening on the ground. This is the point we are trying to make. In themselves, figures and numbers do not benefit the committee as it seeks to ascertain what is happening. The objective behind this reporting mechanism is so we, as Members of the Oireachtas, have a better idea of what is happening. It may involve looking at a combination of data from the Departments of Education and Social Protection. It might not be within Ms Kelly's remit. We cannot access Ticketmaster data, but there may be equivalent data, in combination, that could act as an effective metric to know what is going on with this funding. We ask the Department to look at that. It may be an issue we need to take up with the CSO.