asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has received representations for the introduction of family maintenance legislation which would give women and children an enforceable right to a proportion of family income; and the action he proposes to take on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Family Maintenance Legislation.
106.
I presume the Deputy refers to a report prepared on this subject by an organisation known as AIM—Action, Information, Motivation—a copy of which is stated to have been sent last month to every Deputy and Senator. In common with all other Deputies I received a copy of that report and the accompanying questionnaire. The matter has not been the subject of formal representations to me in my capacity as Minister for Social Welfare, but in any event I would point out to the Deputy that my Department would not be the appropriate Ministry to deal with such matters. It is concerned with the formulation of policy in relation to social security and social assistance and with the administration of various income maintenance services designed to meet the loss of income from such causes as, for example, unemployment, sickness, invalidity, occupational injuries and desertion. In this field it has already taken the appropriate statutory powers to enable it to make suitable alternative arrangements for the payment of children's allowances and that portion of any other benefit which is payable in respect of dependants in cases where the recipient neglects or fails, for any reason, to make provision for his wife and children.
The Minister has said that his Department are not the appropriate Department to deal with this question. Why then did the officials of his Department accept this question for reply—why did they not redirect it to the appropriate Department?
I thought the Deputy might have in mind the fact that I am concerned in this from the point of view of social welfare payments.