Vol. 411 No. 2
7 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Social Welfare if, in view of the limited time normally available between publication and debate on the Social Welfare Bill each year which makes it very difficult for interested parties to make submissions, he will consider the publication of a White Paper before the end of each year which would set out his general policies and objectives for the subsequent year's Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
For the past three years, I have held a pre-budget forum in November at which a number of organisations with a particular interest in the social welfare area were invited to discuss with me their proposals and priorities for social welfare in the context of the annual budget. These occasions proved to be successful and were very valuable to me and to the Government in formulating proposals for consideration in the lead up to the budget. I propose to host another pre-budget forum next month.
The Government's principal commitments in the area of social welfare reform are contained in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress which was launched last January. Specific undertakings have been given in the programme in relation to the development of the social welfare services under a number of headings such as improving existing social welfare payments in line with recommendations of the Commission on Social Welfare, introducing new measures for child income support and providing greater integration of social assistance provisions. Proposals for inclusion in next year's Social Welfare Bill will be formulated within the framework of the programme.
There are no plans to publish a further policy document prior to the publication of next year's Social Welfare Bill. Many of the measures in the Bill will have been included in the budget.
I do not want to object as I support the concept of pre-budget fora. I appreciate the broad general outlines of intent in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress but that is not what the question is asking. Last year for example, we had three days between publication and debate on the Social Welfare Bill which meant that interested bodies — Combat Poverty, FLAC, Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed and the Conference of Major Religious Superiors — were handicapped in making submissions. My request is that there should be sufficient time between publication and debate on the Bill. The Minister should issue a general statement or a broad outline of what he intends to put into the Social Welfare Bill of the following year.
In addition to holding the pre-budget forum, on budget day, for those organisations we hold a special information session — which has proved to be very valuable — during which our part of the budget is spelled out very clearly and any technical difficulties or any of the parts which may not be obvious are explained on that occasion. The bulk of the subsequent Social Welfare Bill is outlined either in the budget or in the Minister's budget speech. Generally, notice is given of the majority of the elements in the Social Welfare Bill so its contents are not a surprise.
I appreciate that you have these briefings on budget day, but that is not the point. The point is that, following publication of the Social Welfare Bill, we have three days in which to prepare amendments for the debate in the House as have the groups who wish to lobby — and rightly so given that we live in a democracy — and make their opinions known on the specifics of the Bill but the time lag between the publication and the debate creates a difficulty for all politicians in preparing their amendments and submissions.
The Deputy has made his point adequately.
To a large extent we are bound by the timing of the budget and the subsequent drafting of the Bill. I will certainly endeavour to leave as much time as possible between the two.
