Vol. 515 No. 3
261 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the consultancies, work groups and specialist groups employed for carrying out studies in his Department; when these groups were established; when their reports are expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5789/00]
As part of the ongoing work in my Department, a wide range of reviews is carried out by staff of the Department as part of their normal work.
In addition, consulants are sometimes commissioned to carry out specific assignments, whether in relation to policy issues, to aspects of the administration of the Department's schemes and services, or in the provision of technical expertise not otherwise available within the Department.
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Title: |
Business Component Model (Prototype) |
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Purpose: |
This project will lead to the selection of a technical platform to be used in the design and implementation of the future service delivery model for the Department's services. |
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Report due: |
May 2000 |
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Title: |
IS Division Review of Services |
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Purpose: |
This project will assist in addressing a number of key issues regarding the capacity and capabilities of the information systems division in the short and medium term. |
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Report due: |
May 2000. |
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Title: |
Priority Management Process |
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Purpose: |
This consultancy will provide assistance in the development of a priority management process as part of the Department's overall change management programme. |
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Report due: |
March 2000 |
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Title |
Employability and Relevance for the Management of the Live Register |
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Purpose: |
To review relevant literature on the subject of “employability”, to examine the issue of appropriate programmes for tackling issues of employability and to consider the practical ways in which the Department might be able to identify individuals for participation in programmes to improve employability. |
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Duration: |
August 2000 |
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Title |
Social Impact evaluation of the Community Development Programme |
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Purpose: |
1)describe and present the rationale for funding of the CDP as part of an overall social development and anti-poverty strategy;2)measure and document the impact the work of the CDP has had; and3)make such recommendations as seem appropriate for modifications in the programme structure, policy or funding to enhance its effectiveness in an efficient and cost-effective way. |
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Report due: |
October 2000 |
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Title: |
Research into Equality and Anti-Racism in the Community Development Programme |
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Purpose: |
To examine current work being done on equality issues and identify effective strategies that are currently being deployed within the CDP. |
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Report due: |
June 2000 |
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Title: |
Research into CDP Projects operating in a rural context. |
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Purpose: |
Research on strategies used by CDP projects operating in a rural context to produce guideline for rural CDPs. The report will also make recommendations on the training and support needs of rural CDPs. |
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Report due: |
June 2000 |
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Title: |
Evaluation of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service |
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Purpose: |
The purpose of the evaluation is to ensure that the programme is achieving its aims, that it is being operated in the most efficient manner possible and that the objectives of the programme are being met in the most effective way and to facilitate strategic planning for the service. |
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Report due: |
August 2000 |
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Title: |
White Paper on Voluntary Activity |
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Purpose: |
The aim of the White Paper is to set out a cohesive framework of support for the voluntary and community sector and to address issues relevant to the future development of the relationship between the statutory sector and the voluntary and community sector. Consultancy assistance is required in the analysis of submissions and of the feedback from national or regional seminars, preparation of discussion documents and facilitation of final drafts. |
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Report due: |
April 2000 |
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Title: |
Back to work Allowance |
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Purpose: |
To carry out a detailed critical analysis focused on persons whose BTWA or Area Allowance has expired – that is, those who have completed the three to four year cycle of support – and persons whose BTWA or AAE claims terminated prematurely and to make recommendations as to how the schemes might be improved to reduce the level of premature terminations and to maintain the sustainability of the jobs after State support has ceased. |
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Title: |
Evaluation of Family Services Project (Pilot) |
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Purpose: |
The focus of the evaluation is the extent to which the customer service objectives of the project are being achieved. The evaluation will cover the ongoing progress of the projects during the pilot phase. |
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Report due: |
September 2000 |
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Title: |
Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs) |
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Purpose: |
Technical pensions advice on the introduction of personal retirement savings accounts (PRSAs) in the context of an Occupational Pensions Bill to be prepared later this year. |
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Title: |
Pensions Bill 1990 |
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Purpose: |
Technical pensions advice on amendments to the Pensions Act, 1990, on foot of the Pensions Board National Pensions Policy Initiative (NPPI) report in the context of an Occupational Pensions Bill, as above. |
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Title: |
ESRI Research |
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This is an ongoing research programme operated by the ESRI on behalf of the Department and includes research on the interaction of tax and social welfare changes and on poverty trends. |
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Title: |
Reviews of Expenditure Programmes |
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Purpose: |
There are five reviews currently in progress in my Department under the Civil Service wide system of reviews of expenditure programmes: |
|
Review |
Established |
Due to report |
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Illness and Disability Payment Schemes |
April 1999 |
July 2000 |
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One-Parent Family Payment |
August 1999 |
May 2000 |
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Back to School Clothing and Footwear |
September 1999 |
June 2000 |
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School Meals |
September 1999 |
October 2000 |
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Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
February 2000 |
December 2001 |
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Name of Project |
Completion Date |
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Marginalised Men. |
May 2001 |
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Effective Parenting: An exploration of need. |
October 2000 |
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Assessing the Impact of Counselling on Marriage and Relationships. |
May 2001 |
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Processes of Family Formation. |
August 2000 |
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The Impact of Social Policies on the Family: Ireland in Comparative European Perspective. |
March 2001 |
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A Nine-Year Psycho-Social Follow-up Study of Children and their Families. |
July 2001 |
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Children's Experience of Parental Separation in Ireland. |
July 2001 |
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A Critical Assessment of the Impact of Flexible Working Arrangements to inform future policy development regarding “family-friendly” initiatives in the workplace. |
March 2000 |
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Marriage Counselling Client Study. |
May 2000 |
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Strengthening Families Through Fathers. |
December 2001 |
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Marital Breakdown Research Project. |
May 2000 |
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The First Years of Marriage. |
May 2001 |
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Grandparenthood in Modern Ireland. |
June 2000 |
