The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness contains a commitment to establish a working group to produce proposals for the development of a fully inclusive social insurance model which would facilitate combining work and family responsibilities in the context of a changing work environment. This is one of a number of commitments in the programme in relation to examining different aspects of the social insurance system, and I will be looking at how to phase these different projects over the duration of the programme.
In addition, I have asked my Department to bring forward proposals in relation to pensions for women who have taken time out from work because of caring responsibilities in the home.
The social insurance system already has a number of features which enable people to combine work and family responsibilities. There are some benefits which assist people in combining work and family responsibilities. Maternity benefit has been part of the system since its inception. Adoptive benefit was introduced in April 1995. In the Social Welfare Act recently passed by the Oireachtas I have introduced a new benefit which develops this area further – carer's benefit. The new benefit, which will come into operation next October, will enable those workers who take time out to care for ill or incapacitated persons to receive a social insurance payment.
This is an innovative development of the social insurance system as it introduces cover for a contingency which was not covered to date. Carer's benefit, allied with the proposed statutory carer's leave entitlements, will therefore enable workers to combine their working requirements with their responsibilities to care for others.