The Social Welfare Benchmarking and Indexation Working Group was established under the terms of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF), in late 2000 and met for the first time on 17 December 2000. The group comprised some 16 members drawn from government departments and social partners. It was chaired by an independent chairperson, Professor Kieran Kennedy, former director of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). The members of the working group were nominated by their respective organisations. The secretariat was provided by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs.
The terms of reference of the group were to:
i.examine the issues involved in developing a benchmark for adequacy of adult and child social welfare payments, including the implications of adopting a specific approach to the ongoing up-rating or indexation of payments, having regard to their long-term economic, budgetary, PRSI contribution, distributive and incentive implications, in light of trends in economic, demographic and labour market patterns; and
ii.examine the issue of relative income poverty.
The group operated in parallel with the wider review of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) in accordance with the terms of the PPF. While the group was not a formal element of this wider review, it was intended that its work would help to advance consideration of the theme of income adequacy and income poverty measurement. The group concluded its work and produced its final report in September 2001. No expenditure has arisen in connection with the group in the past five years.