Programme for Government Implementation

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Questions (337)

Simon Harris

Question:

337. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline in tabular form the commitments in the Programme for Government pertaining to her ministerial portfolio; the current status of these commitments in terms of implementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42885/12]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Programme for Government commits to implementing a fundamental programme of reform of the system of social protection. The scale of this reform is challenging and wide-reaching. I am committed to working with the Department and its agencies in the delivery of the commitments in this Programme for Government and substantial progress on many of the commitments have already been made.

The first Annual Report which sets out the implementation status of my Department’s main achievements in the Programme for Government was published by the Department of the Taoiseach in March 2012 and is available on http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Publications/Publications_Archive/Publications_2011/PfG_Progress_Report_March_2012.pdf. It is the Government’s intention to publish the second Annual Report in March 2013 which will set out specific progress during 2012.

The status (to end July 2012) on the implementation of the commitments relevant to my Department is outlined in the table.

Commitments in the Programme for Government for which the Department of Social Protection has a primary role:

PfG Reference	Commitment	Status Summary
1.2.3	Halve the lower 8.5% rate of PRSI up to end 2013 on jobs paying up to €356 per week – announced in the Jobs Initiative	Implemented.
1.2.9	Expand eligibility for the back to education allowance	Implementation options under consideration.
1.3.1	The development of a new graduate and apprentice internship scheme, work placement programmes and further education opportunities for our young unemployed providing an additional 60,000 places across a range of schemes and initiatives – announced in the Jobs Initiative.	Implementation in progress.
1.3.5	Replacing FÁS with a new National Employment and Entitlements Service (NEES) so that all employment and benefit support services will be integrated in a single delivery unit managed by the Department of Social Protection. This integrated service would provide a ‘one stop shop’ for people seeking to establish their benefit entitlements; looking for a job; and seeking advice about their training options.	Implementation underway.
1.3.6	The NEES will process citizen entitlements such as supplementary welfare allowances, higher education grants and welfare allowances. It will manage as much as possible means testing for State entitlements. It will also be responsible for employment referral and training supports provided by FÁS. This service will offer users a higher level of personalised employment counselling, with more frequent face-to-face interviews. Those on the live register who are identified as being most at risk of long-term unemployment will receive priority treatment for more intensive support. It will ensure active case management for people in need of assistance	Implementation underway.
1.12.11	Maintain the standard 10.75% rate of employers PRSI	Implemented.
1.12.16	Introduce a range of measures to tackle the problem of welfare fraud	A range of measures have been implemented and further measures are under consideration.
1.12.19 & 3.37.3	Establish a Tax and Social Welfare Commission to examine entitlements of self employed and the elimination of disincentives to employment. The Commission will examine the interaction between the taxation and the welfare systems to ensure that work is worthwhile. In particular, it will examine family and child income supports, and a means by which self-employed people can be insured against unemployment and sickness	Implemented. Implementation in progress.
3.25.5	Convert the Money Advice and Budgeting Service into a strengthened Personal Debt Management Agency with strong legal powers	Implementation in planning.
3.25.6	Make greater use of Mortgage Interest Supplement to support families who cannot meet their mortgage payments	Implementation options under consideration.
3.37.1	Maintain Social Welfare rates	Implemented.
3.37.4	Committed to achieving the targets in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion to reduce the number of people experiencing poverty	Commitment modified. Implementation actions and plans under consideration. Arising from the review of the national poverty target, the Government has revised the timescale for the national poverty target as follows: to reduce consistent poverty to 4% by 2016 and to 2% or less by 2020, from the 2010 baseline rate of 6.2%. The Government has agreed to set new sub-targets for children and jobless households and to adopt new supporting indicators to monitor progress towards the national poverty target. The Government has decided to rename the new national poverty target as a ‘national social target’, to emphasise its whole-of-government nature and linkages with other government policies.
3.38.1 3.38.2 3.38.3 3.38.4 & 4.1.4	We will examine the social protection system with a view to identifying and eliminating poverty traps including: Amending the 30 hour rule for Rent Supplement and Mortgage Interest Supplement for people moving from welfare to work. Activating people on a reduced week who refuse extra day(s) employment. Over time, One Parent Family Payment will be replaced with a parental allowance that does not discourage marriage, cohabitation or work. Our tax, social welfare and other laws should not discourage people from getting married or cohabiting. For example, single mothers lose the One Parent Family Payment if they marry. Over time, we will transform it into a family income-based payment that does not discourage marriage or work.	Examination of poverty traps underway. Under consideration. Under consideration. Changes to the One Parent Family Payment (OFP) have been implemented to move the scheme much closer to the jobseeker schemes.
3.39.1	A zero tolerance approach to welfare fraud, underpinned by a major anti-fraud enforcement drive.	A range of measures have been implemented and further measures are under consideration.
3.39.2	As well as more regular face-to-face interviews with an integrated employment and entitlements service for those of working age, other anti-fraud measures will be undertaken using latest available technology and better sharing of data across government departments and agencies	A number of measures have been implemented and more are under consideration.
3.40.1	Progressively reduce reliance on Rent Supplement, with eligible recipients moving to the Rental Accommodation Scheme	Implementation in progress.
3.40.2	Review the operation of the Rent Supplement Scheme and introduce a code of conduct for rent supplement eligibility similar to that which operates for local authority tenants	Implementation in progress in co-operation with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.
3.40.3	Pay rent supplement to tax-compliant landlords registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) and offering decent quality accommodation, to root out fraud	Implementation in progress.
3.40.4	Divert staff from elsewhere in public service to clear the social welfare appeals backlog, and introduce a consolidated appeals process	Implemented.
3.40.5	Put the household benefits packages out to tender, so that the Exchequer benefits from reduced prices	Implementation not feasible based on advice from the Chief State Solicitors Office, the Commission for Energy Regulation and the Competition Authority. Other expenditure reducing measures have been implemented.
3.40.6	Raise the issue of payment of Child Benefit in respect of non-resident children at EU level, and seek to have the entitlement modified to reflect the cost of living where a child is resident. We will examine all possible flexibility within European legislation to reduce the cost of this payment.	Issue has been raised and implementation of change in this area is unlikely.
3.41.4	Ensure that trans-gender people will have legal recognition and extend the protections of the equality legislation to them.	Plans to implement commitment under consideration.
4.1.11	Reform the pension system to progressively achieve universal coverage, with particular focus on lower-paid workers, to achieve better risk sharing, and to provide for greater flexibility for those who wish to retire on a phased basis	A number of measures have been implemented and further measures are under consideration.