Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 September 2018
495. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is satisfied that the public consultation process with regard to pension reform has been conducted in line with the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2016-2018 and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's consultation principles and guidelines. [38704/18]
View answerMy officials are well aware of the Open Government Partnership National Action Plan 2016-2018 and the consultation principles and guidelines set out in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform's document in September 2016. I am satisfied that the public consultation processes with regards to pensions reform are being conducted with due regard to the guidelines and principles.
My Department fully complied with the consultation principles set out below:
The first of principle is that consultation with the public must be genuine, meaningful, timely, balanced and with the ultimate objective of leading to better outcomes and greater understanding by all involved of the benefits and consequences of proceeding with particular policy or legislation proposals. Consultation should aim to achieve real engagement and ‘real listening’ rather than being a pro-forma exercise for bureaucratic purposes. A genuine consultation process ensures that the real-world impact of policy options is considered.
The second principle is that consultation should be targeted at and easily accessible to those with a clear interest in the policy in question. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to consultation. The size, type and scope of the consultative process depends on the proposed policy, the type and scale of the potential impacts of the proposal or decision being taken, the number of people or groups affected by them, and where relevant particular requirements of the child and young people and those who may be marginalised or vulnerable.
The third principle is that Government departments and agencies should make systematic efforts to ensure that interested and affected parties have the opportunity to take part in open consultations at all stages of the policy process on significant policy, services and legislative matters: development, implementation, evaluation, and review.
For example in relation to the reform of the State Pension (Contributory), the policy to introduce the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pensions calculation was adopted by Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010, as was the decision to base the entitlements of all new pensioners on this approach from around 2020. The Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023 confirmed the Government’s position that the State pension will be reformed and will remain as the fundamental basis of the pension system in Ireland.
The Government intends to introduce the TCA to establishing level of entitlement for all new state pension contributory claims from 2020 onwards and I launched the public consultation on this proposal in May. My Department invited sectorial interest groups representing pensioners, workers, employers, young people, the unemployed and more. Members of the media were also invited and the launch was featured extensively throughout the broadcast and written media in the days that followed. The consultation was hosted on the Department's website and open to everyone to submit responses and submissions. The consultation sought input on a range of relevant factors which included the amount of contributions needed for a full rate contributory state pension, the amount of credited contribution a person could avail of, and whether there would be a "phase-in period" for the changes.
The online consultation lasted for over 3 months and we received over 270 responses. The consultation closed on Monday, the 3rd of September. An analysis of the views submitted is now being undertaken and feedback will be published on the Department's website. Following this a review of the consultation process will be carried out which will consider whether the objectives of the consultation have been met, including whether the methods used were appropriate to the objectives and the cost-effectiveness of the consultation process. It will also identify any lessons learned to inform future consultation processes.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
