asked the Minister for Social Welfare if the Commission on Social Welfare completed their considerations by March, as the former Minister for Social Welfare indicated they were likely to do in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 273 of 23 October last; if so, when the report will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Commission on Social Welfare Report.
5.
The report of the Commission on Social Welfare has not yet become available. I understand, however, that the commission's deliberations are nearing conclusion and I expect that their report will be available shortly.
The terms of reference of the commission provide that their report is to be submitted to the Minister for Social Welfare in the first instance and that the report may be published with the authority of the Government. As soon as the report is available the necessary arrangements will be made for its submission to the Government for a decision concerning its publication.
The Minister said on a number of occasions that the report would be available soon. We are now into April and we still do not have it. Could he give a more precise date as to when it is expected? The commission must have an idea when they expect to finish their deliberations and presumably the report will have to be printed.
The commission were established in 1983 and were to report in two years, that is, by September 1985. In June 1985 the chairman of the commission indicated that the report could not be completed and he sought an extension to March 1986. That was reluctantly agreed to by the then Minister. It is now understood that the commission are to meet on Wednesday, 23 April, to discuss certain redrafts of the report. The indication from the chairman is that the report will be finalised at that meeting and he proposes to give the commission a further opportunity to read the report as a whole before signing it. Realistically, this means that it is unlikely the report will be available until some time in May.
Could the Minister give any indication why additional time was sought? It was expected that two years would be sufficient to produce the report and an extention was given until March; now we are told it will be May before the report is available. We were talking originally about two years but an additional year has been given to produce this report. Is the reason for this extension that the members are having difficulty in coming to conclusions, or is the Minister not satisfied with the kind of conclusions they are coming up with? Is the Minister seeking these redrafts or the members?
I want to assure the Deputy that the Minister is not seeking any redrafting. It is a matter purely within the commission. The House must be aware of the extent and nature of the social welfare code. The commission were made up of very excellent people who were given a very formidable task. It may have been over-ambitious to expect them to produce a report within two years. In my view it is not unreasonable, having regard to all the circumstances, that it has taken somewhat longer than that. It is probably a good thing that it has taken them longer than expected to produce this report because it means, first, that the commission have done an extensive job on the social welfare code and, second, that they are giving very deep thought to what will be in their report. I am satisfied that the reason for the delay can be justified and that nothing but good can come from it.
In relation to the Minister of State's reply about the report of the Commission on Social Welfare, in view of the fact that this report is long awaited and it is hoped that many of the anomalies within the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act will be sorted out as a result of the report, have many consultations taken place between either the Minister for Social Welfare or the Minister of State and the commission in relation to the details of the pending report?
Minister, a final reply.
The commission were given a task by the then Minister, so the commission's report will be submitted to the Minister in the first instance. Then the report may be published with the authority of the Government.