Vol. 376 No. 11
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline the Government's position on the report of the Commission on Social Welfare; if any timetable has been agreed for the implementation of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
44.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he intends implementing the recommendations of the Commission on Social Welfare.
65.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans his Department have to implement the Commission on Social Welfare recommendation on a basic level of pension for widows.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 10, 44 and 65 together.
The report of the Commission on Social Welfare contains a comprehensive analysis of the social welfare system and highlights many defects and deficiencies in the system. It is a very important and useful document from that point of view.
The report contains a wide variety of recommendations relating to all areas of the system and the commission themselves acknowledged that many of those recommendations could only be implemented over a period of time. At the same time I feel that the commission did not give adequate attention to the financial implications of the recommendations which they made.
The policy of the Government is to devote whatever resources can be made available to maintaining and improving the social welfare system. The extent to which additional resources can be made available for this purpose will, to a large degree, be determined by the success of the Government's policies in achieving growth in the economy. However, I am determined that whatever progress can be made in reforming and developing the social welfare system within the financial constraints which exist, will be made. The Government are committed to maintaining the overall value of social welfare benefits, and within the resources available, will consider special provisions for greater increases for those receiving the lowest payments.
I have announced a number of major policy developments in recent months which are in line with the recommendations made by the commission. These include the decision to extend compulsory social insurance cover for pensions to the self-employed and the transfer of responsibility for sick pay for an initial period of 13 weeks to employers. I am also rationalising a number of my Department's schemes to ensure that they are directed principally to those in greatest need. In addition, I am taking measures to streamline in a major way over the coming years the administration of the social welfare system to make it fairer, more efficient and more effective for users. I will also be bringing my proposals for improvements in the social welfare appeals system to Government in the near future.
The process of review of the social welfare system will be an ongoing one and in formulating further proposals for reform and development of the system, I will be taking fully into account the recommendations of the commission and the views that were expressed therein. My Department have also received the views of many interested organisations and individuals on the commission's report in general and on specific recommendations made in the report and these are also being fully taken into account.
With regard to Deputy Bell's question. I would like to state that the commission made no recommendation specifically in relation to the basic level of pensions for widows. Their recommendations in this regard applied to social welfare payments generally.
The Minister may recall a discussion on social welfare in this House before the summer recess. I asked if he would be prepared to set up an all-party committee to examine the recommendations of the commission's report. At that time, he promised he would discuss the matter with the Whips. Has he had any discussion with the Whips with a view to setting up an all-party committee to explore the possibility of introducing some of the recommendations of this report?
I raised the matter at that time but I have had no results from the Whips. I will certainly raise this matter with them again.
I appreciate that.
Would the Minister agree that his reply is tantamount to saying that the social welfare report will not be implemented?
No.
Any objective analysis would show that what the Minister is saying is to forget about the social welfare report because they will not implement it. Would he tell the House any one step he has taken to improve the lot of the least well off categories in the social welfare system as highlighted in the social welfare report?
The opportunity to do that comes at budget time. The last Budget was formed following the collapse of the previous Government and there was not much time to do more than advance the payment for everybody from November to July at a cost of an additional £19 million. I have said repeatedly that I recognise the need to look particularly at the position of people on the lowest income, a point made by the commission, and I will continue to do that. The report of the commission is used by me and my Department as a general framework and we refer to it all the time. I mentioned some major schemes that we are undertaking which are directly related to the report.
Would the Minister not agree that there was ample opportunity during the year to do something for the least well off in the social welfare code? He could have continued the decision of the preivious Government to pay a special increase of £3.50 to those living alone on unemployment assistance. He could have used the social welfare Bill enacted yesterday to make provision out of the £36 million savings from the Jobsearch scheme and other schemes in the hunt against fraud.
Some of those savings were provided for in the budget initially. They were part of the revised Estimates for the year. Some of the savings were used to offset the costs in the system. As regards the special living alone allowance, this was decided by the House earlier in the year and that arrangement did not receive the support of the House at the time.
Would the Minister agree that one of the fundamental arrangements of the report of the Social Welfare Commission was the provision of a basic income to people on social welfare. They reckoned that in order to live a decent and dignified life, the basic income, could be anything between £50 and £60 per week. Would the Minister indicate what steps he has taken to raise the social welfare payments to those levels, and if he intends to use the income from the extension of the PRSI system to do that, as was recommended in the report?
I have had various suggestions calculated and updated. It was suggested that the basic payment should be raised to £45. The 1987 equivalent of that is £48.30 a week — without getting into the £50 to £60 a week level — and the cost of that for a year to the Department of Sociial Welfare would be £167 million. To raise the assistance level from £50 to £53.70 and benefit from £55 to £59 — to raise it to the 1987 level — would cost £443 million. The Deputy will realise that the kind of adjustments and savings that would be required to meet that additional cost would be very substantial.
I asked the Minister what steps he had taken to move in that direction. I do not expect this to be done overnight.
That matter falls to be considered in each budget.
Does the Minister not agree that PRSI should be extended to sectors which are not paying it at present in order to defray the costs of the increase about which we are talking? The Government have already decided to do that but I am asking if the increased revenue from extending PRSI will be used to raise the levels of social welfare benefits and assistance?
That is a matter for decision by the Government in the context of the budget.
The Minister's purpose seems to be to exaggerate the cost of helping the least well off categories in the social welfare system. He has given global figures but I should like him to tell me what it would cost to bring those living alone on unemployment assistance on £35 per week to £45 per week?
I would have to get that figure separately for the Deputy. In reply to a parliamentary question answered recently, estimates were given in that regard.
It was given to include dependants.
The Deputy will have to put down a separate question. I do not disagree with the Deputy but I am talking about the commission's recommendation and the Deputy is talking about the greatest priorities at this stage.
The time has come to deal with questions nominated for priority.
