Trevor Sargent
Ceist:55 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the current position in relation to the commitment within An Action Programme for the Millennium to produce a Green Paper on basic income. [20376/97]
Written Answers. - Basic Income Payment.
I indicated in my reply to questions on the topic of basic income on Wednesday, 15 October, that there is a commitment in Partnership 2000 to carry out a further independent appraisal of the concept of, and the full implications of introducing a basic income payment. A broadly-based steering group for this project has been established under the chairmanship of the Department of the Taoiseach. The steering group is currently in the process of finalising the terms of reference for the study, following discussions with experts in this area.
The Deputy will be aware that the Government is committed to producing a green paper on the issue of basic income within two years. The research being commissioned under Partnership 2000 will be an important input into that paper, and I would envisage that work on the green paper would begin when the results of the independent study become available.