Written Answers. - Departmental Agencies.
Gay Mitchell
Ceist:
340
Mr. G. Mitchell
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
if he will list every State agency, company, board, group, committee, commission, inquiry or authority which was set up under the aegis of his Department; and if he will give a brief outline of the aims of each such body.
[9926/01]
It is assumed the Deputy is referring to bodies set up since the present Government took office in July 1997.
Because of the range of the Department's activities there is, at any one time, a range of working groups, committees, project boards, etc., involved in the many aspects of my Department's business. Many of these are set up on anad hoc basis to address particular issues and details are not available as to the number and nature of all of these. My Department also has ongoing business liaisons with other Departments and agencies who deliver complementary services.
The following are details of the relevant bodies established since July 1997 and their aims.
Comhairle was established in June 2000. It combines the National Social Service Board and certain functions of the National Rehabilitation Board. Comhairle is the national agency responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice and advocacy services to members of the public, including people with disabilities. Comhairle maintains and distributes comprehensive information on the broad range of social services in a computer-based citizens information database. Comhairle also provides this and other supports to information providers in the voluntary and statutory sectors. In particular, it provides direct support to the national network at about 80 citizens information centres.
The National Anti-Poverty Strategy Interdepartmental Policy Committee, which was formally established in April 1997 and is co-chaired by my Department and the Department of the Taoiseach, comprises senior civil servants and representatives from relevant State agencies such as FÁS, ADM, and the Combat Poverty Agency, and provides the principal strategic focus for the NAPS.
The National Anti-Poverty Strategy review working groups, under the auspices of relevant Departments, are:
Health – Department of Health and Children;
Urban Deprivation – Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation;
Housing/Accommodation – Department of the Environment and Local Government;
Rural Poverty – Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development;
Employment/Unemployment – Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment;
Educational Disadvantage – Department of Education and Science.
A network of convenors of these working groups was set up in 2000 and is jointly chaired by my Department and the Department of the Taoiseach. In addition, an informal advisory committee, comprising officials from my Department, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Combat Poverty Agency, has also been established.
Two cross-departmental groups were established in 1998, one dealing with homelessness and another with literacy among the unemployed. These groups reported to Government in 2000.
As part of the strategic management initiative, a Civil Service wide series of expenditure reviews was initiated by this Government in July 1997. The review process has twin aims of providing (i) a systematic analysis of what is actually being achieved by expenditure in each spending programme and (ii) a basis on which more informed decisions can be made on priorities within and between expenditure programmes.
A joint steering group representative of my Department and the Department of Finance was established to oversee this process within the Department. The steering group monitors progress in relation to the reviews under-way and approves completed reviews for submission to the steering committee, chaired by the Secretary-General of the Department of Finance, which has responsibility for the process on a service-wide basis. The reviews are carried out by working groups comprising of staff representing the policy and executive sections of the Department, the Department of Finance and other Departments or agencies as appropriate.
Following is a list of reviews included in the expenditure review process:
Schemes or Grants for locally-based Women's and Men's Groups;
Family and Community Services Resource Centre Programme*
National and Smokeless Fuel schemes*
Carer's Allowance*
Credited PRSI Contributions*
Back to Work Allowances Scheme*
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance†
Urban and Gaeltacht School Meals†
Supplementary Welfare Allowance†
An evaluation of the Back to Work Allowance and Area Allowance Enterprise Schemes*
Community Development Programme‡
Money Advice and Budgeting Service‡
One-Parent Family Payment*
Free Schemes*
Illness and Disability Payment Schemes†
Orphans Payments†
*Completed
†Ongoing
‡Not yet commenced
The aim of the Departmental Working Group on Joint Custody, which was set up in May 1997, was to look at the way in which joint equal custody arrangements could be accommodated within social welfare schemes, particularly the one-family payment scheme. Issues raised examined in more detail in later reviews.
The aim of the review of the Working Group on Qualifying Conditions Age Contributory and Retirement Pensions, which commenced in April 1999, was to examine the background to the existing conditions and to examine and cost possible alternative conditions. Proposals in relation to the rationalisation of the pension rate bands and the introduction of the pre-53 pension were introduced in 2000. A more detailed examination of proposals for a review of the homemakers scheme and replacing the average contributions test with one based on total contributions will take place in phase two of the review which got under way recently.
Following publication of the pension board reporting securing retirement income, on the national pension policy initiative, in May 1998, a number of interdepartmental working groups were set up to progress the board's recommendations. One such group, the working group on personal retirement and saving accounts – PRSAs – operates under the aegis of my Department and involves representatives of the Departments of Finance and Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Pensions. Its main aim is to progress the recommendation to increase Second Pillar coverage via the mechanism of personal retirement savings accounts.
The review of the carer's allowance, which was published in October 1998, proposed the introduction of a PRSI carer's benefit to facilitate carers in employment to temporarily leave work to care. A working group was established in my Department to examine the operational details involved in the introduction of a carer's benefit scheme and it included a representative of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The carer's benefit scheme came into operation on 26 October 2000.
A steering group was set up in December 2000 to oversee a consultancy study on the future financing of long-term care is being carried out by Mercer Ltd. The study is examining the strategic issues involved in financing long-term care and it involves an assessment of alternative financing and funding approaches and their feasibility in the Irish context.
The study, which also involves the Department of Health and Children and the Department of Finance, will encompass the financing of personal long-term care needs both in the community and in institutional care and the potential of the private sector or a combined public/private sector approach to develop new initiatives in this area. it is expected that this study will be completed by the middle of this year.
Under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, a working group was established in December 2000 with representation from the social partners and relevant Departments, to examine the range of issues associated with the benchmarking and indexation of social welfare payments. This will include their long-term economic, budgetary, PRSI contribution, distributive and incentive implications, in light of trends in economic, demographic and labour market patterns.
A working group representative of the Department and the Revenue Commissioners was established in August 1997 to consider the most appropriate means of implementing the Partnership 2000 commitment to reform family income supplement so as to be calculated on a net income basis. The group completed its work in November 1997 and the P2000 commitment was fully implemented on 1 October 1998.
In line with a commitment contained in Partnership 2000, a consultative group, involving representatives of the social partners and relevant Departments was established in March 1999 to develop cost-effective solutions to the unemploy ment trap arising from the withdrawal of rent and mortgage interest supplements – RMIS – once a person takes up full-time work. Improvements in the RMIS arrangements provided for in Budget 2000 took account of the work of the group which concluded in October 1999.
A report entitled "the Disincentive Effects of Secondary Benefits" prepared by Goodbody Economic Consultants was published in March 1999. The purpose of the study, which was commissioned by my Department and overseen by an interdepartmental steering group, was to identify anomalies or inefficiencies in the current arrangements for qualifying for retention of secondary benefits, with particular reference to the effectiveness of the latter arrangements in terms of assisting people to return to or remain in work.
In line with a recommendation in the report prepared by Goodbody Economic Consultants on the disincentive effects of secondary benefits, a liaison group on secondary benefits and other entitlements comprising representatives of all relevant Departments and FÁS was established in April 2000. The primary aim of the group was to ensure a consistent and co-ordinated development of policy in relation to the retention of secondary benefits and other entitlements. The work of this group is ongoing.
On the White Paper on a framework for supporting voluntary activity and for developing the relationship between the State and the community and voluntary sector, following the publication of a Green Paper on supporting voluntary activity in May 1997, a steering group was established in May 1998 to advise and assist my Department on the consultation process leading up to the publication of the White Paper. An extensive consultation process took place. This led up to a national consultative seminar in March 2000, which subsequently led to the publication of the White Paper in September 2000. Consultancy assistance was required to assist in the analysis of submissions and of the feedback from national/regional seminars, preparation of discussion documents and facilitation of final drafts.
The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness provides for the establishment of a national committee on volunteering with the long-term aim of devising strategies and actions for supporting volunteering. This committee, under the chairmanship of Deputy Flood, was launched on 5 December 2000. The committee's primary function is to agree a broad strategy for IYV 2001.
While my Department is not responsible for the direct management of community-based projects and these projects do not come directly under its aegis, the Department has, since 1990, supported locally-based community groups involved in anti-poverty and social inclusion work in their own communities. The supports for locally-based groups involved in community development initiatives in their communities are provided through the community development support programmes: the community develop ment programme; the family and community services resource centre programme; and the programme of core-funding to locally-based community and family support groups.
Under each of these programmes funding is provided to locally-based groups on foot of three-year renewable contracts. As part of their contract with the Department funded projects are required to incorporate as companies limited by guarantee.
Under the community development programme some 130 projects-areas country-wide are in receipt of funding or have been approved for inclusion in the programme. Expansion of the programme continued in 2000 in line with commitments set out in Partnership 2000.
Some 70 projects-areas country-wide were in receipt of funding or have been approved for inclusion under the family and community services resource centre programme at the end of 2000 with expansion of the programme continuing in line with the recommendations of the Commission on the Family.
Some 40 projects-areas country-wide were in receipt of funding or have been approved for inclusion in the programme of core funding to locally-based community and family support groups at the end of 2000.
These programmes are now administered under the community development and family support measure of the National Development Plan, 2000-06. Funding of £110 million has been made available to these programmes over the lifetime of the plan with funding of £17.02 million in 2001 to support these programmes.
My Department is assisted in formulating policy in relation to the community development programme by an advisory committee representative of the local projects. The Combat Poverty Agency, the regional support agencies, the community workers co-operative and ADM are also represented on the committee. A number of sub-committees, focused on specific issues relevant to programme operate under the advisory committee.
In addition, a technical group has been established to assist and advise the Minister in the task of selecting new areas and assessing applications for inclusion in the community development support programmes. This group includes representation for funded projects, the Combat Poverty Agency, ADM, and my Department.
In addition to the community development support programmes my Department also administers the money advice and budgeting service which operates nationwide through 50 local projects and two more likely to come on stream in 2001. The service is designed to target families and individuals identified as having problems with debt and moneylending. Each local project is an independent information and service provider, deeply rooted in the local community. Under the programme funding is provided to projects on foot of three-year renewable contracts. As part of their contract with my Department, funded projects are required to incorporate as companies limited by guarantee.
My Department is assisted in formulating policy in relation to the money advice and budgeting service by a national advisory committee representative of the local projects. The Combat Poverty Agency, Comhairle and a number of other agencies are also represented on the committee. A number of sub-committees, focused on specific issues, relevant to the programme operate under the national advisory committee.
As part of the overall measures announced under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness to assist in the provision of childcare my Department was allocated a sum of £5 million in 2000 to support the development of community-based out-of-school hours childcare services and established an assessment committee, which included representatives of funded projects, ADM, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of Education and Science and other agencies with expertise-involvement in childcare provision, to assess and advise me on applications under the scheme. With effect from 2001, responsibility for funding of out-of-school hours childcare services has been transferred to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
During 2000, my Department established an audit committee. The role of the audit committee is, as part of the ongoing systematic review of the business control and corporate governance procedures within my Department, to oversee and advise on matters relating to the business control and risk management environment, to the operations and development of the internal audit function and to the relationship with external audit.
The REACH agency was launched in September 2000 with an objective to co-ordinate and progress the development of modern integrated services across the public sector, including the development of an electronic public services broker to act as the gateway for the delivery of electronic services. REACH is a cross-departmental unit reporting to the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs.
An interdepartmental steering committee comprising representatives from my Department, the Department of Health and Children, which Chairs it, the Departments of Finance and Environment and Local Government, the Central Statistics Office, the General Register Office and REACH has been set up to oversee the civil registration modernisation programme. The programme is being led by a full-time programme director in my Department who reports to the steering committee.
The interdepartmental task force to respond to the foot and mouth crisis in County Louth was established on 23 March 2001 to review the response needed in the area of social welfare and related services to the foot and mouth crisis in County Louth and to report quickly on the matter.
Customer panels involve customers meeting representatives from my Department on an informal basis to express their opinions on the service they receive. Such panels have been set up from time to time throughout the Department and provide a useful means of obtaining views and feedback from users of the Department's services.
My Department jointly operates a business users' panel for employers in conjunction with the Revenue Commissioners.
Prior to the transfer in 1996 of the disabled persons' maintenance allowance scheme – renamed disability allowance – from the health boards to the Department, a forum of the principal organisations and service providers representing people with disabilities was established to ensure that all aspects and implications of the transfer were discussed. The forum has continued in operation, now meeting on a quarterly basis, and has since been broadened to include issues concerning the invalidity pension and carer's allowance as well as other matters relevant to people with disabilities.
A partnership steering committee and a series of regional and local committees have been established in the Department under the terms of Partnership 2000 and, subsequently, the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. Partnership has the central objective of creating a shared agenda for management, unions and staff.
