Vol. 537 No. 1
42 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he has considered a universal means test for State benefits and services as requested recently by speakers at the Annual Conference of Care Alliance Ireland. [15287/01]
There is a wide variety of State schemes and supports which require means testing to determine the extent of need and the appropriate level of entitlement. The different means tests reflect, in may instances, specific policies aimed at targeting specific needs of particular groups. Progress has been achieved over recent years in streamlining the assessment of means, for example, in the care of capital assessment for social welfare schemes. Major advances in the co-ordination of means tests, however, involves considerable costs.
Significant improvements in the quality of service delivery to customers of public services are possible through streamlining the processes and procedures which departments and agencies currently use to capture means information. I have concentrated a lot of effort in laying the foundations for greater sharing of information across the Department to assist in the determination of entitlements and to avoid the need for claimants to undergo multiple means assessments in order to access services.
To fast-track the streamlining of public service delivery, including means assessments, I established the REACH Agency last September with a remit to build the framework for integrating public services. This agency will be responsible for the development of a public service broker which will act as the common gateway to public services and act and provide common services such as identity validation, storing and sharing of data and a secure environment for electronic Government services.
