Vol. 557 No. 1
487 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of lobby groups or public relations firms she or her Department has met to discuss issues of impending legislation since the formation of the Government; the issues on which they lobbied; if this resulted in changes or amendments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21654/02]
I held the annual Social and Family Affairs Pre-Budget Forum in October which was attended by 25 groups representing the welfare interests of a wide variety of people, including the elderly, people with disabilities, widows and widowers, lone parents, unemployed people, carers, family support groups and women in the home. The groups presented a wide range of social welfare and other proposals for consideration in the context of the 2003 budget. The social welfare proposals will be examined in detail by my Department and any necessary amendments to the legislation will be made where proposals are accepted and included in the forthcoming budget.
The Pensions (Amendment) Act, 2002 was enacted in April this year. In the course of the drafting of this legislation and its passage through the Houses of the Oireachtas, there was considerable consultation with all relevant parties including the social partners, those in the pensions industry and the Pensions Board. This approach was adopted and proved very useful due to the technical nature of the provisions. Many comments were received on the Bill, as published, from a large group of representative groups and from individuals. These were all examined in detail by my Department and amendments to the legislation was made, where considered appropriate. No comments were received from public relations firms.
