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Social Welfare Code

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 April 2012

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Ceisteanna (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Dessie Ellis

Ceist:

7Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Social Protection her response to the all-party Oireachtas committee report on the single working age payments recommendation that carer’s should not be included in a single working age payment. [20602/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Dessie Ellis

Ceist:

15Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Social Protection her response to the all-party Oireachtas committee report on the single working age payments recommendation that the value of the existing earnings disregards secondary benefit and means or capital allowances be maintained; and if she will offer a commitment to that effect. [20603/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

18Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection her response to the all-party Oireachtas committee report on the single working age payments recommendation that the current rules preventing access to activation programmes by recipients of one parent family parent, disability allowance, carer’s allowance and qualified adult dependent, for example, rules that a period of time must be spent on jobseeker’s allowance before one can be eligible to participate, should be removed; and her plans regarding same. [20605/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Seán Crowe

Ceist:

28Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection her response to the all-party Oireachtas Committee report on the single working age payment recommendation that she not proceed with the proposal for a single working age payment at this time. [20601/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Gerry Adams

Ceist:

32Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Social Protection her response to the all-party Oireachtas committee report on the single working age payments recommendation that any programme of social welfare reform must be driven by an explicit anti-poverty and gender equality objective; and the steps she will take to ensure this becomes the case. [20604/12]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí ó Béal (5 píosaí cainte)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7, 15, 18, 28 and 32 together.

The Department of Social Protection has been exploring the option of a single payment for some time and published the report on the desirability and feasibility of introducing a single assistance payment for people of working age in November 2010.

The single working age assistance payment or single payment is a proposal to create a single social welfare payment that would cover all people of working age, including those who are currently classified as unemployed, with a disability or parenting alone.

The introduction of a single payment could potentially be a key development in the pursuit of a more focused and purposeful activation agenda delivered through the national employment and entitlement service, NEES. The single payment would provide recipients with access to the supports or services they need to enable them take up employment or avail of education and training opportunities, thereby producing better outcomes. The single payment would also be an opportunity to address the current complexity of Ireland's social welfare system by streamlining a number of different payments for people of working age, thereby making it more transparent and accessible.

I have noted the all-party Oireachtas committee report on the single payment and its recommendations. Given the specific nature and purpose of carer's allowance, the Government has decided to exclude it from any single payment proposals. However, I wish to emphasise that no other decisions have been made regarding the structure of the single payment or whether to proceed with its introduction.

Proposals on the single payment will be further developed by the Department over the coming months. The other recommendations of the all-party report will be considered in the course of this process. The outcome of the process will be considered by Government later this year.

I welcome the Minister's announcement that the carer's allowance will be excluded. It was excluded when the Department originally considered this matter but it reappeared subsequently. I ask for clarification on the half-rate payment and whether all carer's allowances will be excluded. There are two different types of half-rate payments, one for care of a second person and the other for those who also receive other payments.

The Government has decided that recipients of the carer's allowance will be excluded from the single payment given that they are providing full-time care. Recipients of the half-time carer's allowance are generally either in receipt of another payment or are in part-time employment. The decision will depend on their situation but the decision includes carers generally.

The carer's allowance is fundamentally different from other schemes in terms of its objectives and measurement of a successful outcome. The underlying premise of the single payment is that people are available for work even if there are barriers such as disability or lack of child care, training or education. The success of the single working age payment is dependent on the availability of services of an appropriate nature. However, the underlying premise of the carer's allowance is that people are not available for work because they are providing full-time care and attention for someone assessed as needing care. The desired outcome is that they continue to receive carer's allowance as long as they continue to provide care.

In terms of public policy, all parties in this House recognise the valuable contribution that carers make to family members who are ill or require special attention, whether children or elderly relatives. The carer's allowance is not specifically a working age payment because it is available to anyone over the age of 18.

This is a significant announcement which I think will be welcomed by carers' associations. The report of the joint committee recommended that carers should be able to opt in to the single payment. The logic behind the recommendation was that a carer could thereby access activation measures where the relative was so ill that he or she was about to be hospitalised or institutionalise.

That is a matter I am prepared to consider but we have until now confined our deliberations to the principle of the single payment and the significant role of carers.

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