Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Deputy O'Dea to his first questions session in his new role as the Fianna Fáil Party's spokesperson on social protection.

The Revised Estimates for the Department of Social Protection provide for expenditure of just over €20.5 billion in 2012 on the wide range of schemes and services the Department provides. This expenditure represents 39% of gross current Government expenditure and impacts in some way on almost every single person and business in the State, either directly or indirectly. The comprehensive expenditure report published by Government last December provides for additional new expenditure reduction measures of €1,033 million over the next two years in the Department of Social Protection budget. This includes €540 million of new savings to be achieved in budget 2013.

Reducing overall expenditure in 2013 and beyond in line with these targets will be challenging. As part of my preparations for dealing with these matters, last Friday I held a pre-budget forum in St. Andrew's Resource Centre on Pearse Street in Dublin. I invited 35 community and voluntary groups to the forum and listened carefully to their views and proposals in relation to the forthcoming budget. These organisations play a key advocacy role in our society and the payments made by my Department play a vital role in providing income support to the individuals they represent. No decisions have been made at this stage as to how these budget targets will be met. As I indicated on Friday last, the Government is committed, in the programme for Government, to maintain social welfare rates. The Government will finalise its consideration of the budget over the coming weeks having regard to all of its commitments. The outcome of this process will be announced on budget day. The House can be assured that my colleagues and I will do our best to ensure the burden of resolving the crisis does not fall disproportionately on those who depend on income supports from my Department.

See this speech in context