Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection when the Commission on Social Welfare and Taxation (details supplied) will be published; if the Programme for Government commitment on Social Welfare rates still stands; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4269/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Creating jobs and tackling poverty are two of the key challenges that Ireland now faces and it is essential that our tax and social protection systems play their part in addressing these issues. To this end, and in line with commitments contained in the programme for Government, I established the advisory group on tax and social welfare in 2011, with the aim of harnessing expert opinion and experience to examine a number of specific issues and make cost effective proposals for improving employment incentives and achieving better poverty outcomes, particularly child poverty outcomes.

The group's overall method of working is based on producing modular reports on the priority areas identified in the terms of reference. These areas include, among others, child and family income supports, working age income supports, issues concerning social insurance for self-employed persons and the budget 2012 proposals concerning disability allowance and domiciliary care allowance.

The group commenced its work programme by prioritising the area of family and child income supports. It subsequently submitted its report to me. I have been considering its findings since I received the report. I have held discussions with my ministerial colleagues on the issues raised in it. In this regard, I asked my officials to undertake further analysis of the implications of the reform options outlined in the report. They supplemented their analysis of the report by using the SWITCH tax-benefit model to determine the financial impacts and poverty outcomes that might arise from the proposals made in the report. A detailed assessment of the administrative and operational changes that would be required to implement the proposals was also carried out. I intend to publish the advisory group's report on this issue in the very near future. The group recently submitted to me its report on the budget 2012 proposals concerning disability allowance and domiciliary care allowance. I intend to publish this report in the near future. I understand the group is considering the issues involved in providing social insurance cover for self-employed persons and the issue of working age income supports.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has told us that the committee was established. We knew that. She has also told us what the group was supposed to do and what its terms of reference were. We knew that also. We need to make the best use of the limited time we have available. When exactly did the Minister receive this report? Why has it not been published to date? Parts of it have been selectively leaked and I have read about it in the newspapers. Given that the taxpayer paid for the report, why should it remain in the possession of the Minister for an indeterminate length of time after it has been produced? The rest of us should have access to it to see what it states. If the recommendations made in the report are implemented, they will have a profound effect on hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country. When exactly will the report be published? I remind the Minister that the question I tabled to her referred to the Government's commitment to maintain core social welfare rates. Does that commitment still stand, even within the parameters of the narrowest possible definition given to the term "core social welfare rates"? In the light of the child benefit cuts made in last month's budget, the Minister announced the creation of 6,000 after-school places for primary schoolchildren.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Yes.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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What progress has been made in implementing that measure? The budgetary cuts have already kicked in.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The programme for Government contains a commitment to maintain welfare rates. The commitment relates to primary weekly social welfare payments intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. As the Deputy will be aware, there were no reductions in primary weekly social welfare payments, including increases for qualified adults or qualified children in budget 2012 or budget 2013.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has reduced the period of time for which payments are made.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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By comparison, the Deputy's party reduced the rates by €16.30 a week.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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People are living in penury.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There was a reduction of €8 in one year and €8.30 in another.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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At least we can say we increased them over a long period, unlike the Labour Party.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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That amounts to €16.30 a week.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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We increased social welfare payments enormously.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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These reductions were made by Fianna Fáil.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister and her colleagues have never done anything other than reduce them.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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People have not forgotten that.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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They will find out about it when they go to the polls.

Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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We are getting two voices for the price of one.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Deputy's second question was related to the proposed creation of 6,500 after-school child care places. I am happy to say the issue is being worked on intensely by my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald. We expect to have the scheme up and running within-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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When are the places going to appear?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I expect to have very detailed proposals some time after Easter.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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That could mean any time up to next Christmas.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The Deputy will understand the creation of such a system is quite demanding. We will have it up and running in the near future.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Is the Minister still maintaining her commitment to maintain core rates, as she understands them?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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What I said to the Deputy is that, unlike Fianna Fáil, which cut the core weekly rates by €16.30 a week-----

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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We had increased them substantially.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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-----in both this year's budget and last year's, this Government did not cut core weekly rates. I cannot comment, however, on budget 2014 decisions, as the Deputy will be aware.

Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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We will move on to Question No. 127.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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In that case, the Minister would not regard the cuts to children's allowance, carer's allowance and the length people are paid jobseeker's allowance as core cuts. Her definition is extremely narrow. Fianna Fáil can take pride from the fact it increased social welfare rates in this country very substantially, unlike the Labour Party.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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And then cut them by €16.30 a week.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister talks about what the people think. She will find out soon enough.

Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Order, please.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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If she knocked on the doors in Limerick, she would find out what people think about the Labour Party. There is no way it is on 11% in Limerick, I can tell her that.

Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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We are 20% over time, cumulatively. Is that fair? It is not fair.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister spends too much time giving us information we already know.