Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 163: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children her position in view of the concerns expressed by community welfare officers regarding their transfer to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. [18636/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I should explain at the outset that the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive (HSE) administers the supplementary welfare scheme on behalf of the Department of Social and Family Affairs. The decision to transfer the scheme, together with associated resources, to the Department of Social and Family Affairs presents an opportunity to bring about positive change for social welfare customers while advancing the Health Reform Programme.

By way of background, the Deputy will wish to know that the Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems in the Health Service (the Brennan Report) noted that, over the years, the health system had been assigned responsibility for a number of what might be regarded as non-core health activities. It recommended that the Government consider assigning non-core activities currently undertaken by agencies within the health service to other bodies.

An interdepartmental group was subsequently established to examine this issue. The Group's report (Core Functions of the Health Service Report) was submitted to, and accepted by, the Government recently. Among other recommendations, the Group considered that income support and maintenance schemes administered by the Health Service Executive, together with associated resources, should be transferred to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. I should also mention that this approach had been advocated previously in the Report of the Commission on Social Welfare in 1986 and in the Review of Supplementary Welfare Allowances by the Combat Poverty Agency in 1991.

An interdepartmental group has now commenced work to progress the implementation of the transfer. I am confident, along with my colleague the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, that this transfer process can be carried out without any negative effect on the standard of service currently provided by community welfare officers, or in the important role that they play in addressing issues of disadvantage in the community. There are of course administrative and industrial relations issues to be resolved as part of the implementation of the Government's decision and engaging with the relevant trades unions and other stake holders will be an essential part of the overall process. I understand that the HSE has been in touch with the health service unions in this regard.