Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the plans he has to change the way in which the supplementary welfare allowance is to be administered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23100/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare scheme is administered by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive on my behalf. The establishment of the Health Service Executive prompted a fresh consideration of the role and structure of the Community Welfare Service, and of the most appropriate location for that service in the future.

The Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems in the Health Service noted in its report in 2003 that over the years the health system had been assigned responsibility for a number of services which 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.

The Government decided to ask an interdepartmental group to examine this issue. The report of the interdepartmental group was subsequently submitted to, and accepted by, the Government. The report recommends, among other things, that income support and maintenance schemes, together with associated resources, should be transferred to my Department.

This particular initiative has been mooted several times in the past — by the Report of the Commission on Social Welfare in 1986 and by the Review of Supplementary Welfare Allowances by the Combat Poverty Agency in 1991. I welcome this decision as it provides an opportunity to bring about positive change for customers and staff and it is, I believe, a logical approach to provision of these services.

An inter-departmental steering group, comprising officials from my Department, the Department of Finance, the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive, has been established to oversee the implementation of the report's recommendations. There are major organisational, human resource and service delivery issues involved in the transfer. The working group will consult with all relevant stakeholders in relation to this programme of change. I can assure the Deputy that a priority in the context of the transfer process will be to support the high standard of service currently provided by staff in the community welfare service.

The transfer is a major change for all involved but I am confident it will be embraced successfully and will ultimately further enhance the delivery of services to our customers, in particular those who are most disadvantaged in the community.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he intends to reform the social welfare system which continues to be based on a male breadwinner model and which denies women full economic independence. [23023/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The social welfare system is designed to provide income supports and access to relevant services in a timely manner to all our customers. The system is now neutral with regard to how it treats men and women; receipt of payment is generally dependent on contingency and other conditions being met. Levels of payment and how they apply are exactly the same for men and women. However, while there is equity in access to the system, the impact of past labour market experience and the traditional roles of women in the home, together with particular features of the social welfare system, can mean that women may be indirectly impacted upon within the system.

The traditional model of social welfare was based on a male breadwinner model, with a father in full-time employment and mother as carer of the children, working full time in the home. Within this system, women tended to have derived rights to social welfare through, for example, their husband's social insurance records, with payments to women defined in relation to their husbands. This model reflected the environment in which the system operated and the roles of men and women in society.

Significant changes have taken place in society in the past two decades and the social welfare system has changed to reflect these changes. Considerable reform and expansion has taken place in the social insurance system to make it as inclusive as possible.

The main beneficiaries of the improvements in coverage and levels of social protection over the past 15 years have been women. For example, in 1991 those in part-time employment were brought into full social insurance cover, in 1995 community employment workers became insurable for all benefits and pensions, in 1997 coverage for maternity and adoptive benefits was extended to the self-employed and in 2002 there were changes to the PRSI contribution conditions which facilitated atypical workers and notably those worksharing. Alongside these changes the expansion of the labour market and changing attitudes towards women's roles have led to increasing numbers of women entering employment and being eligible for social insurance payments in their own right.

The fundamental reforms I am proposing with regard to income support for lone parents and low income families will also address certain other features of the system which may impact more significantly on women. Under the proposals the contingency of lone parenthood would be abolished and instead a new Parental Allowance would be paid to all low income families with qualifying children. In couple households where a Parental Allowance was paid to one of the couple and another social assistance payment made to the other, no limitation on the overall payment to the household would apply. This would increase household income by up to €58 per week and recognises the increasing costs in households with young children.

Another major aspect of the reform being proposed is the ending of the concept of 'qualified adult' within the system of social assistance. Under the reform, where a household means test is met, all individuals would receive a payment in their own right, thus ensuring consistency in treatment and equity across the social welfare system and recognising the changing role of women in society and the labour market.

These reforms represent a fundamental change in the social welfare system, moving away from derived entitlement to entitlement based on the individual. The social welfare system must reflect the environment in which it operates and meet the changing needs of citizens. One of the most significant changes which has taken place in Irish society is the changing role of women. The fundamental reforms I am proposing for the structure of means tested income support to families, together with the changes which have and will continue to take place in the social insurance system to reflect the changing labour market will ensure that the social welfare system reflects the changing needs of society.