Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 459: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will reconsider recent proposals to stop welfare payments such as one parent family allowance and disability allowance for community employment scheme workers in view of the fact that these proposals will act as a financial disincentive and obstacle to lone parents and the disabled entering a CE scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31217/10]

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 461: To ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans, if any, regarding proposals by the Department of Finance to abolish welfare payments such as the one parent family allowance and disability allowance for community employment participants; if his attention has been drawn to the potential negative implications for access to schemes and the delivery of services in communities; if an analysis has been carried out to assess the likelihood that staffing levels and the sustainability of community projects such as community childcare; if an assessment has been carried out as to whether any such plan would be a discriminatory and counter productive disincentive in view of the fact that only directly employed workers would be entitled to the OPFA or disability payment in the future with CE workers not receiving the payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31260/10]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 459 and 461 together.

The Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes recommended, in its report in 2009, that concurrent entitlement to a range of schemes such as one parent family payment or disability allowance and a Community Employment payment should be discontinued.

Any changes to social protection schemes generally, including changes recommended by the Special Group, will fall to be considered later this year in a Budgetary context and in the context of continuing to reduce overall public expenditure and restoring stability to the public finances. It is important to stress that, at this stage, no decisions have been taken either by me or by the Government in this regard.

The Government has already made difficult decisions in this regard and the next steps towards recovery will require further such decisions. At the moment, I am engaged in an intensive round of consultations with a wide range of welfare representative organisations and I am listening carefully to their views. In an uncertain international environment, my priority will be to ensure that the overall Government strategy is advanced and to protect those most in need in a manner which is sustainable in the years ahead.