Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection the organisations she met on a bilateral basis in the preparation for Budget 2013; the organisations that sought a meeting but had their request declined; and the reason for these decisions. [54079/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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As part of my preparations for Budget 2013, I held a pre-Budget forum on 12 October 2012. I invited thirty five 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. Appendix 1 contains the names of the thirty five organisations who were invited to the pre-budget forum while appendix 2 contains the names of the 5 organisations which did not attend.

A request to attend the forum was made on behalf of the Retired Garda Association. Due to limitations on the time allocated for presentations and the space available at the venue, the Department was unable to accommodate the request this year. The list of attendees is reviewed on an annual basis and the expression of interest from the Retired Garda Association will be kept on the Department’s records. In addition, a number of other organisations sought a meeting but it was not possible to accede to those requests. A list of the organisations concerned is provided at appendix 3.

Appendix 1.

Pre Budget Forum 12 October 2012

List of Organisations invited: 35 - 1. Active Retirement Ireland; 2. Age Action Ireland; 3. Barnardos; 4. Care Alliance Ireland; 5. Carers Association; 6. Children’s Rights Alliance; 7. Congress Centres Network (ICTU); 8. CROSSCARE - sub group – Health Eating for All; 9. Cúram (Care); 10. Disability Federation of Ireland; 11. FLAC; 12. Inclusion Ireland; 13. Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA); 14. Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU); 15. Irish Senior Citizens Parliament; 16. National Association of Widows in Ireland; 17. National Federation of Pensioners' Associations; 18. National Women's Council of Ireland; 19. Older and Bolder; 20. One Family; 21. OPEN; 22. Pavee Point; 23. Retired Workers Committee; 24. Saint Vincent de Paul; 25. Social Justice Ireland; 26. The Wheel; 27. Threshold; 28. TREOIR; 29. Trustus We Care; 30. Unmarried and Separated Families of Ireland; 31. Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice; 32. Women’s Aid; 33. Alone; 34. Centre for Independent Living; 35. European Anti Poverty Network Ireland.

Appendix 2

Pre Budget Forum 12 October 2012

Number of Organisations who did not attend on the day: 5 - 1. Barnados; 2. Cúram; 3. National Association of Widow’s in Ireland; 4. Women’s Aid; 5. Children’s Rights Alliance.

Appendix 3

Organisations that sought a meeting and which were not invited to the Pre Budget Forum: 6 - 1. Retail Excellence Ireland; 2. End Child Poverty Coalition; 3. PACUB; 4. SaveOurChildBenefit; 5. Home and Community Care Ireland; 6. Drinks Industry Group.