Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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52. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to make more of the labour market activation programmes available to person with a disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43801/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The department provides a wide range of income and work-related supports (previously operated by FAS) for people with disabilities. These include the EmployAbility service (formerly the Supported Employment Programme) which facilitates the integration of people with disabilities into paid employment in the open labour market; and a number of employment supports aimed at employers (the Wage Subsidy Scheme - which pays an employer a subsidy for employing a person with a disability – the Work Equipment Adaptation Grant, the Employee Retention Grant, and the Disability Awareness Scheme). Community Employment (CE) schemes are also available to people with disabilities.

In relation to activation measures for people with disabilities, I would also like to point out that I launched the Disability Activation Project at the end of 2012. This is providing over €7 million to 14 projects (which will run until early 2015) across the BMW region to address four specific strands around the employment of people with disabilities : (i) Improving Access to Employment, (ii) Progression Programmes for Young People,(iii) Support for Progression and Retention of People with an Acquired Disability; and (iv) Innovative Employer Initiatives.

I am confident that these projects will provide invaluable guidance and learning on how best to ensure that the untapped potential of people with disabilities is allowed to flourish and that they are enabled to participate fully in the labour market. The outcomes of these projects will be crucial in determining the optimum approaches which can be taken in relation to mainstreaming activation measures generally for people with disabilities. In the meantime, while priority is being given to unemployed people on the Live Register in terms of the INTREO service at the moment, it is open to any person with a disability to apply to avail of the service.

Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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53. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of bills her Department has published since March 2011; the number of regulatory impact assessments that her Department has published since March 2011; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43821/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I have initiated six Bills since taking office, all of which have been enacted. Details of these Acts are set out in the attached table.

Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) are not ordinarily undertaken in relation to the package of measures announced in the annual Budget Day Statements or similar packages of measures. Accordingly, a RIA was not considered necessary in the case of the Social Welfare Act 2011 and the Social Welfare Act 2012, both of which enacted social welfare measures announced in the 2012 and 2013 Budgets, respectively. A RIA was not considered necessary in the case of the social welfare measures contained in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011, the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2012 and the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013, as these measures either implemented budgetary decisions or made miscellaneous amendments to the social welfare code which were not considered amenable to the undertaking of a RIA.

The Social Welfare and Pensions Acts of 2011 and 2012 and the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013 also amend the provisions of the Pensions Act 1990. Part 4 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 transposed Article 17 of Directive 2003/41/EC on the Activities and Supervision of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision (IORPS Directive) relating to the regulation of occupational pensions. However, as the types of pension scheme envisaged in Article 17 are not operated in Ireland, a RIA was not considered feasible in relation to these provisions.

Part 3 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2012 amended the Funding Standard applying to defined benefit pension schemes. A RIA undertaken on these amendments has been published and is available at –

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Policy/Legislation/Regulatory%20Impact%20Analysis/Documents/riapension.pdf .

Part 4 of the Social Welfare and Pension (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013 implemented the recommendations of the Critical Review of the Pension Board. This review, which involved a public consultation process, was carried out under the Public Service Reform plan. This review is available at http://www.welfare.ie/en/pressoffice/pdf/Report-of-the-Critical-Review-23-April-2013.pdf .

As the provisions contained in the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2012 to extend the list of bodies authorised to solemnise marriages were of a minor nature, a RIA was not considered necessary in the case of this Act.

Bills Initiated by Minister for Social Protection since March 2011