Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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151. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when she will publish the social impact assessment of budget 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1886/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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My Department is currently preparing an analysis of the Budget 2014 tax and welfare packages. This Social Impact Assessment will include an analysis of the distributive and poverty impacts of these changes on different family types as well as the impact on at risk of poverty levels. Social impact assessment is an evidence-based methodology which uses a tax/welfare simulation model developed by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to estimate the likely distributive effects of budgetary measures on income and social inequalities.

The ESRI published their analysis of the distributional impact of Budget 2014 in December last. This analysis is innovative in that it captures for the first time tax changes relating to DIRT, pensions reliefs, health insurance reliefs and capital gains taxes. This analysis will inform the social impact assessment being undertaken in my Department. I will be examining the analysis when it is finalised and I will publish it in due course.