Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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811. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the projects his Department is prioritising in Budget 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26129/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government contains a number of commitments on social protection. These include increasing pensions and the living alone allowance, protecting Free Travel for pensioners and people with disabilities, and supports a rate increase for people with disabilities and for carers. A review of the farm assist scheme has been carried out. The Programme also outlines the Government’s commitment to the development of a new working family payment to reduce child poverty and make work pay, ensuring that no family is better off on welfare than in work. This is, of course, a five year programme and everything cannot be done in one or two budgets.

The Programme also commits to extending social insurance coverage for the self-employed. We believe we need a strong consensus across society on the importance of a comprehensive social welfare system, whereby the PRSI contributions and taxation paid by all workers, including the self-employed, provide adequate, sustainable and appropriate benefits when required. I want a welfare system, and in particular, a social insurance system which responds to life’s risks such as long-term illness and unemployment.

These plans form part of the Government’s ‘new deal’ for the self-employed which will encompass tax, welfare changes and great support for entrepreneurship and I look forward to progressing these in the forthcoming Budget

I also intend to enhance the treatments available under the Treatment Benefit scheme, which was significantly cut back during the austerity years. This includes dental and optical benefits.

I hosted my Department’s Pre-Budget Forum on July 22 during which I listened to the views of representatives from 40 NGOs, advocacy and representative organisations. This was extremely useful and gave great insight into the competing priorities within the sector.

In addition, I appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection on 7 September to discuss my priorities and to listen to those expressed by my colleagues in the Oireachtas. I look forward to continued engagement with members of the Oireachtas in the coming weeks.