Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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329. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the delegated responsibilities he has given to Ministers of State in his Department; when the order of delegated responsibility was signed; if he included his Ministers of State in direct discussions or meetings with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as part of pre-budget discussions; if so, the dates of such meetings and the attendance at each meeting; if the Minister of State was not included the reason this was the position, in view of the designated responsibilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31921/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The statutory responsibilities delegated to Minister of State Finian McGrath, T.D., are set out in the Social Protection (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2016 (S.I. No. 326 of 2016). The Order of delegated responsibility was signed by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, T.D., on 21^stJune 2016.

These statutory responsibilities relate to the Invalidity Pension, Partial Capacity Benefit, Disability Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Blind Pension schemes operated by my Department.

In addition, Minister of State McGrath has also been assigned responsibility for the following non-statutory schemes:

(a) the Wage Subsidy Scheme;

(b) the Reasonable Accommodation Fund for People with Disabilities; and

(c) the EmployAbility Service as well as responsibility for my Department's role in the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.

While, under the delegation of functions process, I continue to have responsibility for the Budget and Estimates processes, I engaged with Minister McGrath before and during the discussions within my Department and with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and his officials.

Moreover, as Minister of State McGrath sits at Cabinet, he also met directly with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on a number of occasions to discuss matters relating to his areas of responsibility.