John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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544. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017 will be progressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46528/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017 was published in May 2017. It contained a number of measures to amend the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, a number of specific measures relating to defined benefit pension schemes and amendments to the Civil Registration Act 2004.

In July 2018, Government approval was obtained to draft additional provisions to be included in the Bill at Committee Stage, including provisions relating to defined benefit pension schemes. A key priority for the Government is to provide additional protections for scheme members' pension benefits. However, it is essential that any new measures recognise the current pension landscape in Ireland so that a balanced, proportionate approach is developed and that unintended negative consequences do not arise.

The defined benefit pensions provisions are very technical and involved complex policy issues. In order to achieve a resilient solution it has been necessary to consult with and obtain numerous legal advices from the Office of the Attorney General on various aspects of this policy. When these matters have been resolved and amendments approved by Government, an early date for Committee Stage will be requested.

In the meantime two largely technical elements of that were published as part of the 2017 Bill are now being brought forward as part of the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018. These provisions provide for the implementation of administrative efficiencies. The first is a measure is to allow positive decisions i.e. decisions to award a social welfare benefit or payment to a claimant, to be made by an automated information system. The second is a measure to dispense with the practice of asking General Practitioners to distinguish between employment of a rehabilitative nature and work more generally for the purposed of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and certain supplements under Supplementary Welfare Allowance.

There is also a technical amendment to the Civil Registration Act 2004 which was to be part of the 2017 Bill. This is now being brought forward as part of the 2018 Bill. This is a technical provision concerning the terms of office of an tÁrd Chláraitheoir (Registrar General) and an tÁrd Chláraitheoir Cunta (Deputy Registrar General).

I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.