Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

626. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the details of each value for money and policy review conducted by her Department from 1 January 2018 to 1 January 2019; the cost of each exercise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43330/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

A Technical Report on the Disability Allowance (DA) Scheme was prepared by my Department in 2018.  This followed on from a paper prepared by Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) staff in the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform (DPER) as part of the 2017 round of spending reviews.  The paper examined the rise in DA recipient numbers in recent years and conducted further analysis of this increase using available data at that time. The costs of preparing this review were absorbed  by my Department.

The Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018 -2023 was published in 2018. This plan builds on previous policy reviews and sets out a timetable for implementation. The costs of this report were absorbed by the Department of the Taoiseach, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

Section 19 of the Social Welfare Act 2017 provided that “The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection shall review the impact of removing income generated from rent-a-room relief from the means test for those in receipt of the One Parent Family Payment and shall bring forward a report on the same within 6 months of this Bill being enacted.” This review was conducted in 2018 by officials within the Department and therefore did not incur a direct financial cost.