Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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928. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when sections 19, 24, 25 and 26 of the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Act 2018 will come into effect; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7129/20]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The reports referred to in sections 24, 25 and 26 of the Social Welfare, Pension and Civil Registration Act 2018 were submitted to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Employment Affairs and Social Protection in August 2019 for circulation to the committee. My office will forward these to you for information.

In relation to Section 19, my Department has met with numerous interested stakeholders to hear their views on how indexation might apply to social welfare rates. This was an issue that was also discussed at the Pre-Budget Forum in July 2019 as well as at bilateral meetings with stakeholders.

My Department has considered the results of the consultation process and, in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, is developing options to implement the commitment in the Roadmap for Pensions Reform to examine and develop proposals to institute a process whereby future changes in pension rates of payment are explicitly linked to changes in consumer prices and average wages.