Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697751342825.pdf (Ireland)
DÁIL ÉIREANN AN BILLE LEASA SHÓISIALAIGH, 2021 SOCIAL WELFARE BILL 2021 LEASUITHE COISTE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS [No.

152 of 2021] [14 December, 2021] DÁIL ÉIREANN AN BILLE LEASA SHÓISIALAIGH, 2021 —AN COISTE SOCIAL WELFARE BILL 2021 —COMMITTEE Leasuithe Amendments SECTION 9 1.

In page 7, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: “Report on extending availability of full Parent’s Benefit to lone parents 9.
The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on extending the availability of the full duration of Parent’s Benefit to lone parents to examine the effect that enabling all children to equally avail of the full duration of this Benefit would have and that the report shall be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within nine months of the passing of this Act.”.

—Claire Kerrane.

SECTION 10 2.


In page 7, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “Report on Parental Bereavement Leave and Benefit 10.
The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on the introduction of Parental Bereavement Leave and Benefit for parents who lose a child under the age of 18 and explore the establishment of a statutory entitlement to two weeks leave and benefit paid at the same rate as Parent’s Benefit and that the report shall be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within six months of the passing of this Act.”.

—Claire Kerrane.

SECTION 14 3.


In page 8, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “Report on the means-testing for Blind Pension and Disability Allowance 14.

The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on the means testing eligibility requirement for Blind Pension and Disability Allowance and the [No.
152 of 2021] [14 December, 2021] [SECTION 14] impact that income threshold limitations have on access to these schemes and that the report shall be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within nine months of the passing of this Act.”.

—Claire Kerrane.

SECTION 16 4.

In page 9, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “Report on rates based on Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) 16.
The Minister shall carry out a review on introducing social welfare rates which are benchmarked to the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) to study the effect that adequacy of social welfare rates could have on addressing poverty levels and that the report shall be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection ahead of Budget 2023.”.

—Claire Kerrane.

SECTION 18 5.

In page 10, line 15, after “benefit” to insert “and jobseeker’s benefit (self-employed)”.
—An tAire Coimirce Sóisialaí.

SECTION 19 6.

In page 11, line 6, after “benefit” to insert “and jobseeker’s benefit (self-employed)”.

—An tAire Coimirce Sóisialaí.

SECTION 20 7.

In page 13, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following: “(c) The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas a report on welfare measures which can support land mobility and environmental sustainability.”.

—Denis Naughten.

SECTION 21 8.


In page 15, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: “(3) The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the inclusion of all half-rate carer’s allowance recipients under the fuel allowance scheme.”.

—Denis Naughten.

SECTION 24 9.

In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “Back to Education Allowance 24.
In relation to the scheme administered by the Minister and known as the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA), the terms of the scheme shall be amended so that the 2 [SECTION 24] qualification period for BTEA are deemed to be met, for all BTEA applicants commencing any year of a new course of education from September 2020, where the applicant closes their pandemic unemployment payment claim and establishes an entitlement to a Jobseekers (or other qualifying) payment.”.

—Seán Sherlock.

10.


In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “Local employment service 24.

(1) The Minister shall, within three years of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the appropriateness of the governance arrangements for local employment services, and the effectiveness and efficiency of those services.
(2) The Minister shall not, for three years from the passing of this Act, make any new agreement with an undertaking outside the public service for the delivery of local employment services.”.

—Seán Sherlock.

11.

In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “Report on the treatment of cohabitants under the Social Welfare Acts 24.
The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the treatment of cohabitants under the Social Welfare Acts, with particular regard to the differences between the treatment of a married couple and a cohabiting couple.”.

—Seán Sherlock.

12.

In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “Report on maternity and related benefits 24.
The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the adequacy of the level of payment of maternity benefit and other child-related leave benefits, and report with proposals to link these benefits to earned income.”.

—Seán Sherlock.

13.

In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “Report on the current criteria for Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension 24.
The Minister shall review the current criteria in order to qualify for a Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension, including the Non-Contributory and Contributory payments, specifically the marriage requirement and explore removing this 3 [SECTION 24] clause to acknowledge long term partnerships and dependent children and that the report shall be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within nine months of the passing of this Act.”.

—Claire Kerrane.
—Claire Kerrane.

14.

In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “Report on continued equal quality of access to public employment services 24.

The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on ensuring continued access, on a self-referral basis, to public employment services as they currently do regardless of provider or changes to the structure or model employment services and notwithstanding eligibility to other Departmental schemes.”.

—Claire Kerrane.

15.


In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “Report on the effectiveness of the tender for employment services 24.
The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on the effectiveness of the tender for the new model of Regional Employment Services in Longford, Westmeath, Sligo, Leitrim, Laois, Offaly and Donegal and the impact it is having on providing access to citizens and residents to a public employment services in those areas and that the report shall be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within six months of the passing of this Act.”.
—Claire Kerrane.

16.

In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “Introduce a pilot programme for Regional Employment Services 24.
The Minister will engage with stakeholders before rolling out a pilot programme regarding the new model of Regional Employment Services in the areas of Longford, Westmeath, Sligo, Leitrim, Laois, Offaly and Donegal before proceeding with further roll out of other tenders for Regional Employment Services and produce a report on the implementation of this model and key learnings from the process and that the report shall be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within six months of the passing of this Act.”.
—Claire Kerrane.

17.

In page 16, after line 31, to insert the following: “Report on a person-centred model of public employment services 24.

The Minister shall prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas on a person-centred model of public employment services accessible to all.
The report will set out, following engagement with the public, statutory, charity and private service providers, academic institutions and other civil society organisations, a model of 4 [SECTION 24] employment services that is open, inclusive and fit for purpose and that this report shall be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection within six months of the passing of this Act.”.

—Claire Kerrane.

SCHEDULE 1 18.


In page 18, line 23, after “Benefit” to insert “and Jobseeker’s Benefit (self-employed)”.

—An tAire Coimirce Sóisialaí.

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