The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, TD, today (12th October 2012), hosted a pre-Budget Forum to give voluntary and community organisations the opportunity to make pre-Budget submissions relating to social welfare schemes at a special session in St Andrews Resource Centre in Dublin's Pearse Street.
In her opening remarks to the groups at the Forum, Minister Burton said: "It is important to clearly state that at this stage no decisions have been made in relation to measures for Budget 2013. These will be considered by the Government in the coming months and in the context of the overall requirement to reduce public expenditure generally."
Minister Burton continued: "One of my key priorities as Minister for Social Protection – the country's largest spending Department – is to balance the books, in particular by starting to put the Social Insurance Fund on a sustainable footing. This is important not only so that we can recover our economic sovereignty but also to ensure that the social protection system is sustainable into the future."
This year the Department of Social Protection will spend in the region of €20.55 billion on a wide range of schemes and services, 39% of all gross current Government expenditure. Over 2.2 million people, including 197,700 qualified adults and over 516,300 children, will benefit from a weekly payment from the Department of Social Protection, including those getting a jobseekers payment, on pensions, as a carer or for illness and disability.
Minister Burton said: "Looking ahead to the next Budget I will do my best to ensure that the burden of resolving the crisis does not fall disproportionately on those who depend on income supports from my Department."
31 groups attended the Forum, representing older people, people with disabilities, lone parents, children, unemployed people, carers and family support groups. (See appendix for list of organisations who attended the Forum).
Minister Burton concluded by stating that she wanted to ensure that the social protection system is sustainable into the future. She continued: "There are considerable challenges ahead for Budget 2013. At the forefront of our consideration is the need to protect, as far as possible, the key income supports and services operated by my Department."
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Notes for Editors
Table 1: Department of Social Protection Expenditure by Programme – Revised Estimate, 2012 (REV).| Programme |
2012 REV Expenditure €million |
% of Total Expenditure |
|---|
| 1. Administration |
600 |
2.90% |
| 2. Pensions (Including State Contributory and Non-Contributory Pensions and Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partners Contributory Pension) |
6,255 |
30.40% |
| 3. Working Age – Income Supports (Including Jobseeker’s Allowance, One Parent Family Payment, Farm Assist, Maternity Benefit, Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance etc.) |
5,707 |
27.80% |
| 4. Working Age – Employment Supports (Including Community Employment Programme, Rural Social Scheme, TÚS, Back to Work Allowance, Back to Education Allowance etc.) |
983 |
4.80% |
| 5. Illness, Disability and Carers (Including Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit, Carer’s Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Disablement Benefit etc.) |
3,439 |
16.70% |
| 6. Children (Child Benefit of €2 billion as well as other schemes such as Family Income Supplement, Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, School Meals Scheme and Guardian’s Payments) |
2,400 |
11.70% |
7. Supplementary Payments, Agencies and Miscellaneous Services
- Rent Supplement
- Mortgage Interest Supplement
- Household Benefits
- Free Travel
- Fuel Allowance |
1,164
436
51
335
77
214 |
5.70%
|
Overall Total
Expenditure on Schemes, Services and Administration |
20,547 |
100% |
Table 2: Social Welfare Expenditure, 2002 to 2012| Year |
Total Social Welfare Expenditure €m |
Index of Expenditure |
|---|
2002 |
9,517 |
100 |
2003 |
10,493 |
110.3 |
2004 |
11,291 |
118.6 |
2005 |
12,168 |
127.9 |
2006 |
13,586 |
142.8 |
2007 |
15,518 |
163.1 |
2008 |
17,809 |
187.1 |
2009 |
20,536 |
215.8 |
2010 |
20,850 |
219.1 |
2011 |
20,968 |
220.3 |
2012 [1] |
20,547 |
215.9 |
Table 3: Recipients and Beneficiaries of Primary Weekly Social Welfare Payments, 2002 to 2012| Year |
Weekly Recipients |
Weekly Beneficiaries [2] |
|---|
2002 |
938,971 |
1,496,714 |
2003 |
959,432 |
1,511,740 |
2004 |
957,732 |
1,463,921 |
2005 |
976, 613 |
1,469,106 |
2006 |
1,003,517 |
1,506,824 |
2007 |
1,060,327 |
1,577,463 |
2008 |
1,208,883 |
1,799,875 |
2009 |
1,379,206 |
2,076,256 |
2010 |
1,430,833 |
2,179,428 |
2011 [3] |
1,467,129 |
2,248,284 |
2012 [4] |
1,473,323 |
2,260,312 |
The Comprehensive Expenditure Report, 2012 – 2014, (CER) published last December provides for new expenditure reduction measures of €1,033 million over the next two years. This includes €540 million of new savings to be achieved in Budget 2013.
Table 4: Department of Social Protection Expenditure ceilings, 2012 - 2014 [5]| |
2012 € million |
2013 € million |
2014 € million |
|---|
Ministerial Expenditure Ceilings
(total allocations for gross current expenditure) |
20,533 |
19,906 |
19,296 |
| Savings measures introduced in 2012 |
475 |
648 |
690 |
| Savings remaining to be specified |
|
540 |
1,033 |
[1] Revised Estimate, 2012
[2] This includes qualified adults and children.
[3] 2011 and 2012 data include schemes transferred to the Department of Social Protection from FÁS and CEGA, including Community Employment, Rural Social Scheme.
[4] July 2012 Monthly Stats Report
[5] Page 24, Comprehensive Expenditure Report (CER), published by D/PER in December 2011
Appendix
List of Organisations Attending
- Active Retirement Ireland
- Age Action Ireland
- Care Alliance Ireland
- Carers Association
- Children's Rights Alliance
- Congress Centres Network (ICTU)
- CROSSCARE - sub group – Health Eating for All
- Disability Federation of Ireland
- FLAC
- Inclusion Ireland
- Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA)
- Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU)
- Irish Senior Citizens Parliament
- National Federation of Pensioners' Associations
- National Women's Council of Ireland
- Older and Bolder
- One Family (Shared time slot with EAPN)
- OPEN
- Pavee Point
- Retired Workers Committee
- Saint Vincent de Paul
- Social Justice Ireland
- The Wheel
- Threshold
- TREOIR
- Trustus We Care
- Unmarried and Separated Families of Ireland
- Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice
- Alone
- Centre for Independent Living (C.I.L)
- European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN)
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