Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 2007 > Committee on Social and Family Affairs > Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs, 2007

TITHE AN OIREACHTAIS

An Comhchoiste um Ghnóthaí Sóisialacha agus Teaghlaigh

TUARASCÁIL BHLIANTÚIL 2007

(Eanáir — Aibreán)

Aibreán 2007

HOUSES OF THE OIREACHTAS

Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs

ANNUAL REPORT 2007

(January — April)

April 2007

Annual Report 2007

(January — April)

Table of Contents

1. Content and Format of Report

This report has been prepared pursuant to Standing Order 84 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Dáil Éireann) and Standing Order 69 (3), (4), (5) and (6) (Seanad Éireann) which provide for the Joint Committee to-

•undertake a review of its procedure and its role generally

•prepare an annual work programme

•lay minutes of its proceedings before both Houses

•make an annual report to both Houses

Following circulation of the report, the Members of the Joint Committee agreed that all these items should be included in this annual report.

2. Functions and Powers

The Dáil Select Committee was established by Order of Dáil Éireann of 16 October 2002 to consider Bills, Estimates for Public Services and the terms of any international agreement involving a charge on public funds which come within the aegis of the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

The Dáil Select Committee under the same Order was enjoined with a Select Committee of Seanad Éireann, established by Order of Seanad Éireann of 17 October 2002, to form the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs. Among the principal functions of the Joint Committee are to consider —

•public affairs administered by the Department of Social and Family Affairs

•matters of policy for which the Minister for Social and Family Affairs is responsible

•legislative and expenditure proposals of the Department

•scrutiny of EU legislative proposals

•certain matters relating to bodies under the aegis of the Department

The Orders of Reference of the Dáil Select Committee and the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 1.

3. Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Convenors and Membership

Deputy Willie Penrose was elected as Chairman of the Joint Committee on 12 November 2002. Deputy Donal Moynihan was elected as Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on the same day. The Chairman of the Joint Committee is also Chairman of the Dáil Select Committee.

Deputies John Carty and Michael Ring are the Convenors of the Committee whose function it is to ensure the availability and attendance of Members or their substitutes for meetings of the Committee and, in particular, to ensure Members’ availability for divisions.

The Members of the Joint Committee are set out at Appendix 2.

4. Meetings, Attendance and Recording

Meetings of the Joint Committee and Select Committee took place in the Committee rooms in Leinster House 2000. Meetings were in public unless otherwise ordered by the Committee.

Televised coverage of public meetings of the Committee were broadcast live within the Leinster House complex and was available for subsequent public broadcasting by RTE and TV3.

An Official Report (Parliamentary Debates) of the public meetings of the Committees is published and may be purchased from the Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. The Official Reports may also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas website at www.oireachtas.ie

Copies of other reports published by the Joint Committee may be obtained from the Clerk, Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs, Kildare House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. A list of these reports is set out at paragraph 8.

5. Number and Duration of Meetings

The Joint Committee met on 6 occasions in the period under report. The number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 7. The date and subject matter of each meeting are set out in paragraph 7 below, and at Appendix 3.

The Dáil Select Committee met on 2 occasions in the period under report and the number of hours discussion involved in these meetings was in excess of 4. The date and subject matter of each meeting are set out in paragraph 6 below, and at Appendix 4.

Minutes of proceedings of the Joint Committee meetings in public session are attached at Appendix 5.

6. Work of the Committee

6.1 Joint Committee

The Joint Committee met on 6 occasions; among the matters dealt with were the following:

•Annual Report 2006 and Work Programme 2007

•Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals

•National Rural Development Strategy and Programme 2007 — 2013

•Child Poverty in Ireland

•Pension payments by Electronic Information Transfer (ETI) and Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT)

•Family Income Supplement

•National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007 — 2016

•Report on Minimum Essential Budgets for Six Households

•Budget 2007

6.2 Dáil Select Committee

On the 2 occasions the Dáil Select Committee met, it dealt with the following matters:

•Social Welfare and Pensions Bill, 2007

•Revised Estimate for 2007, Vote 38 — Social and Family Affairs

7. Groups and Individuals attending before Committee

In the period under report, the Joint Committee met with the following organisations, groups and individuals:

•European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN), [Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU)/Simon Communities of Ireland/ One Family]

•End Child Poverty Coalition, [Barnardos/OPEN/Children’s Rights Alliance]

•Officials of the Department of Social and Family Affairs

•Irish Rural Link

•The Office for Social Inclusion

•The Combat Poverty Agency

•The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul

•The Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice

8. Joint Committee Reports

During the period under report, the Joint Committee published the following reports:

•Annual Report 2006 and Work Programme 2007

•EU Scrutiny Report No 6 on COM (2006) 288 : A Council decision on authorising Member States to ratify, in the interests of the European Community, the 2006 Consolidated Maritime Labour Convention of the International Labour Organisation.

•Report on the Joint Committee’s consideration of Pensions related issues.

9. Travel

The Joint Committee undertook no travel in the period under report.

10. Functions and Powers

The Joint Committee is currently satisfied with its present procedures and role.

____________________

William Penrose, T.D.

Chairman.

27 April 2007.