Vote 38 - Social and Family Affairs

A few facts and figures on the social welfare department here. Will someone correct me if I'm in the right thread - I don't see the figures for 'dole' anywhere.

The absenteeism is shocking.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/anger-as-welfare-staff-take-65000-sick-days-1528747.html

There must be an urgent need to move some staff out of planning , where they have nothing to do at all, and into social welfare administration.

Lone parents on welfare may have to enter workforce, says Hanafin

"This is about recognising that these people could well be living in poverty, they are dependent on rent supplement, they are prevented from getting into long-term relationships or marriage, because of the conditions that we place on our lone parent payment," Ms Hanafin said.

"It is not good for the child, it is not good for the family and it is not good for society."

At present about €900 million a year is spent by the State on the lone parent allowance - or one-parent family payment, as it is now known - compared to just over €300 million in 1997.

The State pays a further €200 million in supports, such as rent allowance, to single-parent families.

The Minister was speaking at the publication of a report based on a survey of more than 1,600 lone parents who receive welfare benefits.

The vast majority of respondents - 84 per cent - are working, looking for work or engaged in education or training, according to the report by One Family, a provider of family support services to one-parent families in Ireland. Irish Times

Good piece of scapegoating eh. Well done Mary.

I note everyone seems to have missed that the Social Insurance Fund will go bust at some point in 2011. Yet another massive bill that is just awaiting for the Exchequer.

kn wrote:

I note everyone seems to have missed that the Social Insurance Fund will go bust at some point in 2011. Yet another massive bill that is just awaiting for the Exchequer.

Hi KN, is that the fund listed at the bottom of the vote with 4 Bn in 2008 and 3.4 Bn in '09 ?

Edit : Oh now I see , it's 900 Million short for 2009.

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

kn wrote:

I note everyone seems to have missed that the Social Insurance Fund will go bust at some point in 2011. Yet another massive bill that is just awaiting for the Exchequer.

Hi KN, is that the fund listed at the bottom of the vote with 4 Bn in 2008 and 3.4 Bn in '09 ?

Edit : Oh now I see , it's 900 Million short for 2009.

That's 'stamps' is it ? Pardon my ignorance. Welcome KN - how did you miss this lovely new Estimates forum ? We need all the people we can get to chip in some cash to get some FOI data. 1k gets you several pages of Fás expenses photocopies (but they reduce it to 400 quid if you say "I'll take it" on the phone to them)

Auditor #9 wrote:

EvotingMachine0197 wrote:

kn wrote:

I note everyone seems to have missed that the Social Insurance Fund will go bust at some point in 2011. Yet another massive bill that is just awaiting for the Exchequer.

Hi KN, is that the fund listed at the bottom of the vote with 4 Bn in 2008 and 3.4 Bn in '09 ?

Edit : Oh now I see , it's 900 Million short for 2009.

That's 'stamps' is it ? Pardon my ignorance. Welcome KN - how did you miss this lovely new Estimates forum ? We need all the people we can get to chip in some cash to get some FOI data. 1k gets you several pages of Fás expenses photocopies (but they reduce it to 400 quid if you say "I'll take it" on the phone to them)

Yeah the SIF is where all your PRSI money goes. You can see that they are estimating it to be circa €800million out this year compared to what they expected. They are forecasting a further large deficit next year but the only thing you can be certain of is that they grossly underestimated the deficit in the budget. The government unemployment and economic growth figures for next year are loopers. Even FAS now admit that the economy will lose 100k jobs next as unemployment goes into double digits and total employment in the economy falls back below 2million. The SIF is another bill that is hanging over the exchequer that I reckon will start falling due from 2011. In a full year of 2012 you could be looking at the exchequer needing to find €1.5billion + just to meet this new bill on an annual basis unless severe corrective action is taken.

"Severe corrective action" - such as ... ?

This crowd in Govt. seem to be waiting for a rising tide to lift our boats again, those of us who have boats. Are we chasing rainbows ends looking for foreign investment and industry now ? Would we be better off focusing on quality and value tourism, offsetting energy-import costs and trying whatever measures are necessary to start exporting something - whatever it should be ?

Auditor #9 wrote:

"Severe corrective action" - such as ... ?

This crowd in Govt. seem to be waiting for a rising tide to lift our boats again, those of us who have boats. Are we chasing rainbows ends looking for foreign investment and industry now ? Would we be better off focusing on quality and value tourism, offsetting energy-import costs and trying whatever measures are necessary to start exporting something - whatever it should be ?

There is a lot of talk about "why isn't the Irish Government pumping money into the economy like everyone else". The answer is, that they are, whether they intended to or not. Perhaps it is better to be pumping it in in accordance with even a defective and wasteful set of Estimates and the NDP than the random flailing around of Paulson and Brown.
At least we are spending money on some kinds of acknowledged societal needs, not like the US where Paulson wants to back people to take out car loans.

The problem is - where is it going to come from. The fall in the dollar in response the the US pump priming activities shows the risk - inflationary reduction in the value of the currency.