activation schemes, with very specific impacts on lone parents. The recent passage of the Childcare Support Bill through the Dáil, which will give effect to the Single Affordable Childcare Scheme (as announced in Budget 2017) is to be welcomed and it is hoped that this legislation (and the associated administrative and technical systems) will finally deliver a cohesive system of affordable, full-time quality childcare for low-income households throughout the country. The evidence provided by our delivery services speaks to the need for an appropriately designed and delivered in-work welfare system, which is more responsive to the needs and circumstances of its users. It also highlights the importance of robust engagement with employment and support services in helping people through change and uncertainty. Recommendations - Work and Welfare: Based on the evidence provided , CIB recommends the following in relation to the design of work and welfare systems:- Change eligibility for jobseeker’s payments to criteria based on hours worked rather than the number of days worked, to better support part-time and casual working patterns; Continue to phase out the age-differentiated, reduced rate of payment of Jobseeker’s Allowance for jobseekers who are under 26; Decrease the number of waiting days for entitlement to Illness Benefit from six to three days, reverting to the criteria prior to 2014; Adjust the income and working hours threshold for the Working Family Payment to better reflect the types of employment that are now being filled by low-income families; Extend the reach and coverage of activation and training schemes to include the ‘hidden unemployed’, and in particular, ensure that eligibility and supports for all employment activation schemes includes people with disabilities in line with the recommendations of the Make Work Pay Report; Develop a streamlined, over-arching system of subsidised childcare that provides affordable, quality, full-time childcare options for low income families; Examine the potential that exists to exploit the imminent roll-out of the PAYE modernisation programme in terms of the processing and administration of claims for benefits specifically how – the availability of real-time information relating to pay, tax, PRSI and USC deductions can be utilised by DEASP in designing a system that is more responsive to their clients needs; CIB also makes the following recommendations which are focused on the delivery of welfare supports to people who are seeking to access work or combine work with welfare:-
activation schemes, with very specific impacts on lone parents. The recent passage of the Childcare Support Bill through the Dáil, which will give effect to the Single Affordable Childcare Scheme (as announced in Budget 2017) is to be welcomed and it is hoped that this legislation (and the associated administrative and technical systems) will finally deliver a cohesive system of affordable, full-time quality childcare for low-income households throughout the country. The evidence provided by our delivery services speaks to the need for an appropriately designed and delivered in-work welfare system, which is more responsive to the needs and circumstances of its users. It also highlights the importance of robust engagement with employment and support services in helping people through change and uncertainty. Recommendations - Work and Welfare: Based on the evidence provided , CIB recommends the following in relation to the design of work and welfare systems:- Change eligibility for jobseeker’s payments to criteria based on hours worked rather than the number of days worked, to better support part-time and casual working patterns; Continue to phase out the age-differentiated, reduced rate of payment of Jobseeker’s Allowance for jobseekers who are under 26; Decrease the number of waiting days for entitlement to Illness Benefit from six to three days, reverting to the criteria prior to 2014; Adjust the income and working hours threshold for the Working Family Payment to better reflect the types of employment that are now being filled by low-income families; Extend the reach and coverage of activation and training schemes to include the ‘hidden unemployed’, and in particular, ensure that eligibility and supports for all employment activation schemes includes people with disabilities in line with the recommendations of the Make Work Pay Report; Develop a streamlined, over-arching system of subsidised childcare that provides affordable, quality, full-time childcare options for low income families; Examine the potential that exists to exploit the imminent roll-out of the PAYE modernisation programme in terms of the processing and administration of claims for benefits – specifically how the availability of real-time information relating to pay, tax, PRSI and USC deductions can be utilised by DEASP in designing a system that is more responsive to their clients needs; CIB also makes the following recommendations which are focused on the delivery of welfare supports to people who are seeking to access work or combine work with welfare:-
social_prebudget_2019.docx