department of social and family affairs annual report 2006 - Welfare.ie

improvement programme. This included the
provision of new office accommodation in Cobh
and Youghal and a major refurbishment of
existing accommodation in Galway.
Policy Development and Planning
In light of experience gained from dealing with
issues and in its liaison role with the SWAO and
the Ombudsman’s Office, the Decisions Advisory
Office provided input to the policy and legislative
process in 2006.
The following are examples of consultation
initiatives during the year:
goal 6: the department and its staff
> OBJECTIVE 1
Promote and support an effective, inclusive and
consultative policy making process
Consultation with stakeholders is a key
element of the policy making process within
the Department. It is an essential element in
addressing policy issues and in determining an
effective response to the needs of customers
in the context of a changing economic and
social environment. Such consultation and the
development of participative structures where
customer representative organisations and
stakeholders generally can express views, provide
feedback on services delivered and input into
policy making is necessary in order to ensure
that income support programmes and associated
supports continue to be relevant and effective.
The Department facilitates this participative
structure through various fora including
the annual pre- and post- Budget fora,
through submissions to working groups and
through engagement with various customer
representative groups.
The introduction of Regulatory Impact Analysis
(RIA) also requires the Department to consult
with relevant stakeholders in advance of
introducing primary legislation and significant
statutory instruments. RIA ensures that the
potential impacts, including costs and benefits, of
new regulation or regulatory change are assessed
at policy design stage.
The Department’s Policy Committee met eight
times during 2006.
a) The Department hosted a public consultation
forum in April 2006 following the launch of the
Government discussion paper entitled Proposals
for supporting Lone Parents (see Goal 3,
objective 3). The forum was attended by groups
working with lone parents, representatives
from Government Departments, State Agencies,
the social partners and members from the Joint
Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family
Affairs. The discussion paper was also debated
in the Seanad and at the Joint Oireachtas
Committee on Social and Family Affairs. In
addition, the Department has dealt with
submissions from and has met the key groups
representing lone parents to discuss their
concerns.
b) The 2006 Pre-Budget Forum took place in
October. The purpose of this Forum is to give
voluntary organisations operating in the social
services area an opportunity to express their
views, concerns and priorities with regard to
social welfare improvements in the run-up
to the Budget. Thirty-two organisations were
invited to attend the Forum. Representatives
from the Combat Poverty Agency, the Family
Support Agency, the National Disability
Authority, the Department of Finance and
Comhairle also attended. A representative from
each organisation was also invited to attend
the Post-Budget Forum which was held on the
evening of Budget Day in December 2006.
c) Consultative Forum- Supporting People
with Disabilities: The Forum consists of the
principal organisations representing people
with disabilities and service providers and
meets on a quarterly basis. Due to the
extensive consultation process associated with
the preparation for and publication of the
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