Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC)

Lobbying Organisation Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC)

Date published 11 Jan, 2017

Relevant Matter Legislation

Public Policy Area Social Protection

Period 1 Sep, 2016 to 31 Dec, 2016

Specific Details FLAC Submission on Social Welfare Bill 2016

Intended results Equal payment for all those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance The targeted use of Mortgage Interest Supplement for those in short term mortgage arrears The placing of the Social Welfare Appeals Office on a statutorily independent footing The statutory underpinning of the Direct Provision allowance as well as an increase of the allowance itself. An explanation for the necessity of Section 12 which provided for the Minister to enact regulations to compel employers to provide information on employees for the purpose of determining entitlement to child benefit claims

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Ciaran Finlay, Legal & Policy Officer

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (1)

Email sent to a number of TDs and Senators with FLAC's submission (http://www.flac.ie/publications/joint-submission-social-welfare-bill-2016/), requesting that the proposed amendments be made at Committee Stage.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Leo Varadkar Minister (Department of Social Protection)

Alice-Mary Higgins Senator (Seanad)

Ray Butler Senator (Seanad)

Kevin Humphreys Senator (Seanad)

Catherine Ardagh Senator (Seanad)

John Brady TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Catherine Martin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Willie O'Dea TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joe Carey TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Willie Penrose TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Maria Bailey TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Catherine Murphy TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

John Curran TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joan Collins TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)