Society of St. Vincent de Paul (Society of St. Vincent de Paul)

Lobbying Organisation Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Date published 20 May, 2020

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Public Expenditure and Reform

Period 1 Jan, 2020 to 30 Apr, 2020

Specific Details Engagement with Ministers and Senior Officials to ensure sufficient supports are provided to households assisted by SVP impacted financially or otherwise by the Covid-19 crisis

Intended results Payment of all social welfare through bank account, continuation of Working Family Payment and other in-work income supports, extension of fuel allowance period, safeguards for vulnerable telecommunication customers, continuation in the provision of school meals, provision of grant to address the digital divide among students studying at home, guidelines on shopping with children, greater regulation of moneylenders and additional facilities for homeless persons.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Tricia Keilthy

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 (2-5)

Email communication with the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection seeking additional financial supports for those impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. 11th- 12th March 2020

Phone call (2-5)

Phone call with the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection seeking additional financial supports for those impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. 11th March 2020

Letter (1)

Letter (via email) to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection seeking additional financial supports for those impacted by the Covid-19 crisis including the provision of payments through bank accounts, continuation of in-work income supports for low income families experiencing temporary job losses, extension of the fuel allowance period and easier access to supplementary welfare payments. Letter sent jointly with One Family and SPARK Ireland 12th March 2020

Phone call (2-5)

Phone call to the Minister Employment Affairs and Social Protection from SVP National President seeking additional financial supports for those impacted by the Covid-19 crisis including the provision of payments through bank accounts, continuation of in-work income supports for low income families experiencing temporary job losses, extension of the fuel allowance period, easier access to supplementary welfare payments and continuation of school meals programme. 21st March 2020

Letter (1)

Follow up letter (via email) to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection seeking extension of the fuel allowance period. Letter sent jointly with One Family and SPARK Ireland 23rd of March 2020

Letter (1)

Letter (via email) to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment requesting that safeguards are put in place for vulnerable telecommunication customers including a momentorium on disconnections and the removal of data limit caps. 7th April

Email (1)

Follow up email to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment requesting that safeguards are put in place for vulnerable telecommunication customers including a momentorium on disconnections and the removal of data limit caps. 8th April

Letter (1)

Letter (via email) to An Taoiseach requesting that sufficient social isolation facilities are available for those living in emergency accommodation and that a housing first approach is utilized during and after the Covid crisis. 8th April

Letter (1)

Letter (via email) to the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government requesting that sufficient social isolation facilities are available for those living in emergency accommodation and that a housing first approach is utilized during and after the Covid crisis. 8th April

Phone call (1)

Phone call with Deputy Brid Smith outlining how Covid-19 is impacting the people SVP assist and to discuss our proposed solutions in the short and medium term. 13th April

Letter (1)

Letter (via email) to Dr. Tony Holohan, CMO, Minister for Health, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and the Assistant Secretary of the Department of An Taoiseach requesting that the Government issue guidelines on safe family shopping as a blanket ban on children by some supermarkets was causing significant difficulties for one parent families. Letter sent jointly with the Children's Rights Alliance, One Family, FLAC, SPARK, National Women's Council of Ireland, and Treoir. 21st April

Letter (1)

Letter (via email) to the Minister for Education requesting that the digital grant be allocated based and need with priority given to the most disadvantaged students. 22nd April

Letter (1)

Letter (via email) to the Minister for Finance requesting that additional safeguards are put in place to protect vulnerable customers from high cost moneylenders during and after the pandemic, including enhanced advertising requirements and an interest rate restrictions. 30th April

Virtual Meeting (1)

Video conference call with Deputy Jennifer Whitmore outlining how Covid-19 is impacting the people SVP assist and to discuss our proposed solutions in the short and medium term. 27th April

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.

Jacqui McCrum Deputy Secretary (Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection)

Regina Doherty Minister (Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection)

Katherine Zappone Minister (Department of Children and Youth Affairs)

Simon Harris Minister (Department of Health)

Paschal Donohoe Minister (Department of Finance)

Elizabeth Canavan Assistant Secretary (Department of the Taoiseach)

Richard Bruton Minister (Department of Environment, Climate and Communications)

Joe McHugh Minister (Department of Education and Skills)

Leo Varadkar Taoiseach (Department of the Taoiseach)

Eoghan Murphy Minister (Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government)

Bríd Smith TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Jennifer Whitmore TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)