Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mary Hanafin was doorstepped today by Newstalk (link to print version of their report is no longer available) about the Free Travel Pass issue following the publication of that article in the Irish Independent.
As in the responses to other outlets she confirmed that the social welfare code was currently under review and indicated that there may be changes to the issues concerning the free travel pass. I am aware that she has been contacted by letter and email by several individuals and I would be interested in hearing about the replies.
I am not sure if this review is a general equality review or one specific to those in same sex relationships. If it is the former surely the Department would have realised that the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2004 was not in line with government policy on equality proofing given that Equality legislation was 4 years old at that stage.
Update: Today’s Irish Times now also reports on the review and confirms that it is a full equality review that is taking place.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties are quoted as saying that Iarnród Éireann are “profiteering from a licence to discriminate issued by the Department of Social and Family Affairs?. (See press release from the ICCL here).
Ouch, that’s what you get when the Manager for Revenue Protection signs a confidential notice I suppose!
So anyone got other signs they’d like Michael to take a picture of, pass around and get us all angry about??
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=437ad37c-fd2b-412c-b2bd-140dc9c10351)
Ah ok
Is this the review announced by Coughlan in 2004?
“As I outlined, a key objective of the Bill is to remove the difference between the statutory and administrative schemes in the treatment of couples. Sections 18 and 19, which define “spouse? for the purposes of both scheme types, are designed to restore the position which obtained before the decision in the free travel case I mentioned earlier. I stress that the measure is an interim solution, pending an extensive review of the social welfare code in the context of the principles of the equal status legislation. The purpose of the review will be to ensure that any difference of treatment on any of the discriminatory grounds are justified by a legitimate social policy objective and that the means of achieving that objective are necessary and appropriate. It is expected that the review will take some years to complete, as it will examine complex issues with potential implications for matters outside the scope of the social welfare code. The review will be conducted in consultation with interested parties, including other Departments. The proposed format will be agreed with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.”
http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=SEN20040323.xml&Page=1&Ex=236#N236
Or did the review only start in 2007?
http://www.welfare.ie/equalityreview.html
Interesting. The review does not include the Equality Authority but does include the Department of Justice?
Spots ball going into long grass (again).
Can just hear it now: we can’t have civil partnership until the review of inquality has been completed … just in time for Poodle and I to get bus passes…
Oh now I’m mad: I’ve just re-read Ian’s comment (above; thanks Ian) (See: I give credit unlike the sindo!) Please tell me WTF is ‘complex’ about equality unless they don’t understand heteronormative privilege? I note the interested parties mentioned included, other departments … but did it/ does it include “us”? Does it ever? Arrrghhh! OK, which of you voted for these muppets? Off to the naughty chairs will all of ye!
How long does it take to do an Equality Review? | Maman Poulet // Sep 7, 2008 at 10:33
[...] as: Same Sex Partnerships, Social Policy Minister for Social And Family Affairs, Mary Hanafin, told reporters on Friday that the Department is engaged in an equality review of the social welfare [...]
The replies to the email of complaint I wrote her involved the following statement. ‘What is your postal address so the minister can reply?’ I provided this address but no reply yet. It’s curious. Because I got 10 people to write to her complaining and all received the same response. Is she collecting addresses? And for what purpose? How is a postal response required for an email complaint. I’d like to know what’s going to happen to all these addresses she is collecting.
I can confirm that the ‘confidential’ notice on display in CIE Headquarters is an extract from what is known as the weekly circular (w.c.), which is circulated to (or made available to, upon request) all Iarnrod Eireann employees. Although problems with its distribution has been experienced, it is widely distributed and widely requested, as it contains information on internal vacancies, amongst other notices.
I can also confirm that Iarnrod Eireann are, as the Irish Times reports, “profiteering from a licence to discriminate issued by the Department of Social and Family Affairs?, as they are proactively pursuing their ‘Revenue Protection’ agenda, thereby utilising any loopholes available to them in prosecuting users of the service who do not hold valid or indeed any, ticket.
I can’t help but draw a similarity with Edwin Black’s account in “IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America’s Most Powerful Corporation” [New York: Crown Publishers, 2001], in which Black says, IBM’s motivation for working with the Nazis, “was never about Nazism…it was always about profit,” which is consistent with a coporation’s amoral nature.
“Corporations have no capacity to value political systems, fascist or democratic, for reasons of principle or ideaology. The only legitimate question for a corporation is whether a political system serves or impedes its self-interested purpose.” [the Corporation; Joel Bakan, Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2004].
Keep blogging, I assure you, its having an affect!