Written Answers Nos. 126-147
126. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the average, median, maximum and minimum primary school class sizes for the Cork city and Cork County Council area from 2019 to date in 2024, in tabular form. [3312/24]
View answerPlease find attached requested information for the years 2019-2022 inclusive, 2022 being the latest year we have class size data.
The figures are based on mainstream classes in mainstream schools and were collated from the relevant Class Size tables published on the DE website and can be found at the link below;
gov.ie - Class Size Information at Individual Primary School Level (www.gov.ie)
127. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Education the percentage of social media videos posted on her Departmental social media accounts or the social media accounts of public bodies and agencies that operate under her remit, that included closed captioning/subtitling and Irish sign language translations between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, inclusive. [3360/24]
View answerThe department had a total of 56 Twitter video posts between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, of which 51 (91%) utilised closed captioned/subtitled. 8 (14%) of the posts featured Irish Sign Language (ISL)
A total of 24 videos were posted on LinkedIn between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, of which 21 (87%) utilised closed captioned/subtitled. 3 (12%) of the posts featured Irish Sign Language (ISL_.
The department does not hold the statistics for its public bodies and agencies.
128. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her attention has been brought to the fact that the local improvement scheme offered by Galway County Council will not be taking applications for a third year in 2024 leaving the condition of roads not taken in charge by the County Council to further deteriorate, which is a particular problem in Gaeltacht areas of the county; if she is looking at other avenues to improve infrastructure such as roads in the Gaeltacht; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3134/24]
View answerResponsibility for road maintenance in the Gaeltacht is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities as is the case with the rest of the country.
129. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide figures for the number of staff directly employed in her Department who work from home/remotely as part of their working week; the percentage of staff on an overall basis who work from home at least one day a week; the number of working hours on average per week that staff in her Department work from home; the gender breakdown of those who avail of the opportunity to work from home/remotely; if they will provide the figures for 2022 and 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3247/24]
View answerI am advised that the below table and details contained provides the approved blended working arrangements for eligible staff in my Department in December 2022 and December 2023.
|
Number of remote workers |
% staff who work from home at least 1 day per week |
Average home working hours per week |
Gender breakdown of remote workers |
|
|
December 2022 |
319 |
78% |
See below* |
Female 60%Male 40% See below** |
|
December 2023 |
372 |
84% |
See below* |
Female 59%Male 41% See below** |
*Eligible staff may work from home between 1 – 3 days a week, depending on the business needs of each unit. This is pro-rated for part time workers. Staff working from home are required to fulfil their contracted hours
**These percentages are broadly in line with the overall approximate gender breakdown within the Department (i.e. 59% Female and 41% Female)
130. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to provide figures for the number of staff directly employed in agencies and bodies directly under her aegis who work from home/remotely as part of their working week; the percentage of staff on an overall basis who work from home at least one day a week; the number of working hours on average per week that staff in relevant agencies and bodies work from home; the gender breakdown of those who avail of the opportunity to work from home/remotely; if she will provide the figures for 2022 and 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3265/24]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy is an operational matter for the bodies under my Department's aegis and is not something for which I have direct, day-to-day responsibility.
131. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the percentage of social media videos posted on her Departmental social media accounts or the social media accounts of public bodies and agencies that operate under her remit, that included closed captioning/subtitling and Irish sign language translations between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, inclusive. [3373/24]
View answerMy Department is committed to ensuring that members of the public can readily access the messages we are communicating.
Between January 1 2023 and December 31 2023, inclusive, 90.15 % of videos posted on my Department’s social media channels were close captioned / subtitled.
Irish Sign Language is an option used primarily in live and/or livestreamed events, such as the webinar I hosted in December on the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme. For other videos, subtitling is used. My Department delivered very few live-streamed events in 2023; as such 0.27% of all videos had ISL.
Regarding bodies and agencies under my Department’s remit, these are operational matters for the agencies themselves, and the Department does not have this information.
132. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 811 of 17 January 2024, if he will publish the report compiled on the viability and potential of the site. [3276/24]
View answerThe Land Development Agency's (LDA) Report on Relevant Public Land was published in March 2023 and can be seen via the following link: lda.ie/uploads/documents/230323_LDA_Ministers-Report-on-Relevant-Public-Land_high-res-resized_2023-03-28-105049_jooh.pdf. Specific information on the former Cork Prison site can be found on page 109.
My Department and the Department of Justice have held stakeholder engagement discussions relating to the site, its current and future uses, and its suitability for potential use for affordable and social housing.
Recommendations on all sites identified in the Report on Relevant Public Lands are now under consideration, and sites recommended for transfer to the LDA will be submitted to Government for consideration in sets, based on highest priority sites and lowest level of site constraints. Subsequent sets of sites will be considered by Government in due course. These transferred sites will add to the LDA's existing housing delivery pipeline of social and affordable homes. The LDA will publish details of each project on their website, as the sites become active.
133. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage given the recent announcement that exhumations are to take place in Mountjoy Prison to recover the remains of executed prisoners buried on site, if his Department will commence, as per its powers under the National Monuments Acts, a similar scheme of exhumations to take place at Kilmainham Gaol. [3104/24]
View answerThe function of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, under the National Monuments Acts, 1930-2014 is to ensure the long-term conservation of national monuments. Kilmainham Gaol is a national monument in their ownership and they are responsible for policy to ensure its long-term conservation and for the issue of Ministerial Consent under the Acts with respect to works at or in its vicinity.
The question of exhuming, for instance, the remains of the Invincibles and removing them from Kilmainham Gaol to the Republican Plot at Glasnevin was suggested a number of years ago by the late historian, Dr. Shane Kenna. It has also been the subject of a number of calls within various City and County Councils. In parallel, the contrary view has also been expressed by other parties that the resting place should not be disturbed.
The Minister does not have a direct role in relation to any decision in principle on whether the remains should be disinterred for reburial elsewhere. However, Ministerial Consent under Section 14 of the National Monuments Act would be required and there are a number of challenges that would be involved that would need to be considered before any viable proposal could proceed, including the appropriateness of such. Notwithstanding any grant of consent under Section 14, it should be anticipated that an exhumation licence under section 46 of the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act 1948 would also be required.
The fact that the bodies were buried in quicklime and that there may be other remains of executed prisoners potentially in the same area is a significant complicating factor, which would make accurate identification of remains difficult. Given the implications of the proposed project, it is likely that further consultation would need to take place, in addition to satisfying that the exhumation would meet the requirements of Section 14 of the National Monuments Act, The Office of Public Works (Minister for PER) also has a specific function in the matter as the statutory authority responsible for managing Kilmainham Gaol. I can confirm that my Department has liaised with the OPW on this matter.
134. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if a specific scheme is in place to assist older people obtaining a mortgage; and if so, the details of this scheme. [3107/24]
View answerUnder Housing for All, there is a policy objective to increase and improve housing options for older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence. Housing for All builds on and takes forward the ongoing actions in "Housing Options for Our Ageing Population" policy statement from 2019, published jointly by my Department and the Department of Health, which provides policy options in support of a range of housing and accommodation alternatives for older people. The actions include the development of a catalogue of housing options that provide a range of choices that meet the diverse need of an ageing population, spanning owner occupier, private rental and social housing, whilst providing accessible care and the associated support needs. My Department, together with the local authorities and the Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), is successfully guiding and delivering age-friendly housing within this framework.
While my Department has no specific scheme in place to assist older people obtaining a mortgage, affordability and the chance to own a home is at the heart of the Government’s housing policy. As detailed in the Housing for All strategy, the Government has introduced a number of measures to support households and individuals, including older people, wishing to purchase a home, as well as increasing the overall supply of new homes, with an ambitious target of 300,000 new homes up to 2030. This includes the First Home Scheme, the Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and an improved Local Authority Home Loan scheme.
Lastly, with regards to mortgage borrowing ability for older people, it is important to note that matters such as mortgage deposit requirements and mortgage borrowing ability come under the remit of the Central Bank of Ireland, which is an independent body. Relevant information is available at the following Central Bank link: www.centralbank.ie/consumer-hub/explainers/what-are-the-mortgage-measures.
135. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will lift the mandatory 90-day period for being declared homeless for HAP tenants if the tenant finds a property before the 90 days; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3173/24]
View answerThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need. Under HAP, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market.
Additional supports are available under HAP for homeless households or households at risk of homelessness nationwide. While eligible households or individuals may source accommodation for themselves under the Homeless HAP scheme, a dedicated resource, the Place Finder Service, has been established nationwide to provide assistance.
The Place Finder service assists households in or at immediate risk of homelessness primarily by providing access to deposits and advance rental payments. These elements are the core financial supports and are available to prospective tenants in all local authority areas. To qualify for specific additional supports available to homeless households, a household must have been determined by the relevant local authority to be homeless within the meaning of section 2 of the Housing Act 1988.
The operation of local homeless services, including the Place Finder Service, is a matter for each local authority.
136. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of air to water heating systems installed by Kildare County Council, in council owned properties in for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, in tabular form. [3184/24]
View answerIn response to the Programme for Government commitment, my Department launched a newly revised ten year Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme (EERP) in 2021 to retrofit 36,500 local authority homes by 2030. This new programme set a BER performance requirement of “B2” or cost optimal level. The upscaling of the works included in the programme sees a substantial overall increase in funding being made available for attic and wall insulation, windows and doors and heating upgrades, specifically the installation of a Heat Pump and associated works.
The table below provides a breakdown of the number of properties retrofit under the newly Enhanced EERP and the Midlands Retrofit Programme (MRP) funded by my Department to Kildare County Council and the associated number of heat pumps installed.
|
Year |
EERP Delivery |
EERP Heat Pump Installs |
MRP Delivery |
MRP Heat Pump Installs |
|
2021 |
- |
- |
20 |
20 |
|
2022 |
55 |
55 |
92 |
92 |
|
2023 |
30 |
30 |
8 |
8 |
|
Total |
85 |
85 |
120 |
120 |
137. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide figures for the number of staff directly employed in his Department who work from home/remotely as part of their working week; the percentage of staff on an overall basis who work from home at least one day a week; the number of working hours on average per week that staff in his Department work from home; the gender breakdown of those who avail of the opportunity to work from home/remotely; if they will provide the figures for 2022 and 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3241/24]
View answerMy Department formally launched its Blended Working policy in July 2022, which has been developed in line with the central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service. My Department moved to the implementation phase of this policy and commenced accepting applications for Blended Working in early October 2022. Rollout of Blended Working across the entire organisation was completed by end of March, 2023. Prior to the implementation of Blended Working on a rolling basis between October 2022 and March 2023, staff of my Department worked under transitional arrangements following the lifting of public health restrictions in response to COVID-19 in February 2022. These transitional arrangements involved attendance in the office for 2 days per week, with additional days in the office subject to business need.
Under the Blended Working policy, staff of my Department with suitable roles, performance and remote workstations may apply for a blended working arrangement. The blended working model used in my Department specifies 3 days working in the office and 2 days working from home, with a flexible option of 2 days a week in the office and 3 days working from home. This flexibility is at the discretion of the Head of Business Unit and takes account of business needs to ensure service delivery and organisational cohesion. The Blended Working Framework does not allow for fully remote work and 5 days per week working from home arrangements are not available in my Department.
My Department is not in a position to provide the average working hours that staff work from home, as the utilisation of the clock-in system is only mandatory for staff who are eligible to accrue flexitime. Staff on a standard work pattern are expected to work a minimum of 7 hours each day and are required to be on duty during core hours.
The number, percentage and gender breakdown of staff working from home / remotely is set out in the table below.
|
|
*2022 |
2023 |
|
Total number of staff as of 31st December |
1605 |
1717 |
|
Number of staff who work from home/remotely as part of working week |
1298 |
1359 |
|
Percentage of Staff who work from home at least one day per week |
80.87% |
79.15% |
|
Gender breakdown of those who work from home /remotely |
- Female 689, (53.08%) - Male 609, (46.92%) |
- Female 715, (52.61%) - Male 644, (47.39%) |
*Combined transitional and formal blended working arrangements
138. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide figures for the number of staff directly employed in agencies and bodies directly under his aegis who work from home/remotely as part of their working week; the percentage of staff on an overall basis who work from home at least one day a week; the number of working hours on average per week that staff in relevant agencies and bodies work from home; the gender breakdown of those who avail of the opportunity to work from home/remotely; if he will provide the figures for 2022 and 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3259/24]
View answerMy Department does not maintain the requested information in respect of the State bodies under its aegis.
Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email addresses in this regard are set out in the table below:
|
An Bord Pleanála |
oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie |
|
An Fóram Uisce |
info@nationalwaterforum.ie |
|
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority |
oireachtasqueries@ahbregulator.ie |
|
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum |
infodocklands@dublincity.ie |
|
Ervia |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Gas Networks Ireland |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Heritage Council |
oireachtas@heritagecouncil.ie |
|
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency |
publicreps@housingagency.ie |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
oireachtas.enquiries@hfa.ie |
|
Land Development Agency |
oireachtas@lda.ie |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
corporate@lgma.ie |
|
Maritime Area Regulatory Authority |
oireachtas@mara.gov.ie |
|
National Oversight and Audit Commission |
info@noac.ie |
|
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee |
ntacc@housing.gov.ie |
|
Office of the Planning Regulator |
oireachtas@opr.ie |
|
Pyrite Resolution Board |
oireachtasinfo@pyriteboard.ie |
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie |
|
Tailte Éireann |
reps@tailte.ie |
|
Uisce Éireann |
oireachtasmembers@water.ie |
|
Valuation Tribunal |
info@valuationtribunal.ie |
|
Waterways Ireland |
ceoffice@waterwaysireland.org |
139. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of new social housing dwelling completions in each of the periods May 2021 to end 2021, 2022 and 2023, including Part V, disaggregated by county. [3326/24]
View answerHousing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority. This data is available to the end of Q3 2023 and is published on the statistics' page of my Department’s website at the following link: gov.ie - Overall social and affordable housing provision (www.gov.ie)
My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). The CSR provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 3 2023. All Construction Status Reports are available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/cb885-social-housing-construction-projects-status-reports/
A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis of completions, locations, approvals stage etc. at this link: data.gov.ie/dataset/social-housing-construction-status-report-q3-2023
140. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to the cohort of middle-income earners who earn just above the threshold to qualify for social housing but earn too little to qualify for cost-rental homes due to the criteria that tenants cannot spend more than 35% of their disposable income on rent to qualify; his plans to reassess the criteria for cost-rental homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3351/24]
View answerHousing for All targets the delivery of 18,000 new Cost Rental homes to 2030. A strong pipeline is in place and under continuous development by Local Authorities, by Approved Housing Bodies using the Cost Rental Equity Loan, and by the Land Development Agency.
The core principle of Cost Rental is that the rents cover the development, management, and maintenance costs of the homes, so that the long-term future of the homes is financially secure, but that rents are not subject to the pressures of the open market. Rents will increase only in line with consumer inflation, remaining stable in real terms while continuing to cover ongoing costs. Cost Rental homes also come with the added advantage of long-term, secure tenancies regulated by the Affordable Housing Act 2021.
The nature of the Cost Rental model means that, unlike differential rents in social housing for low-income households, the rent is not set according to the income of the tenant. Cost Rental homes are advertised and made available at a certain rent level, which is needed to cover the costs of delivery and provision and so ensure the long-term future of the homes in the sector. What proportion of net income a particular rent represents will vary between households, but Cost Rental is offered as a more affordable option compared to the pressures of the private market. Where new Cost Rental homes receive State funding, projects are planned and managed so as to achieve starting rents which both cover costs and are also at least 25% below comparable homes in the local private rental market.
All Cost Rental providers are legally obliged to make Cost Rental homes available in line with the provisions of Part 3 of the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and associated Regulations. Eligibility and income parameters are a key tool in targeting State-supported homes at those who fall within the moderate income cohort and are considered most in need of affordable housing interventions. The primary eligibility condition for accessing Cost Rental housing is a maximum net annual household income (less income tax, PRSI, USC and superannuation contributions) of €66,000 for Dublin and €59,000 elsewhere.
All Cost Rental properties must be leased to a tenant whose household falls within prescribed eligibility conditions, but because rents must cover costs on an ongoing basis, a landlord must be confident that a prospective tenant can be expected to reliably pay the monthly rent. This is necessary to secure the long-term financial future of Cost Rental projects and ensure that homes are delivered for those who need them. Therefore, under the legislation a designated Cost Rental landlord has final discretion on whether to enter into a tenancy agreement with any particular applicant.
141. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the percentage of social media videos posted on his Departmental social media accounts or the social media accounts of public bodies and agencies that operate under his remit, that included closed captioning/subtitling and Irish sign language translations between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, inclusive. [3367/24]
View answerThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded in accordance with Standing Orders.
The information requested in relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department is a matter for the individual bodies concerned. Arrangements have been put in place by each Agency to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. The contact email address for each agency is set out in the following table:
|
An Bord Pleanála |
oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie |
|
An Fóram Uisce |
info@nationalwaterforum.ie |
|
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority |
oireachtasqueries@ahbregulator.ie |
|
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum |
infodocklands@dublincity.ie |
|
Ervia |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Gas Networks Ireland |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Heritage Council |
oireachtas@heritagecouncil.ie |
|
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency |
publicreps@housingagency.ie |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
oireachtas.enquiries@hfa.ie |
|
Land Development Agency |
oireachtas@lda.ie |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
corporate@lgma.ie |
|
Maritime Area Regulatory Authority |
oireachtas@mara.gov.ie |
|
National Oversight and Audit Commission |
info@noac.ie |
|
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee |
ntacc@housing.gov.ie |
|
Office of the Planning Regulator |
oireachtas@opr.ie |
|
Pyrite Resolution Board |
oireachtasinfo@pyriteboard.ie |
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie |
|
Tailte Éireann |
reps@tailte.ie |
|
Uisce Éireann |
oireachtasmembers@water.ie |
|
Valuation Tribunal |
info@valuationtribunal.ie |
|
Waterways Ireland |
ceoffice@waterwaysireland.org |
|
An Bord Pleanála |
oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie |
|
An Fóram Uisce |
info@nationalwaterforum.ie |
|
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority |
oireachtasqueries@ahbregulator.ie |
|
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum |
infodocklands@dublincity.ie |
|
Ervia |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Gas Networks Ireland |
oireachtas@ervia.ie |
|
Heritage Council |
oireachtas@heritagecouncil.ie |
|
Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency |
publicreps@housingagency.ie |
|
Housing Finance Agency |
oireachtas.enquiries@hfa.ie |
|
Land Development Agency |
oireachtas@lda.ie |
|
Local Government Management Agency |
corporate@lgma.ie |
|
Maritime Area Regulatory Authority |
oireachtas@mara.gov.ie |
|
National Oversight and Audit Commission |
info@noac.ie |
|
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee |
ntacc@housing.gov.ie |
|
Office of the Planning Regulator |
oireachtas@opr.ie |
|
Pyrite Resolution Board |
oireachtasinfo@pyriteboard.ie |
|
Residential Tenancies Board |
OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie |
|
Tailte Éireann |
reps@tailte.ie |
|
Uisce Éireann |
oireachtasmembers@water.ie |
|
Valuation Tribunal |
info@valuationtribunal.ie |
|
Waterways Ireland |
ceoffice@waterwaysireland.org |
142. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection for details of the average social welfare appeals processing times in weeks for summary decisions and oral hearings, by scheme. [3101/24]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.
Significant efforts and resources have been devoted to reforming the appeal process in recent years.
Further improvements in appeals processing times are a priority for the Chief Appeals Officer. A significant Appeals Modernisation Project is currently underway the goal of which is to streamline and enhance the end-to-end appeals process for the customer, the Social Welfare Appeals Office and business areas across the Department. As part of this project a new IT system went live on the 6th November 2023. The new system has significantly reduced the time taken to register and acknowledge appeals lodged with the Appeals Office and in time will reduce the overall average processing times. Additional staff were assigned to the office as part of the project to assist with the preparation for and transition to the new IT system and the establishment of new procedures.
The table below shows a breakdown of the average processing times for all appeals by scheme, which were decided on a summary basis and by oral hearing, for the period 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023.
Appeal Processing Times by Scheme 1 January 2023– 31 December 2023
|
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
|
Blind Pension |
19.7 |
58.6 |
|
Back To Work Family Dividend |
31.8 |
- |
|
Carer’s Allowance |
15.9 |
23.8 |
|
Carer’s Benefit |
14.4 |
21.8 |
|
Carer's Support Grant |
15.2 |
18.6 |
|
Child Benefit |
29.1 |
47.7 |
|
Deserted Wife’s Benefit |
31.1 |
43.0 |
|
Disability Allowance |
15.7 |
24.8 |
|
Disablement Pension |
9.2 |
- |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
19.2 |
25.7 |
|
Farm Assist |
21.0 |
79.2 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Contributory) |
18.6 |
26.5 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-Con) |
21.6 |
- |
|
Illness Benefit |
17.7 |
97.7 |
|
Insurability of Employment |
19.4 |
100.3 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
15.5 |
21.5 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) |
17.1 |
28.4 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Payments) |
18.0 |
29.6 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
15.3 |
16.9 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit O65 |
18.2 |
- |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit Self Employed |
18.2 |
- |
|
Jobseeker's Transitional |
15.9 |
72.6 |
|
Liable Relatives |
- |
- |
|
Maternity Benefit |
14.7 |
39.5 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
26.9 |
32.2 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
17.1 |
42.0 |
|
Pandemic Unemployment Payment |
59.5 |
101.7 |
|
Partial Capacity Benefit |
17.3 |
29.5 |
|
Parents Benefit |
17.1 |
- |
|
Paternity Benefit |
13.7 |
- |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
21.8 |
60.9 |
|
State Pension (Non-Contributory) |
23.1 |
43.6 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
16.6 |
32.0 |
|
Treatment Benefit |
19.6 |
- |
|
Widow/Widower's Pension (Contributory) |
15.6 |
- |
|
Widow/Widower's Pension (Non-Contributory) |
21.6 |
20.0 |
|
Widowed Parent Grant |
7.0 |
- |
|
Working Family Payment |
40.2 |
184.9 |
|
All Appeals |
17.6 |
29.2 |
I trust this clarifies matters the matter for the Deputy.
143. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if the school meals programme will be extended to a school (details supplied) as a matter of urgency. [3105/24]
View answerThe objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Following the expansion of the programme in recent years, some 2,600 schools and organisations, covering 443,000 children are now eligible for funding.
I am committed to continuing to expand the School Meals Programme and building further on the significant extension of the programme that has taken place in recent years. As part of this significant expansion plan, the remaining primary schools were contacted last year and requested to submit an expression of interest form if their school was interested in commencing the provision of hot school meals. Expressions of interests were received from over 900 primary schools in respect of 150,000 children and late last year these schools were invited to participate in the Hot School Meals Programme from April 2024.
My officials advise me that an expression of interest was received from the school referred to by the Deputy and the school has been sent all the relevant documents to submit their application. No application has been received as yet.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
144. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection when the arrears of the living alone allowance will be paid to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3150/24]
View answerThe person concerned has been in receipt of Disability Allowance since 30 September 2015.
An application for Living Allowance (LAA) was received by the Department on 27 November 2023. The person concerned was awarded LAA with effect from 29 November 2023. A letter notifying the person of this decision issued on 29 November 2023. The person concerned was notified of their right to request a review of this decision or to appeal it to the SWAO.
A request to backdate their entitlement to LAA was received on 11 December 2023. The LAA entitlement was reviewed and they were awarded LAA with effect from 2 August 2023. A letter notifying the person concerned of this decision issued on 19 January 2024. The person concerned was notified of their right to request a review of this decision or to appeal it to the SWAO.
Arrears of payment due from 2 August 2023 to 28 November 2023 have been issued and the person concerned was notified of this by separate letter on 19 January 2024.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
145. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection when a disability allowance payment will issue to a person in County Kerry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3151/24]
View answerDisability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66.? This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions.
My Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 17 July 2023. As their initial application did not contain all the information required to make a decision on entitlement, an information request letter was sent to the person concerned on 2 August 2023.
Documentation was received by the Department on 14 September 2023. As the person concerned did not supply all the required information, it was necessary for the Deciding Officer to send a further information request on 20 October 2023, requesting the outstanding information (Signed Declaration).
Documentation was received from the person concerned on 26 October 2023. However, this documentation was not complete and the declaration was not signed by the person concerned.
A further request for information was sent to the person concerned on 17 November 2023 to provide the signed declaration. A further 21 days was allowed for the person concerned to return the requested information.
As the person concerned failed to sign the declaration as requested on 2 August 2023, 20 October 2023 and 17 November 2023 , their claim for DA was withdrawn. A letter notifying the person of this issued to them on 16 January 2024.
Following your representation on 18 January 2024, advising that additional information was sent to the Department on 17 January 2024, priority will be given to this case once the requested information is received and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
146. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the threshold for fuel allowance for a single person is the same for a couple; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3169/24]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household.
The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the Fuel Allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria including a means test and the household composition criteria. The means test ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most.
The means threshold is not the same for single persons and couples. The means threshold for those aged over 70 is €512 for a single person and €1,024 for a couple and is based on gross income. The weekly means threshold for those aged under 70 is €200 above the appropriate rate of State Pension (Contributory) which equates to €477.30 means threshold for a single person, €662 for a Couple where the qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant is under 66 years and €725.90 for a Couple, where the qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant is over 66 years and under 70.
The increased allowable means threshold for people who are married, cohabiting or in a civil partnership acknowledges that the overall cost of living for this cohort is higher than for a single person and the fact that the Department pays an Increase for a Qualified Adult on many of its primary payments is recognition of this.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
147. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which any outstanding payments/balances are due in respect of carer's benefit/allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); if their case can be reviewed as soon as possible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3185/24]
View answerCarer's Benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention.
To qualify, the carer must satisfy PRSI conditions, employment conditions, show that they are providing full-time care and attention and must show that the care recipient requires full-time care and attention.
An application for CARB was received from the person concerned on 10 November 2023.
CARB was disallowed on 6 December 2023 as the hours of employment of the person concerned were not reduced below the maximum allowable of 18.5 per week and their earnings exceeded the weekly limit of €350.00 net of statutory deductions.
A review was requested on 19 December 2023.
Additional information in relation to the review was requested by email by the deciding officer on 11 January 2023.
Once the information is received, the review will be processed without delay and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
