Written Answers Nos. 32-53
32. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will allocate funding to extend paid parental benefit to cover at least the first year of a child’s life; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18330/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraParent’s Benefit is a payment for employed people, who are on Parent’s Leave from work, and self-employed people who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions. Currently, seven weeks Parent's Leave and Benefit is available to all eligible parents of children born or adopted from 1 November 2019. The leave and benefit must be availed of within two years of the child's birth or adoption.In 2024, it is estimated that my Department will spend in excess of €98.7 million on Parent’s Benefit in respect of an average of 6,909 recipients per week.In line with the EU Work-Life Balance Directive, and as provided for in Budget 2024, Parent’s Leave and Benefit will be increased by an additional two weeks to nine weeks per parent from August 2024. When the current durations of Maternity, Paternity and Parent’s Benefit are combined this adds to 42 weeks of paid leave for a two-parent family. This will increase to 46 weeks from August 2024.Any decision to further extend the period of Parent’s Leave for employees is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, who has policy and legal responsibility for Parent's Leave. An extension of this leave would require careful consideration and consultation with relevant stakeholders. Any further extension of Parent's Benefit would have cost implications and could only be considered in a Budgetary context. The estimated annual cost of extending Parent’s Benefit by an additional 6 weeks to bring the total number of weeks paid leave for a two-parent family to 52 weeks is €84.6 million. These estimates are based on a full year and on the number of recipients in 2023. These estimates do not reflect any additional costs which may be incurred by employers who provide substitution or salary top-ups.It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated number of recipients. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
33. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection whether she is aware of the substantial discrepancies that exist between initial applications for domiciliary care and the level of success of appeals with regard to same; and what she intends to do to address this. [18473/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraDomiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly allowance payable in respect of a child aged under 16 who has a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and, where the level of the child’s disability is such that the child is likely to require that level of care and attention for at least 12 consecutive months. This level of care and attention must be required to enable the child deal with the activities of daily living.Eligibility for DCA is not based entirely on the child’s disability or diagnosis, but primarily and essentially on the impact of the child’s disability, in terms of the associated level of additional care and attention required by the relevant child compared to a child of a similar age, who does not have such a disability/diagnosis. The decision and assessment process that applies in the consideration of whether a child meets the conditions for receipt of DCA, includes the examination of all relevant factors identified as impacting on the child’s care needs. In relation to the DCA decision and assessment process, all applications for DCA are referred for the opinion of a departmental Medical Assessor (MA). The MA considers the severity of the child’s condition, the expected duration, the child’s associated care needs and provides their professional opinion in relation to the child’s eligibility for DCA. This assessment is based on the information provided by the applicant in the completed application form, the details from the applicant’s GP/specialist entered on the form, and any supporting documentary evidence provided by the applicant in the application process, such as a medical professional/ specialist report(s) or diagnostic assessment report(s).Consideration of the MA opinion is an integral part of the decision process of a Deciding officer, including any review decision(s). In addition to the medical criteria, other conditions must also be satisfied to qualify for the allowance.In some cases, more that one decision may be made on an application, where an applicant subsequently provides further information/documentary evidence for consideration and/or seeks a review of a decision, that is, an application can be disallowed initially and then subsequently allowed on review(s) by the Department, following receipt of further new or additional information/evidence that is relevant.Between 2023 and the end of March 2024 Domiciliary Care Allowance Section received 15,311 applications. Within the same period 10,403 Domiciliary Care Allowance applications were allowed, and 5,252 were disallowed.The 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. Between 2023 and the end of March 2024, 2,722 Domiciliary Care Allowance appeals were received of which 1,033 were allowed, 61 were partially allowed, and 930 were disallowed.Between 2023 and the end of March 2024 Domiciliary Care Allowance Section allowed 487 applications on review. In many cases this was because additional information was provided at the time of appeal that was not available to the original deciding officer. As part of the appeals process, all DCA appeal cases are further reviewed and re-examined by the Department, including all information/evidence available at the time of the original decision, and any further decision(s) if applicable, including any additional information and/or documentary evidence provided in support of the appeal and if warranted, a revised decision is made by a Deciding Officer in such appeal cases. If the original decision remains unchanged following the appeal related review/re-examination by a Deciding Officer, the appeal case is submitted to the Social Welfare Appeals Office for determination by an Appeals Officer.Claimants are advised to provide as much detail as possible at application stage, including any additional information and/or documentary evidence that is relevant, medical or otherwise, to ensure that all information is available to the Department in the assessment and decision process. On appeal, applicants are again invited to provide any new information or evidence they have in support of their appeal. An appeal notice form is available to complete online and comprehensive information on the appeals process is provided on the website www.gov.ie. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
34. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection when we can expect to know the findings of the interdepartmental working group between her Department and the Department of Health concerning a reform of the disability payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18079/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending on these payments is expected to amount to over €1.7 billion this year.
As part of Budget 2024, I announced my intention to establish an Interdepartmental Working Group with the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. This Group has not been asked to review disability payments: that will be done through the auspices of the new Cabinet Committee on disability matters. I have specifically tasked this Interdepartmental Working Group with examining and reviewing the system of means test for carers payments.
My officials are engaging with their counterparts in these Departments to progress the group and I have asked this Group to report to me on the matter by Quarter 3 of this year.
With regard to the reform of disability payments I launched the consultation process on the Green Paper last September. Based on the feedback I have received to date, it is clear that there are significant concerns about the proposals. I have listened to these concerns, and I have confirmed that the Green Paper process will not continue.
The Taoiseach has placed a major focus on improving supports for people with disabilities with the establishment of a new special Cabinet Committee on Disability. As a Government, we now need to have a fresh look at how we can best support people with disabilities and I believe this will be best done on a whole-of-Government basis through the new Cabinet Committee.
The Indecon Cost of Disability report identified that additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure including housing, equipment, aids and appliances, care and assistance services, mobility, transport, communications, medicines, and additional living expenses. Based on this, one of report's conclusions was that a multifaceted, whole-of-Government approach is required to address the cost of disability.It is for this reason the Government decided that the report, and actions to be taken on foot of the report, should be considered and monitored by the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group, under the remit of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.The work of the Steering Group, chaired by the Minister of State for Disability, was due to end in 2021 but was extended to the end of 2022. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth are in the process of developing a new disability strategy which will be informed by a range of policy inputs, including the Cost of Disability report. Officials in my Department are contributing to the development and implementation of this strategy.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
35. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the tender for EmployAbility which was due to be published in April 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18471/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department undertook a procurement process in 2023 to update the EmployAbility service in order to comply with legal advice from the Attorney General and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office and to meet the Department’s objective of shifting emphasis from financial monitoring of service providers to focusing on service quality for clients.
Stakeholder engagement was a key aspect of the procurement process with my officials having met with each EmployAbility service provider individually. In addition, in May of 2023, I met with the Chairs of all EmployAbility companies in order to hear their views on the forthcoming process. The Request for Tender (RFT), which issued in September 2023, was drafted having regard to feedback received from these stakeholder engagements.
The evaluation of bids took place in December 2023 and contracts have been awarded in respect of all twenty three lots.
The new EmployAbility service is now operational in all lot areas and my Department is currently engaging with the new service providers to ensure the seamless transition of clients to the new service. The new model for EmployAbility will enhance the autonomy of service providers to enable them to more effectively provide a high-quality supported employment service for people with disabilities.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
36. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection how the green paper on disability reform will impact students in higher education receiving disability payments. [9087/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe proposals outlined in the Green Paper on Disability Reform would not have impacted the payment of students in higher education receiving a disability payment.Based on feedback from the Green Paper consultation, it became clear that there were significant concerns with these proposals.I have listened to these concerns and decided not to implement the Green Paper proposals.
The consultation feedback, in particular, highlighted that long-term disability supports should not be looked at in isolation but require a whole-of-Government response. All areas that affect people with disabilities should be considered, including health, housing, transport, and education.The Taoiseach has placed a major emphasis on improving supports and services for people with disabilities in all aspect of their lives. He has announced his intention to establish a special Cabinet Committee on Disability.I welcome the establishment of this Committee. As a Government, we now need to have a fresh look at how best to support people with disabilities, and I believe this will be best done on a whole-of-Government basis through this Committee.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
37. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the position regarding the mandatory retirement age for participants on the job initiative scheme to ensure that those who wish to can remain on the scheme past the State pension age. [17717/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware Job Initiative (JI) is an employment support scheme which was designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities. Recruitment onto the scheme ceased from November 2004, while existing participants have their annual contracts renewed until they reach 66 years of age.
In response to the recommendations from the Commission on Pensions, a set of new pension measures were approved by Cabinet in September 2022. The set of reforms agreed included maintaining the State pension age at 66 and introducing a new flexible pension model, which came into effect from January 2024, whereby people have the option to continue working up until the age of 70 in return for a higher pension.
The new measures are specifically for people in standard employment situations and do not apply to State supported schemes like JI, where the participant qualifies due to having been on a specific social welfare payment in advance of their placement on the scheme.
Accordingly, the position regarding funding for participants on employment support schemes, including the JI scheme, remains the same. Funding for participants will continue to be available to State Pension Age, which is currently 66.
Should participants wish to continue to work after they reach 66, it is open to them to apply for positions that are not state funded. There may also be the option to work with the JI scheme in a voluntary capacity.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
38. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is concerned at the impact proposed cuts to employers’ PRSI will have on the Social Insurance Fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18331/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund as at 31 December 2020 found that even without any economic shocks to the economy or change to policy, the long-term sustainability of the Fund will face significant challenges. In the absence of any action to tackle the shortfalls, the excess of expenditure over income of the Fund will increase significantly over the medium to long term with an accumulated deficit of €500 billion by 2076.It is in this context that under the PRSI Roadmap agreed by Government there will be modest, incremental increases in all classes of PRSI (employer, employee and self-employed) over the period 2024-2028 commencing with an increase of 0.1 percentage points on 1 October 2024. Also, in respect of Budget 2024, it was decided, on balance, to maintain the employer PRSI threshold at the same level for 2024. In recognition of the pressures faced by businesses due, in particular, to the cumulative impact of measures taken by the Government to improve the working conditions, Government decided in March 2024 that an options paper on the application of the lower (8.8%) rate of employer PRSI would be prepared. The options paper is currently being prepared by my Department in conjunction with the Departments of Finance, Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and Enterprise, Trade and Employment and, once finalised, will be considered by Government. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
39. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider altering the Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 to apply the reduced rate of social welfare payments to Ukrainian people who arrive after a particular date instead of the current approach of connecting the reduced payment to new designated centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18412/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn March 2022, the European Council adopted unanimously the implementing decision regarding the Temporary Protection Directive, due to the mass influx of persons fleeing Ukraine as a consequence of the war. People arriving from Ukraine under the Directive can move through the EU as EU citizens. In October 2023, the EU Council agreed to extend the period of temporary protection to March 2025.
In order to continue to meet the EU Temporary Protection Directive requirements, whilst aligning more closely with other EU Member States approaches, the Government has implemented a revised approach to supporting new arrivals from Ukraine from 14 March 2024.
Under the revised approach, Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection who seek State accommodation are accommodated in Designated Accommodation Centres for a maximum of 90 days during which time they receive a reduced weekly payment of €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child. The changes have been widely communicated to the Ukrainian community both in Ireland and elsewhere, to ensure people make an informed decision in relation to coming to Ireland.
There has been a notable drop in the number of people arriving from Ukraine and seeking Temporary Protection since the beginning of 2024. In addition, the number of Ukrainians relying on State provided accommodation is decreasing every week as people focus on becoming independent.Any further changes to payments for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection will be considered on a whole-of-Government basis.
40. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection whether ME is eligible for disability allowance. [18407/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraDisability Allowance 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, a means test and Habitual Residency conditions.Medical eligibility for Disability Allowance (DA) is assessed on a case by case basis and is determined by its severity, and resultant effects on activities of daily living and work-related activities.Eligibility is not based solely on diagnosis or treatment but rather is assessing the person’s eligibility for the relevant scheme in accordance with the relevant statutory conditions. An individual can only be deemed eligible for a entitlement to a welfare payment on foot of an application and an assessment that they satisfy that scheme’s conditionality.A person applying for a Disability Allowance payment must submit a completed DA1 application form which contains a self-diagnostic report completed by the applicant on their medical condition and how it affects their everyday life. There is also a separate medical report to be completed by the applicant's own doctor.Under social welfare legislation, the opinion of a Medical Assessor (MA) may be sought in respect of whether or not a person satisfies the medical condition for DA. The role of the MA is to assess both the self-diagnostic report and the doctor's medical report and provide an opinion to the Deciding Officer (DO) on whether or not they consider that the applicant meets the medical condition for the scheme.All decisions on applications received are notified to the applicant and if they are not satisfied with any aspect of the decision, they may request a review by another DO or submit an appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO).If the Deputy has a particular case in mind, he might provide the relevant details so that my officials can examine the specific case.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
41. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants who have been refused insurance-based private pensions on the basis of insufficiency of contributions over their working lives or part thereof; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18338/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not administer private pensions mentioned by the Deputy. The number of claims which were rejected for the contributory social insurance-based pension, the State Pension (Contributory), in each of the last five years are shown in the table below. These figures include claims which may have been rejected for reasons other than insufficient contributions, such as when an individual may have been financially better off on the State Pension (Non-Contributory).
Table 1: Number of State Pension (Contributory) claims rejected, by year
|
Year |
Claims rejected |
|
2023 |
15,918 |
|
2022 |
12,207 |
|
2021 |
14,358 |
|
2020 |
13,742 |
|
2019 |
16,063 |
42. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of times an individual in receipt of carer’s allowance had their allowance stopped, in each of the past ten years and to date in 2024; and to provide a sample of reasons that carer’s allowance may be withdrawn from carers. [17668/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government acknowledges the crucial role that carers play in Irish society and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role.
Carer's Allowance is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that, as a result, they require that level of care.
A payment for Carer’s Allowance will cease if a customer no longer meets the eligibility criteria for the scheme. This may follow a notification from the customer or be the result of a review of eligibility initiated by my Department. Over the last 10 years - from 2014 to 2023 - an average of 6,367 claims were stopped each year. The following is the detail:
To date in 2024, 2,931 claims for Carer’s Allowance have ceased.
The numbers applicable to all other years are as follows: 8,180 in 2023, 7,717 in 2022, 6,666 in 2021, 6,000 in 2020, 6,367 in 2019, 5,830 in 2018, 6,071 in 2017, 5,716 in 2016, 5,908 in 2015 and 5,216 in 2014.
The five main reasons for a Carer’s Allowance payment being stopped in the last ten years are:
• The person requiring care has been admitted to a Nursing Home / Hospital (32%)
• The carer is no longer providing full time care (32%)
• The carer has returned to work in excess of 18.5 hours per week (15%)
• The carer failed to supply the required information to establish continued entitlement to Carer’s Allowance (8%)
• The carer or the care recipient is deceased (5%)
Other examples of reasons for the cessation of a CA payment are that the means of the carer are in excess of the statutory limit, the carer is no longer resident in the state, the care recipient no longer meets the medical criteria, or where no response is received from the customer.
I hope that answers the Deputy's query.
43. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the hot school meals programme to a school (details supplied) on a permanent basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18268/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.The Hot School Meal option of the Programme was introduced in 2019 and is currently only available in primary schools.Ennistymon Vocational School, which was a DEIS secondary school, amalgamated with two non-DEIS secondary schools – Meanscoil na mBráithre and Scoil Mhuire – to form Ennistymon Community School at the end of August 2023. The new amalgamated school was designated with non-DEIS status by the Department of Education.In line with Department of Education policy, the pupils from the former DEIS school holds its DEIS supports, including school meals funding, for a period of 6 years until the pupils from the former DEIS school have transitioned out. In other words, the students who had been in the DEIS school before the amalgamation can retain their entitlement to school meals until they have completed secondary school.It is important to say that Meanscoil na mBráithre and Scoil Mhuire had not been in the School Meals Programme prior to the amalgamation. Considering the circumstances which have arisen at this school, which is in no way the fault of the pupils, I have instructed my officials to continue funding for school meals for all students until the end of the school year. This will allow time for officials from my Department and the Department of Education to engage with the Principal and the Board of Management of Ennistymon Community School on these matters.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
45. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will introduce a universal disability payment of at least €350 a week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18328/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. These include contributory payments, based on PRSI contributions, such as Illness Benefit and Invalidity Pension, and non-contributory payments, based on a means test, such as Disability Allowance and Blind Pension.At an estimate, a non-means tested universal payment at €350 per week for every person with a disability would cost an additional €17 billion per year. This is based on there being roughly 1.1m people as per census 2022 reporting that they experienced at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty to any extent. Currently there are 220,000 people on our main disability payments, with combined spending for 2024 expected to be almost €3 billion.The Indecon Cost of Disability report highlighted that there is not a single typical ‘cost of disability’; rather there is a spectrum from low additional costs to extremely high extra costs of disability, depending on the individual circumstances of the person concerned. It also highlighted that the cost of disability is significantly broader than the income support system and includes housing, equipment, transport, education, medicines and care. The report therefore suggested the issue needs a whole-of-government response. The report did not propose a Cost of Disability payment. The report concluded that disability payments should be targeted to those most in need and who face the greatest additional cost of disability rather than spreading resources thinly. I am committed to addressing the cost of disability and improving outcomes for people with a disability. I announced a suite of measures to support disabled people in Budget 2024, including:
• €400 once-off payment for Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension and Carer’s Support Grant recipients in November 2023 to address the high cost of living.
• €200 lump sum Living Alone Allowance payment.
• €300 lump sum Fuel Allowance payment.
• Christmas Bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment.
• January Cost of Living Bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment.
• €12 increase in the maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments from January 2024.
• Reduce the minimum weekly hours threshold for employers to avail of the Wage Subsidy Scheme from 21 to 15 hours from April 2024.
• Extension of Free Travel to people medically certified as unfit to drive.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
46. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an expected launch date of the reformed reasonable accommodation fund, following the recommendations from the review of the fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18406/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides a wide range of income and employment supports to assist jobseekers and employees with disabilities, and their employers. These supports include the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme.The Reasonable Accommodation Fund provides financial support for people with disabilities and for employers to help make their workplaces more accessible. The Disability Awareness Support Scheme provides funding for disability awareness training for employees.Last autumn, I published a review of these schemes. The review recommends combining the two schemes into a single flexible scheme, simplifying systems and processes, providing approval in principle, and promoting the reformed scheme.
It also recommends increasing funding, extending workplace needs assessments, and job coaching to new recruits and all existing employees, increasing the number of support hours eligible for funding, providing support for blended working, and opening the scheme to other employers, for example the voluntary and community sector.
I have allocated an additional €1 million to implement all nine recommendations in the review.
My officials continues to work to make these recommendations operational. I expect to launch the reformed scheme in the coming weeks.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
47. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has considered designing new initiatives to tackle under-claiming of benefits, which is widespread across her own Department and other agencies of Government. [18077/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraWith more than 90 separate schemes and services in my Department, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State, I am committed to ensuring that members of the public are aware of the supports and services available to them through my Department.Public information campaigns play an important role in helping to make people aware of their benefits, and all of our advertising campaigns ensure the best possible mix of media is used to effectively reach our target audience. In 2023, my Department ran a public information campaign on changes to the State Pension Contributory to inform long term carers know about their entitlements. The target audience for our national media and social media advertising campaign were people who have either cared for, or are currently caring for, a family member or loved one on a long-term basis. My Department also ran a public information campaign to raise awareness of the Fuel Allowance payment scheme from August to December 2023. The target audience was those on low income who may qualify for the scheme subject to the compliance requirements regarding thresholds and qualifying payments, with an emphasis on the over 70s.Meanwhile, a nationwide public information campaign to promote the Working Family Payment scheme took place last year to help increase awareness of the payment among working families on low to moderate income especially those who may not be aware that they qualified for the payment. There are plans to promote this scheme again to highlight the payment to working families this year. Officials from my Department also directly engage with stakeholders who represent lower paid, older and vulnerable communities. My Department's Customer Representative Forum, which meets quarterly, allows us to engage with around 30 organisations and NGOs around Ireland who represent vulnerable communities and older people. For more than 30 years my Department has hosted an annual Pre-Budget Forum where the community, voluntary sector and other stakeholders share their views on the measures that should be included in the upcoming budget. We also hold a post-Budget briefing to update groups on the key measures announced as part of the social welfare package. Meanwhile, we host a Social Inclusion forum every year where a wide variety of representative groups highlight issues of concern and discusses issues on schemes and entitlements. As part of our commitments under the National Carers’ Strategy, we host the Annual Carers' Forum to provides an opportunity for engagement between officials and people directly experiencing care issues.Intreo is a service from my department that offers a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. This includes providing information on all the income supports we provide including jobseeker’s payments, back to work and back to education payments, one-parent family payments and pensions.My Department also funds the Citizens Information Board (CIB), which is a statutory agency tasked with providing independent, impartial, confidential, and non-judgmental information, advice, money advice and advocacy. CIB also acts as a signpost for people including vulnerable groups and older people and provides information in local Citizens Information Centres and through the Citizens Information website as well as periodicals and publications.
49. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline the appeals process for domiciliary care allowance payments that are refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18431/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Claim decisions taken by the Department’s Deciding Officers and Designated Persons are appealable to the Chief Appeals Officer. The same process is applied to all appeals, including those in relation to Domiciliary Care Allowance.
The time taken to process an appeal includes all aspects of the appeal process including initial validation of the appeal to ensure that adequate grounds have been provided within the statutory time limits, the time spent in the Department reviewing the decision in light of the appeal contentions and/or preparing the appeal submission and determining the appeal. A significant proportion of cases are revised in favour of the appellant by the Department during the review process. In some cases, further investigation may be required at that point (e.g., in relation to means or medical issues) and this can add to the time taken to process an appeal.
The nature of the appeals process impacts on the processing times - it is quasi-judicial in nature with Appeals Officers being required to decide all appeals on a ‘de-novo’ basis. In addition, appeals decisions are themselves subject to review by the High Court and must be written up to quasi-judicial standards. Appeals may be determined on a summary basis or by means of an oral hearing. Where an oral hearing is required, the logistics involved in scheduling the hearing and giving the appellant and any other witnesses adequate notice adds to the timeframe involved.
Ensuring that appeal processing times are as short as possible is a priority for the Chief Appeals Officer. The desire to process appeals quickly must be balanced with the competing demand to ensure that decisions are consistent and of high quality and made in accordance with the legislative provisions and the general principles of fair procedures and natural justice.
Where a claimant has been refused a social welfare payment, regardless of the scheme involved, and is appealing that decision, if their means are insufficient to meet their needs it is open to them to apply for supplementary welfare allowance in the interim. If their application for supplementary welfare allowance is refused, they can also appeal that decision. The supplementary welfare allowance appeal is prioritised for attention within the Appeals Office as soon as the appeal file and submission is received from the Department. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
50. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection what steps she intends to take regarding the extent of the backlog in processing disability allowance claims. [18474/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.
The average number of weeks to award a Disability Allowance claim is currently 12 weeks. My Department understands the many pressures faced by people and always seeks to ensure that claims are processed quickly and efficiently.
In respect of DA, evidence must be provided in respect of the person’s medical condition, the extent to which it restricts them from taking up employment, their means and their habitual residency.
To help the Department to make timely and fair decisions on applications, applicants should ensure that they complete the application form fully and attach all the supporting documentation required as per the checklist provided on the application form. It is particularly important that an applicant provides, at the outset, all the details they have in relation to their medical conditions to best support their claim.
In order to register a claim and establish an early entitlement or claim date, many people submit an application without first securing all of the necessary supporting documentation. Claims with missing supporting information typically take longer to process.
In response to an increase in application volumes of 10% over the past year, the Department has increased the number of officers processing new DA claims and there has been a recent restructuring to better manage current and incoming claims. Reviews and refinements of internal processes are underway to enhance efficiency in processing DA claims. This includes prioritising applications from people in urgent situations, or those who may not already be in receipt of a payment from my Department.
It is important to note that about 80% of awarded DA applicants are already in receipt of another social welfare payment meaning that any processing time does not affect their income. People who are not in receipt of another payment can be prioritised for processing or can be awarded an interim payment via the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme. Where a claim is decided in a person's favour after a delay, DA arrears will issue to the customer dated back to the date their claim was received.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
51. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will report on her engagements with Cabinet colleagues regarding the ending of the Temporary Protection Directive next year. [17716/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn March 2022, the European Council adopted unanimously the implementing decision regarding the Temporary Protection Directive, due to the mass influx of persons fleeing Ukraine as a consequence of the war. People arriving from Ukraine under the Directive can move through the EU as EU citizens. In October 2023, the EU Council agreed to extend the period of temporary protection to March 2025. Options on what arrangements might be in place after March 2025 are being considered at EU level and the Minister for Justice is the lead Minister for Ireland.Discussion of options for when temporary protection is due to expire in 2025 are ongoing, both within Government, and at an EU level, recognising the need for certainty for beneficiaries of temporary protection in the EU.What is very clear is that the prevailing conditions in Ukraine will be an important factor in any decisions taken. The Government supports the strong call from EU Member States for a harmonised approach to Temporary Protection post March 2025.My Department has an excellent record in reacting quickly and appropriately to emergency situations, as was clear from its response to the Covid and Ukrainian crises. I can assure the Deputy that my Department will not be found lacking in its response to any planned changes and will continue to liaise with other Departments in relation to this matter.I trust that this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
52. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection to give consideration to extending the carer’s benefit to include the self-employed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18354/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending on these payments is expected to amount to over €1.7 billion this year.Carer's Benefit is available to 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. It is payable for a period of 2 years (104 weeks) for each care recipient and may be claimed over separate periods up to a total of 2 years (104 weeks).Only Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions paid at classes A, B, C, D, E and H are counted towards Carer's Benefit. Contributions paid at class S (self-employed contributions) do not count.Where a carer cannot satisfy the PRSI conditions attached to the Carer's Benefit payment, application for the non-means tested payment of Carer's Allowance is available. Self-employed workers whose income is €5,000 or more in a contribution year, are liable to pay social insurance contributions at the class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. Where all qualification criteria for the particular scheme are satisfied, this class of PRSI gives access to the following benefits:
• Adoptive Benefit,
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory),
• Invalidity Pension,
• Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed),
• Maternity Benefit,
• Parent's Benefit,
• Partial Capacity Benefit (where in receipt of Invalidity Pension),
• Paternity Benefit,
• State Pension (Contributory),
• Treatment Benefit, and
• Widows, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension.
There has been an extensive expansion of access to the range of social insurance benefits for self-employed social insurance contributors in recent years without any increase in the 4% rate of contribution made by them. In effect, self-employed contributors, in return for a contribution of 11 percentage points lower than for employed contributors, have access to benefits which comprise over 90% of the value of all benefits available to employed contributors.Any change in access to additional schemes, including Carer's Benefit, for self-employed contributors would need to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context, including the appropriate contribution rates.I trust this clarifies the matter.
