Michael Ring
Question:183 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved for free telephone rental allowance. [13341/98]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
A free telephone rental allowance has been approved for the person concerned with effect from 8 April 1998. Telecom Éireann has been notified to apply the allowance to her telephone account from this date onwards and the allowance should appear on her next telephone bill.
Jim O'Keeffe
Question:184 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when the interdepartmental working group review of the carer's allowance was set up; and when the report will be published. [13342/98]
In An Action Programme for the Millennium the Government is committed to: progressively relaxing the qualifying criteria for the carer's allowance to ensure that more carers can get the benefit; and, increasing the value of the allowance in real terms.
An interdepartmental working group, under the chairmanship of my Department, and with representatives from the Department of Finance and the Department of Health and Children, has been set up to review the carer's allowance. The group held its first meeting in January this year. This review is considering the purpose and development of the scheme, both in terms of its current operation and its future development. It is also examining the potential for the development of provision for carers through the social insurance system and the role of the private sector.
As part of the review process, a series of very useful meetings have been held with a wide number of interest groups and other interested parties. The review is expected to be completed later this year and it will be published.
Nora Owen
Question:185 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs what proportion of the 5000 extra places which were added to the back to work scheme have been taken up in 1998. [13370/98]
Long-term unemployed people avail of the back to work allowance scheme to take up employment or self-employment. The allowance is paid over three years at the rate of 75 per cent in year one, 50 per cent in year two and 25 per cent in year three, of the person's unemployment payment.
Because of the success of the back to work allowance scheme, the number of places has been increased progressively from 3,000 when the scheme was introduced in 1993 to 27,000 places this year. At present there are 21,200 participants on the scheme.
As an alternative to the back to work allowance, long-term unemployed people who take up self-employment may avail of the area allowance, enterprise, scheme which provides an allowance at the rate of 100 per cent of the persons unemployment payment for the first year and which can be followed by the back to work allowance over the succeeding three years. This scheme operated up to this year only in the designated partnership areas throughout the country but has now been extended nation wide. The scheme is obviously more attractive to persons commencing self-employment than the back-to-work allowance.
The numbers on area allowance, enterprise, have increased by over 2,500 to 6,700 since 1 January last. This has been accompanied by a reduction in the number of self-employed participants on the back to work scheme as those taking up self-employment now generally avail of the area allowance. The total number of long-term unemployed persons availing of both schemes is currently almost 28,000.
The average number of applications now being received for back to work allowance is approximately 400 weekly and this reflects the ongoing positive impact which the scheme is having.
Michael Ring
Question:186 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo who telephoned his Department for an application form for the back-to-work allowance scheme the day she was notified of new employment and who, following receipt of the form one week later, completed and returned it immediately was then informed that her application was late. [13405/98]
The objective of the back to work allowance scheme is to provide a financial incentive to long-term unemployed people to return to work. The scheme has a limited number of places and is designed for people who would not be in a position to return to work without the additional financial incentive which the scheme provides. It is, therefore, a requirement of the scheme that an applicant must apply prior to taking up employment.
The person concerned commenced employment on 25 March 1998. Her application for the allowance was handed in to the Department's local office on 5 May 1998. There is no record in the Department of any prior contact from the person concerned. Her application was refused on the grounds that her claim was late and that she had been in a position to return to the workforce without recourse to the allowance.
Michael Ring
Question:187 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo who, following her application for the back-to-work allowance scheme, was informed she was too young. [13406/98]
The back to work allowance is designed to provide a financial incentive to long-term unemployed persons who would otherwise not be in a position to take up employment or self-employment. It is a requirement of the scheme that an applicant must be over 23 years of age and this has been a feature of the scheme since its inception on the basis that people under that age are in a better position to obtain employment or to undertake education or training to improve their long-term employment prospects. As the person concerned was 21 years of age at the time of application, she does not qualify for the scheme.
Ivan Yates
Question:188 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if an application for the back-to-work allowance scheme for a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will be approved. [13407/98]
The objective of the back to work allowance scheme is to provide a financial incentive to long-term unemployed people to return to work. One thousand places on the scheme are available to people in receipt of disability allowance or blind pension.
The person concerned is currently in receipt of disability allowance. There is no record of an application for the back to work allowance having been received from him. However, an application form and information leaflet issued to the person concerned on 5 June 1998.