Paul Kehoe
Question:32 Mr. Kehoe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of families which have benefited from the family income supplement in each of the past five years. [18071/03]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Mary Upton
Question:41 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her Department's efforts to ensure that the attention of eligible persons are drawn to entitlement to claim the family income supplement; if she will take steps to ensure their attention is so drawn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17903/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 41 together.
It is an essential part of my Department's customer service policy to ensure that citizens are made aware of their entitlements and are kept informed of changes and improvements as they occur.
My Department tries to ensure that information in relation to all of its schemes, including family income supplement, FIS, is widely available to the public so that entitlements, where appropriate, can be claimed. Information and publicity on the FIS scheme is provided in a variety of different ways. In particular, information is provided to all one parent families when awarded a one parent family payment and all employers receive information on FIS at least annually in PRSI mailshots. FIS entitlement is examined for all applicants awarded the back to work allowance. Regional and local offices of my Department have been asked to ensure that the FIS scheme is extensively advertised. Information on the scheme and the application form are available on the Department's website. Information on FIS is contained in all child benefit books.
In addition, the scheme has previously been extensively advertised through local and national media outlets, including newspapers, radio, and the Aertel service, as well as through poster campaigns and targeted mailshots. These methods of information provision will continue to be used and where possible enhanced to promote the scheme.
From 2 January this year, the income limits governing entitlement to FIS were increased by €17 at each point for all recipients. The number of persons in receipt of FIS at 13 June 2003 is 12,305. The numbers in receipt of the supplement at 31 December for each of the past five years were in the range 11,840 to 13,260. Numbers for each year during that period are: 1998 – 13,260; 1999 – 14,686; 2000 – 13,181; 2001 – 11,840; and 2002 – 12,043.
Enda Kenny
Question:33 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the overall interim supplementary welfare allowance payments made while persons awaited a payment from her Department for the past three years. [18066/03]
Supplementary welfare allowance may be paid to a person awaiting a decision on an application for any benefit, assistance or allowance from my Department or who is waiting for similar benefits to be transferred from another state and who has insufficient means to meet his or her immediate needs.
Expenditure on interim supplementary welfare allowance payments amounted to €32.7 million in 2000, €37.4 million in 2001 and €49.3 million in 2002. The numbers of recipients at the end of those years were 12,868, 14,282 and 15,372, respectively.
Where a health board has paid supplementary welfare allowance to a person who is subsequently granted another benefit, assistance or allowance, the amount so paid may be recouped from any arrears due.
In addition, if the amount of supplementary welfare allowance is in excess of what would have been paid to the person if he or she had been in receipt of the other benefit, assistance or allowance such excess sum may be recovered during the relevant continuous period of entitlement to the other benefit, assistance or allowance.
My Department endeavours to pay people their entitlements at the earliest date possible and thus minimise the need for interim supplementary welfare allowance payments. A number of pilot projects are currently in operation with a view to further streamlining the system and reducing recourse to supplementary welfare allowance payments.
Question No. 34 answered with Question No. 29.
Jimmy Deenihan
Question:35 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the average waiting time involved in processing child benefit claims can be reduced; her plans to increase staff numbers in the child benefit section; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18072/03]
Child benefit is payable on a monthly basis. Every effort is made to ensure that claims are decided and put into payment as quickly as possible and, in particular, that this process is accomplished within an appropriate timeframe for a monthly payment. Claim processing performance is, however, sensitive to seasonal fluctuations in claims intake which can adversely affect the service.
At this time of year there is an increase in the volume of claims submitted for children who reach the age of 17 over the summer months and who get their forms certified prior to the school holidays to ensure payment over the summer months. There is an increase in work arising from the renewal of allowance books which occurs in June each year.
A new computer system went into production in November 2002. This system will bring about significant improvements in customer services over time. Initially, there was some slow down in service as staff became familiar with the new system and associated organisational changes. However, it is expected that service levels will improve in the near future as training and familiarisation is completed.
A further enhancement is anticipated later in the year as the new computer system is designed to take advantage of the computerisation of records of births held in the General Registration Office, GRO. When access to these records becomes available later in the year, the information will be used to invite applications from new customers and for the automatic processing of claims for children born to existing beneficiaries. This will make the service more customer-focused and will help speed up the processing of claims.
Every effort is being made to deal with claims as quickly as possible. The average claim processing times are constantly monitored and a number of measures are in place to speed-up the processing of claims. I have no plans at present to increase the number of staff in this area as I am satisfied that in normal circumstances the staff cadre is adequate to deal with claims under this scheme.
Pádraic McCormack
Question:36 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on whether it is an anomaly in the lone parent's allowance that income from a pension is fully assessed as means against the claim for lone parents allowance while at the same time income from earnings up to ?146 per week is exempt from a means test; and if she will consider exempting pension income in the case of lone parents up to the same amount as can be earned from employment. [17919/03]
The one parent family payment was introduced in 1997 when it replaced a number of schemes for different categories of lone parent. These schemes included lone parent's allowance, deserted wife's benefit and allowance and the non-contributory widow and widower's pension for those with dependent children.
In common with other social assistance schemes the OFP features a means test which is intended to ensure that available resources are targeted at those who are most in need. The means test associated with the OFP operates broadly along the same lines as other social assistance schemes, however, it makes allowance-provision for the exemption of significant levels of earnings and maintenance payments.
It is generally accepted that the most effective route out of poverty for lone parents is through paid employment. Accordingly, the policy is to encourage and facilitate lone parents in moving into the paid labour force so as to avoid long-term welfare dependency. The earnings disregard of €146.50 per week is an important element of this policy. Treating other income in the same way as earnings would not be in keeping with this policy objective.
I am satisfied that the social welfare arrangements in place for lone parents are effective in providing income support for lone parents while at the same time encouraging them to consider employment as a realistic alternative to long-term welfare dependency.
Richard Bruton
Question:37 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of widows receiving contributory pensions who are under 66 years of age; the number who are over 66 years of age; and if she has plans to remove the anomaly whereby those under 66 years get less than those over 66 years of age. [18080/03]
At present, there are 103,270 people in receipt of a widow's or a widower's contributory pension. Of these, 33,921 are aged under 66 and 69,379 aged over 66.
The current rates structure, which comprises an under 66 and over 66 rate, was introduced in 1998 when the process of aligning payments of those over 66 years of age with the rate of old age contributory pension commenced. These arrangements reflect the fact that age 66 is the standard qualifying age for pension purposes under the social welfare system and, in keeping with the Government's commitment to older people, increased payments are generally made to those over age 66 years of age.
Since 1998, those over 66 years of age have received increases amounting to almost 61% while those under 66 years of age have seen their payment increase by about 44%. I do not regard the existing structure as anomalous. As I have already indicated, the Government is committed to bringing widow's and widower's contributory rates for those over age 66 to the same level as the old age contributory pension. After the increases provided from January of this year, the differential now stands at €1.50, that is, €155.80 as against €157.30.
Seán Crowe
Question:38 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the provision of school breakfast and lunch clubs in St Francis's, Priorswood, St Joseph's, Donnybrook, and Our Lady Immaculate, Darndale; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the staff who provide those meals are FÁS staff and thus have limited contracts with a high staff turnover; her views on whether the frequent turnover of staff impacts negatively on service and the need to regularly screen new staff working with children is expensive and administratively burdensome; if she will consider her Department taking responsibility for the financing and provision of staff who provide free meals; and her views on the extension of the free meals schemes to all schools in the State. [17918/03]
David Stanton
Question:39 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans to ensure access to the free meals scheme for all schools in disadvantaged areas; and the estimated cost of same. [18083/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 39 together.
My Department's school meals programme provides funding for the urban school meals scheme which operates in conjunction with certain local authorities as well as the local projects school meals scheme which supports innovative projects in both urban and rural areas.
In 2002, 380 schools, with a total of over 60,000 pupils, benefited from the urban school meals scheme and this year a similar number of pupils will benefit from the scheme. Some 105 schools and voluntary organisations received funding which further benefited over 11,000 children under the local projects school meals scheme in 2002.
The total funding for school meals this year is €4.37 million. Some 145 schools and voluntary organisations will have received funding under the local projects scheme by the end of the current school year, benefiting some 15,500 children. The local projects school meals scheme is focusing on schools with high levels of disadvantaged pupils and is being promoted mainly through the framework of the Department of Education and Science's school completion programme.
It is difficult to estimate the cost of providing school meals to all disadvantaged children as the costs for each school vary depending on the meals provided and the facilities that the school can provide. A number of options for such an extension were examined in a recent review of the school meals programme by a departmental working group. The working group estimated that up to 220,000 pupils in both national and secondary schools could eventually come within the scope of a revised school meals programme. The group estimated that the cost of providing meals, based on existing data as well as the distribution of meal types and the likely take-up rate could eventually reach €50 million per annum. The project referred to was established by the Northside Partnership to combat the high incidence of early school leaving in the area. The schools in question, which are part of this project, have received funding from my Department since December 2000. The school meals programme provides funding for the food element of projects. The provision of staff does not come within the scope of the programme.
Currently, operational staff for the project in question are provided through a FÁS scheme. I understand that when the contracts of the existing staff expire, FÁS will be supplying replacements thus ensuring the continuity of the project while fulfilling the FÁS training mandate. In addition, the co-ordinator of the project will remain in the post for the forthcoming school year.
Question No. 40 answered with Question No. 29.
Question No. 41 answered with Question No. 32.