Written Answers Nos. 124 to 134
124. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the entitlement to a higher education grant in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50817/12]
View answerOfficials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority, that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy a grant has been awarded and an award letter issued on 2nd November, 2012.
125. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans to allocate further money to County Kerry to combat coastal erosion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50786/12]
View answerThe Office of Public Works has to date approved funding of €891,000 to Kerry County Council under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Coastal Protection Scheme for coastal protection measures in the county.
It is open to Kerry County Council to apply for further funding under the Scheme. Any application received will be assessed under the revised eligibility criteria for coastal protection measures introduced by the OPW earlier this year, which include a requirement that any measures are cost beneficial, and having regard to the overall availability of resources. Application forms and related guidelines are available on the OPW website.
Coastal protection is funded from the OPW's Flood Risk Management capital allocation, which is €45m for 2012.
126. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the pensions of retired secretaries general are still linked to the salaries of existing secretaries general, or their former salaries upon retiring. [50686/12]
View answerSuperannuation benefits of retired Secretaries General are calculated by reference to pensionable remuneration at their date of retirement. It is the practice that pay increases granted to those serving in the equivalent grade are awarded to the relevant pensioners. However, having regard to the severe economic circumstances facing the country, there have been no salary or pension increases in the civil service since 2008. The Deputy will be aware that, in fact, pensions have been reduced. The pensions of Secretaries General who retired on or before 29 February 2012 are subject to the Public Service Pension Reduction (PSPR) calculated in line with the following rates and bands:
Annual Public Service Pension (€) Reduction Rate
|
First 12,000 |
0% |
|
Between 12,000 and 24,000 |
6% |
|
Between 24,000 and 60,000 |
9% |
|
Between 60,000 and 100,000 |
12% |
|
Balance above 100,000 |
20% |
This reduction is exclusive of normal taxation.
It should also be noted that the pensions of Secretaries General retiring on or after 1 March 2012 are based on reduced pay rates which in turn will give a lower rate of pension. I should point out that, in common with all public servants, Secretaries-General have had their pay reduced substantially and serving Secretaries-General pay the pension levy.
127. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if there are any public sector workers that have become entitled to and have received additional allowances since the Croke Park agreement came into force; if so, if he will give details of the reason for these allowances; and the value of same. [50687/12]
View answerAllowances are and will continue to be a normal part of the pay structure in the public service. The general position adopted by my Department in reviewing the business case of an allowance, as stated during the Review conducted this year is that allowances should only be payable in certain circumstances. These are:
- that it reflects the arduous nature or unsocial hours, including the need to remain on call at weekends and other times, clearly associated with the duties of posts, or
- work of additional value is actually received by an employer, or
- an actual cost accrues to the employee derived from their employment.
In that context, my Department has sanctioned new pay allowances since June 2010, including:
- An on-call allowance (€1,188 per week) for clinical staff at the National Virus Reference Laboratory at UCD, paid to one staff member per week to be on-call on a 24/7 basis for that week.
- An on-call allowance (€5,940 per annum) for 6 staff members in the National Ambulance Service, following the recommendation of a HIQA report that the HSE should ensure that there are formalised senior manager on call arrangements in place at all times for ambulance services, including Ambulance Control.
- An out of hours allowance was approved for Forensic Psychiatrists in order to ensure the availability of Consultant Psychiatric Support in critical emergency incidents, particularly in the context of recommendations arising from reviews of the tragic events at Abbeylara.
The detailed information sought by the Deputy in relation to the number of new beneficiaries of allowances in the wider public service in that period is not available to my Department. My Department has however published extensive information on the numbers in receipt of allowances during 2011. This does not include staff of commercial State -sponsored bodies or bodies funded by the State outside the public service since the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform is not responsible for setting the rate of pay for employees (other than the Chief Executives of the commercial semi-State bodies) outside the public service.
128. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will provide a list of all public consultations his Department has carried out since the start of 2012. [50756/12]
View answerAs discussed with your office yesterday afternoon I will be forwarding a full and comprehensive reply to this question early next week.
129. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the pensions payable to retired members of the Labour Court and to past chairmen of the Labour Court; the years of service for which those pensions were paid; if any special additional pension payments were made for any member of the Labour Court since 1985; and if so, the details of these arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50826/12]
View answerThe pensions currently payable to retired members and Chairpersons of the Labour Court are listed in the following table, together with their years of service and grade at retirement. No special additional pension payments were made to any former member or Chairperson of the Labour Court since 1985.
|
Grade at Retirement |
No of Years of Service |
Pension payable |
|
Chairperson/Deputy Chair |
12 years 17 days |
€40,994.40 |
|
Chairperson/Deputy Chair |
13 years 16 days |
€37,668.24 |
|
Chairperson/Deputy Chair |
8 years 138 days |
€24,192.48 |
|
Member |
7.years 329 days |
€16,298.64 |
|
Member |
17 Years 71 days |
€35,468.88 |
|
Member |
6 years 278 days |
€12,207.93 |
|
Chairperson/Deputy Chair |
9 years 51 days |
€31,098.72 |
|
Member |
4 years 276 days |
€8,288.16 |
|
Member |
6 years |
€10,349.76 |
|
Chairperson/Deputy Chair |
36 years 55 days |
€62,648.64 |
|
Member |
6 years 273 days |
€11,545.44 |
|
Member |
24 years |
€41,063.04 |
|
Member |
6 years 292 days |
€11,149.75 |
130. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of times civil servants from his Department have sat at meeting of the IFSC Clearing House and related sub-groups and working groups in 2012; if he will list those staff and their duties and the meetings they attended; if he will indicate, in each instance, the topics of discussion and the decisions that were made; if he will release the relevant briefing notes or reports prepared before and after each meeting by departmental staff to this Deputy and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50727/12]
View answerThe IFSC Clearing House Group and its sub-groups bring together public and private sector stakeholders to explore issues relevant to Ireland’s international financial services sector. As these groups fall within the remit of the Department of the Taoiseach, decisions about publishing their records are in the first instance a matter for that Department. The Taoiseach this week informed this House that the minutes of Clearing House Group meetings and certain reports will in future be published both on his Department’s website and on www.merrionstreet.ie. He also stated that he had arranged to have the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform briefed on the work of the Groups.
In terms of the involvement of my officials with the IFSC groups, the Secretary General of my Department is the Department’s representative on the high level IFSC Clearing House Group and has attended 3 of the 5 meetings held so far this year. The Assistant Secretary with responsibility for the Innovation and Investment Division deputised for him at one meeting and an Assistant Principal Officer from the Company Law Unit of the Department deputised at the other. In addition, the Company Law Unit of my Department is represented, at either Principal Officer or Assistant Principal Officer level, on both the IFSC Funds Group and that group’s Legislative Sub-Group. To date in 2012, these two groups met 8 and 5 times respectively and my Department was represented at all but 2 of these meetings.
It is not normal practice for my Department to produce reports for the Clearing House Group, though it does provide input to periodic progress reports, coordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach, on implementing the IFSC Statement of Strategy.
Representation on the Funds and Funds Legislation Sub-Groups provides my officials with the opportunity to update and consult representatives of the collective investment funds industry about the practical implications on that sector of any relevant new EU company law proposals. My Department does not prepare briefing documents specifically for the IFSC groups on these proposals but instead draws the attention of members to public consultation documents or to proposals published either on this Department’s or on the EU Commission’s website.
During 2012 the Funds and Funds Legislative Sub-Groups were invited in this way to comment on EU proposals to amend the accounting and auditing directives. In addition, the Funds Legislative Sub-Group was consulted on the Companies Bill, which I intend to publish by the end of this year.
131. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide a list of all public consultations his Department has carried out since the start of 2012. [50754/12]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy is contained in the tables.
Public Consultations 2012
|
Public Consultation on the Workplace Relations Reform Programme relevant document - Blueprint to Deliver a World-Class Workplace Relations Service published in April 2012 - publishedon 5th April 2012 |
|
31 August 2012 – Labour Court consultation – Abolition of 3 Joint Labour Committees |
|
Proposal for an EU directive of 11 July 2012 on the collective management of copyright and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in musical works for online users in the internal market |
|
The independent Copyright Review Committee, which examines the copyright legislative framework to identify any areas that might be deemed to create barriers to innovation, published a wide-ranging Consultation Paper in early 2012. Submissions on specific issues set out in the Consultation Paper were sought by the Committee. |
|
Consultation on the review of the research exemption (‘Bolar’) Provision relating to Article 42(g) of the Patents Act. Broadening the scope of this exemption could enhance the ability of generic pharmaceutical manufacturers to undertake legitimate research without fear of patent litigation |
|
Consultation on submissions for inclusion in the Action Plan for Jobs 2013 |
Public Consultations 2012
|
Consultation Document of Transposing Directive 2011/7/EU on combating Late Payments in Commercial Transactions - 9 August 2012- 17 September 2012 |
|
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2006/43/EC on statutory audits of annual accounts and consolidated accounts – COM (2011) 778 final |
|
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific requirements regarding statutory audit of public-interest entities – COM (2011) 779 final |
|
Consultation on Article 19 (Fees for the Use of Means of Payment) and Article 22 (Additional Payments) of Directive 2011/83/EU on Consumer Rights |
132. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that cuts to child benefit for multiples are not carried through. [50569/12]
View answer137. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding child benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50673/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 137 together.
Child benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability. The estimated expenditure on child benefit for 2012 is around €2 billion and it is paid to around 600,000 families in respect of some 1.15 million children. Parents of multiple birth children receive an additional monthly premia paid at one and a half times the monthly child benefit payment rate for each twin and double the monthly payment rate for each child in other multiple births. While Budget 2012 maintained this additional monthly payment, the multiple births grant of €635 paid at birth, at 4 years of age and at 12 years of age was discontinued.
As a universal payment child benefit assists parents with the cost of raising children and it contributes towards alleviating child poverty. The Government is also conscious that child benefit is an important source of income for all families, especially during a time of recession and high unemployment. Bearing this in mind, any plans to change the amount paid in respect of such payments will be a matter to be decided in a budgetary context and announced on Budget day. I do not therefore propose to speculate on any possible approaches to child benefit payment rates changes.
I am conscious that achieving a better design of the overall system of child income supports, including child benefit, raises complex issues about the effectiveness of the full range of income supports currently provided to families and their children. In this context and in line with a commitment in the Programme for Government, I established an Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare last year, which has been tasked with recommending cost-effective solutions as to how employment disincentives can be improved and better poverty outcomes achieved, particularly child poverty outcomes. The Advisory Group prioritised the area of family and child income supports and has completed its work on this area. Their report is currently receiving my consideration and will assist the Government in setting out a pathway towards a more appropriate system of child income supports.
133. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50575/12]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on 19 December 2011. The application is with a deciding officer for a decision. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
134. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50576/12]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on 5 October 2011. This application was referred to one of the Department’s medical assessors who found that the caree in question was not medically eligible for carer’s allowance. The deciding officer accepted that opinion and further decided that, in accordance with the evidence supplied, the person in question was not providing full time care in accordance with the relevant Regulations. A letter issued on 11 July 2012 refusing the allowance. The person in question subsequently submitted further medical evidence for review on 2 August 2012. This medical evidence is awaiting medical assessment by a medical assessor. On completion of all the necessary investigations as part of this review, a decision will be made and the person in question will be contacted directly with the outcome.
