Written Answers Nos. 382 - 402
382. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made to date in respect of a requested review for domiciliary care allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56838/12]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance was received on the 1st October 2012. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who found that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 25th October 2012 advising of the decision.
In the case of an application which is refused on medical grounds the applicant may submit additional information and/or ask for the case to be reviewed or they may appeal the decision directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office within twenty one days. As yet no additional information has been received and no appeal has been registered against the decision in this case.
383. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for domiciliary care allowance will be determined in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56839/12]
View answerThere is no record in the Department of an application for domiciliary care allowance having been received from the person concerned.
384. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a carer's allowance request for review of a decision in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [56840/12]
View answerI can confirm that the person in question has requested a means review of her carers allowance on 7th December 2012. Her file is currently with a deciding officer and on completion of the necessary investigations in relation to this review the person in question will be notified directly in writing of the outcome.
385. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding minimum notice and holiday pay in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Carlow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56844/12]
View answerA claim under the insolvency payments scheme in respect of the person concerned has recently been processed. Payment is due to issue to the liquidator before the end of the month.
386. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of any plans for the change in the operation of rural social schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56849/12]
View answerThe rural social scheme provides income support for farmers and those engaged in fishing who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments. Participants are engaged for 19½ hours per week to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. The scheme currently provides work opportunities for around 2,600 participants and 130 supervisory staff. The funds allocated for 2012 amount to €45.66m with €45.00m provisionally allocated for 2013. This level of funding will allow the scheme to continue along the same lines in 2013 as in previous years but does not allow for the recruitment above the numbers stated above. The operation of the rural social scheme is governed by a comprehensive set of rules which are revised on an on-going basis as a result of changes in the operating environment and the introduction of, or changes to, other schemes or other conditions that impact on the scheme’s operations. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has included the rural social scheme as part of its proposed focused policy assessment, the outcome of which will inform the future direction the scheme.
387. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 258 of 11 December 2012, if she will re-examine the case of entitlement to contributory State pension in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who discharged the outstanding PRSI contributions to her Department in Dundalk, County Louth, in July 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56862/12]
View answerSection 110(1)(b) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 provides that a self-employed contributor shall not be regarded as satisfying the qualifying conditions for State pension (contributory) unless all self-employed PRSI contributions payable by him or her have been paid.
The pension application of the person concerned has been reviewed. He applied for State pension (contributory) on 22 March 2012. His application was disallowed because, according to the records of the Department, he has outstanding PRSI liabilities for the 2006 tax year which have not yet been discharged.
The Department is contacting the person concerned in relation to this outstanding PRSI amount. On payment of the amount due, his State pension application will be re-examined and he will be notified of the outcome without delay.
388. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite an appeal for invalidity pension in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56873/12]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence allowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer decision.
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 on social welfare entitlements.
389. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which if any of bilateral agreement with the US in respect of pensions; if a recipient of a US pension living here can only receive one or other pension or if he or she receives a pension on foot of contributions within this jurisdiction are they debarred from receiving a similarly based pension from the US; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56876/12]
View answerS.I. No. 243 of 1993 sets out the bilateral Agreement on social security between Ireland and the United States of America. The Agreement protects the contributory State pension rights of people who have been insurably employed in Ireland and in the US but who may not have a State pension entitlement under the national legislation of one or both countries or who may only have a reduced rate pension entitlement under national legislation. In such cases, the Agreement allows each country to take the person’s reckonable social insurance periods in both countries into account in a combined (pro-rata) pension assessment. The most beneficial pension rate determined (under national legislation, or under the Agreement) is awarded.
It is possible that a person may satisfy the qualifying conditions for State pension in both Ireland and the US and be entitled to a pension from both countries. In such cases, irrespective of which country they reside in, the application of the Agreement does not necessitate any consideration of the applicant’s citizenship status nor require that they opt for one or other pension. Both can be paid concurrently by this Department and the US Authority.
390. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a domicilary care allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56878/12]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 24th July 2012. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 14th December 2012 and the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing.
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 on social welfare entitlements.
391. Deputy Tom Barry asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients here in receipt of carer's allowance, disability allowance and invalidity pension; the number of carer's allowance recipients who are either the spouse or parent or child of the person being cared for; and if he will provide the figures from 2005 to 2012. [56879/12]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of recipients here in receipt of carer's allowance, disability allowance and invalidity pension is reported on a point in time basis. A tabular statement detailing the number of recipients for each of these schemes at the 31st of December in each of the years 2005 to 2011 and at 30 November 2012 follows.
In relation to the number of carer's allowance recipients who are either the spouse or parent or child of the person being cared for this information is not recorded by my Department.
|
Year |
Carer’s Allowance |
Disability Allowance |
Invalidity Pension |
|
31 December 2005 |
24,970 |
79,253 |
58,352 |
|
31 December 2006 |
27,474 |
83,697 |
51,954 |
|
31 December 2007 |
33,067 |
89,048 |
53,956 |
|
31 December 2008 |
43,569 |
95,754 |
53,725 |
|
31 December 2009 |
48,223 |
99,576 |
52,922 |
|
31 December 2010 |
50,577 |
101,111 |
50,766 |
|
31 December 2011 |
51,666 |
102,866 |
49,792 |
|
30 November 2012 |
51,956 |
102,250 |
50,003 |
392. Deputy Tom Barry asked the Minister for Social Protection the total amount of money annually for carer's allowance, disability allowance and invalidity pension from 2005 to 2012; and if there is ongoing assessment of applicants to determine their continuing qualification for the payment in question. [56880/12]
View answerThe table gives the expenditure per scheme for the disability allowance scheme, the invalidity pension scheme and the carer’s allowance scheme from 2005 to 2012.
Table 1
Number of recipients and expenditure per scheme
|
Year |
Disability Allowance |
Invalidity Pension |
Carer’s Allowance |
|
- |
€000 |
€000 |
€000 |
|
2005 |
630,728 |
548,285 |
223,059 |
|
2006 |
738,431 |
602,414 |
284,584 |
|
2007 |
901,131 |
618,133 |
361,257 |
|
2008 |
1,052,660 |
685,717 |
450,260 |
|
2009 |
1,142,769 |
681,642 |
502,469 |
|
2010 |
1,109,505 |
639,994 |
501,789 |
|
2011 |
1,089,178 |
606,502 |
507,193 |
|
2012 to Oct-12 |
920,622 (*) |
494,872 (*) |
419,658 (*) |
(*) provisional
For each of the schemes concerned, a programme of control reviews is carried out annually to determine on-going entitlement. Customers are selected for review according to the risk of their circumstances changing, either in terms of medical eligibility, changes in their means or other changes of circumstances that may affect their entitlement. The majority of reviews carried out are in respect of cases with the highest risk of a change in circumstances. The remainder of reviews are carried out on cases with medium risk with a few low risk cases also being reviewed. In addition, reviews are also undertaken arising from various data matching exercises carried out where the Department’s data is compared to relevant data held by, for example, Revenue, the Private Rental Tenancies Board and the General Registrar’s Office. Control reviews are also carried out, as appropriate, in response to anonymous reports received from the public.
Questions No. 393 to 395, inclusive, withdrawn.
396. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will examine a carer's allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry. [56922/12]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 12th March 2012. The application is with a deciding officer for a decision. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
Questions Nos. 397 and 398 withdrawn.
399. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal for illness benefit in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny. [56978/12]
View answerPayment of illness benefit, to the person concerned, was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department following an examination by a Medical Assessor who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work.
I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an appeal was registered on 31st October 2012 and in accordance with statutory requirements, the Department was asked for the documentation in the case and the Deciding Officer’s comments on the grounds of the appeal. In that context, an examination by another Medical Assessor will be carried out. The person concerned will be notified when arrangements for the examination have been completed.
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 on social welfare entitlements.
400. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56999/12]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 13th December 2012 and the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer decision when the appeal has been determined.
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 on social welfare entitlements.
Questions Nos. 401 and 402 withdrawn.
