Written Answers Nos. 505-527
505. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Social Protection the vetting or inspection that takes place of persons in receipt of carers' payments, or who have applied for such payments, to ensure that they are acting as carers. [1429/13]
View answerCarer's Allowance is a social assistance payment made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to elderly people or to people with disabilities and whose income falls below certain limits. The principal conditions for receipt of the allowance are that full-time care and attention is required and being provided, that the means test which applies is satisfied and that the applicant is habitually resident in the State.
The application form for carer’s allowance includes a section concerning the requirement of the care recipient for full time care and attention, this part must be certified by the care recipient’s treating physician, normally their G.P. The application form also requests information from the applicant in respect of all of the other conditions. If any information is omitted or is unclear, a deciding officer may request supplementary information from the applicant or may forward the file to a social welfare inspector for further investigation. Once the supplementary information is provided or the inspector returns a report and on completion of all the necessary investigation, a deciding officer will make an overall decision on the applicant’s eligibility for carer’s allowance.
For the carers allowance scheme, a programme of control reviews is carried out annually to ensure 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. 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. In 2012, over 19,000 reviews were carried out on carer’s allowance cases.
506. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current number of citizens signing on at the unemployment exchanges in Kilbarrack and Coolock, Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1461/13]
View answerAccording to the records of the Department, as of end December 2012, the number of people on the Live Register at Kilbarrack Local Office and Coolock Intreo Centre is 5,117 and 4,548 respectively. The following is a breakdown of these figures in relation to categories male/female and over/under 25 years of age.
|
Kilbarrack |
|
|
Both sexes |
|
|
Under 25 years |
739 |
|
25 years and over |
4,378 |
|
All ages |
5,117 |
|
Male |
|
|
Under 25 years |
493 |
|
25 years and over |
2,827 |
|
All ages |
3,320 |
|
Female |
|
|
Under 25 years |
246 |
|
25 years and over |
1,551 |
|
All ages |
1,797 |
|
Coolock |
|
|
Both sexes |
|
|
Under 25 years |
891 |
|
25 years and over |
3,657 |
|
All ages |
4,548 |
|
Male |
|
|
Under 25 years |
566 |
|
25 years and over |
2,485 |
|
All ages |
3,051 |
|
Female |
|
|
Under 25 years |
325 |
|
25 years and over |
1,172 |
|
All ages |
1,497 |
507. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the social insurance coverage obtained by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 who has been contributing in various forms and in receipt of credits in different stages between 1962 and 1993; if she will agree to pay the relevant pension to this person who is now 66 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1464/13]
View answerAccording to the records of the Department, the person concerned has a total of 2,060 full-rate contributions and credits recorded from 1962 to 2012, giving him a yearly average of 41 contributions. He reached 65 years of age on 22 June 2011 and claimed State pension (transition) at that time. He was awarded this pension, from 23 June 2011, at the personal weekly rate of €225.80, this being the payment rate applicable to applicants in the yearly-average 40-47 banding.
The person concerned transferred to State pension contributory on reaching 66 years of age on 22 June 2012 and has continued to receive this weekly rate of pension. This is his maximum State pension (contributory) entitlement.
508. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Social Protection when a social welfare appeal hearing will be held in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath regarding an application for disability allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1499/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 09th January 2013, 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.
509. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Social Protection the total amount spent on the design and roll out of Intreo, the new public service brand for the one-stop-shop for employment services and welfare entitlements; if she will detail exactly what the redesign involved and what the money was spent on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1514/13]
View answerThe costs arising during the development of the new service identity related to the initial design, the design implementation (including signage), some translation costs, the cost of royalty free images and trademark search & registration. The costs to date, is approximately €153,235, which can be broken down as follows: 1. Re-branding (Design development and implementation) €59,516.; 2. Promotional Activity (Information Leaflets): €19,417; 3. Signage (interior and exterior): €74,302. Please note that the signage relates to 11 offices implemented in 2012. However we are awaiting invoices for interior signage at 7 of these offices.
A particular effort was made to keep costs down during the development of the new identity, through procuring services via public tender from various suppliers to ensure cost effectiveness. The initial work on the development of the identity and new name and logo of the new service was carried out by Creative Inc. Following a separate tender, work on the implementation of the new name and identity in the Department’s offices was carried out by Language Ltd.
510. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1524/13]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 10th October 2011. This application was referred to one of the Department’s medical assessors who was of the opinion that the caree in question was not medically eligible for carer’s allowance. A letter issued on the 3rd July 2012 refusing the allowance. The person in question subsequently appealed this decision and submitted further medical evidence on the 16th July 2012. The additional evidence has now been assessed by a medical assessor and the application is now with a deciding officer for a further decision. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
511. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1532/13]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 5th of June 2012. The application is with a deciding officer for a decision. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
513. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the resources, including Information technology consultancy and departmental expenditure, devoted to examining the possibility of taxing benefits paid to higher earners. [1554/13]
View answerQuestions relating to taxation are primarily a matter for my colleague the Minister for Finance. However consideration of what issues might need to be addressed around the taxation of social protection benefits do arise from time of time. For example, general issues arising for the social protection system around taxation of benefits were considered by my Department as part of its submission to the Commission on Taxation. Furthermore, issues arising from any decision to tax child benefit are considered by my Department such as in its policy and value for money review of child income support payments, published in 2010, and as part of its support to the Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare, whose report in this area is currently under consideration. It is not possible to quantify Departmental resources used in this way.
If the Government decided in principle to tax child benefit, there is a number of policy, legislative and administrative issues that would have to be addressed. While the nature of these issues would depend on the precise nature of any proposals to tax payments, these issues could include for instance the appropriate calculation of family income, the treatment of married and co-habiting couples and the potential for disincentive effects for income earners as it would add to reduce the return from higher earnings. In the absence of a more specific decision to progress on these lines, my Department has not addressed these specific issues in detail.
The Department has effective ICT systems in place to support inter-system communications with the Revenue Commissioners and has been exchanging data with Revenue for over 30 years in order to deliver welfare services and support tax collection. There may be some small amendments required to facilitate an additional data type being exchanged, but costs, if any would be minimum.
514. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an invalidity pension appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [1592/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 17th December 2012. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When received, the appeal in question 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.
516. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason her Department is seeking money from a person (details supplied) in Dublin 1; her views on whether it is acceptable to seek repayment of €75 per week from their disability pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1617/13]
View answerInvalidity pension is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the contribution conditions. The Department is obliged to make all reasonable efforts to recover debts owing to it. The person concerned incurred an overpayment of €51,305.00 covering the period 6 January 2005 to 17 March 2010 as he was working while in receipt of invalidity pension and did not have permission to do so.
In a letter dated 26 October 2012 the person in question indicated that he would begin repayments of a manageable amount each week. Taking into account contents of his letter and his household income, a deciding officer made a decision to request repayments of €75.00 per week. Having contacted the department on 3 January 2013 regarding the deduction amount being too high, the person concerned was requested to write in with full details of his ability to repay. As soon as this letter is received, the overpayment recovery plan will be reviewed and he will be notified of the outcome.
517. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of invalidity pension at the present time; the number of persons formerly in receipt of invalidity pension who, during 2012, were notified that they are no longer eligible for the payment on foot of a review by her Department's medical assessor. [1622/13]
View answerOn 31 December 2012, there were 50,053 claimants in receipt of an invalidity pension. 760 invalidity recipients whose continuing eligibility was reviewed in 2012 have been notified that they are no longer eligible for this payment on medical grounds. Any invalidity pension recipient whose payment is disallowed on medical or other grounds is notified of their right of appeal to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office.
518. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons in receipt of family income supplement will lose payments after claiming illness benefit; and the alternative supports in place for persons who find themselves in this situation. [1623/13]
View answerFamily income supplement (FIS) is designed to provide support to employees on low earnings with families. To qualify for payment of FIS a person must be engaged in full time insurable employment which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight or 19 hours per week. A couple may combine their hours of employment to meet the qualification criteria. The applicant must also have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them or is part of a family supported by them. Furthermore the average family income must be below a specified amount which varies according to the number of qualified children in the family.
Section 247(7) the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005, provides for the withdrawal of FIS after 6 weeks where a person is in receipt of illness benefit or injury benefit. Accordingly a person receiving FIS who is temporarily off work through illness can claim illness or injury benefit in addition to their FIS payment for a period of 6 weeks. After 6 weeks continuous absence payment of FIS is suspended until the person returns to work and ceases claiming illness or injury benefit.
The short term income support payments available to people absent from work due to illness or injury are illness benefit or injury benefit. People absent from work for longer periods due to illness or injury and who satisfy the qualifying conditions can avail of income support through the invalidity pension or disability allowance schemes. Increases for qualified adults and qualified children can be claimed with all of these payments as appropriate to the person’s circumstances.
519. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection if the possibility of permitting an exception to the current minimum hours requirement for jobbridge placements has been considered in the context of the independent evaluation of the scheme with a view to accommodating interns with disabilities; if she will be amenable to such a recommendation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1631/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, provides internship opportunities of either 6 or 9 months for unemployed individuals in organisations in the private, public and community voluntary sectors and at present is limited to individuals who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments (Jobseekers Allowance/Jobseekers Benefit/One Parent Family Payment/Disability Allowance) or are signing on for credits for at least 3 of the last 6 months (78 Days).
The Deputy refers to the requirement that an intern is required to participate in the scheme for a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 40 hours per week. JobBridge is a targeted labour market activation intervention intended to assist jobseekers to break the cycle where they are unable to get a job without experience, to provide those seeking employment with the opportunity to gain work experience, maintain close links with the labour market and to enhance their skills and competencies through an internship opportunity, thereby improving their prospects of securing employment in the future. The scheme gives individuals a real opportunity to gain valuable experience to bridge the gap to the beginning of the rest of their working lives.
Further information on outcomes will be ascertained as a result of the ongoing formal evaluation of JobBridge. It is anticipated that the final Report will be available in the coming weeks. This evaluation will assess the design, delivery and impact of the JobBridge Scheme, it will provide details of the nature of the work experience of the participants; a measurement of the relevance of that experience to the labour market, analysis of age categories and further findings concerning progression into employment. It will also present recommendations on how the Scheme might be improved. It is at this stage that further consideration will be given to amending the terms and conditions of the Scheme including the minimum hours to be undertaken by interns (including those with disabilities). Any such amendments to the scheme will be notified via the website.
I would further advise the Deputy that there are a number of other schemes available to assist people with disabilities return to the work place. These include Work Placement Programme which specifies the minimum number of hours to be undertaken as 25 per week.
521. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an appeal for jobseeker's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1649/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 11th October 2012. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When received, the appeal in question 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.
522. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in Ballymun, Dublin, in receipt of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Illness Benefit, Widows/Widowers Contributory Pension, Widows / Widowers Non-Contributory Pension and Deserted Wives Benefit. [1652/13]
View answerInformation relating to a client’s address is entered into scheme payment systems in free text fields, which allows for the input of the address across several fields in Irish, English and abbreviated format. When this is combined with possible spelling errors and possible non-disclosure of the exact geographic location of the client’s residence, it is difficult to accurately report persons in receipt of any Social Welfare payment in a particular area.
At the end of December 2012 there were 1,213 people identified as residing in Ballymun, Dublin in receipt of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, Illness Benefit, Widows/Widowers Contributory Pension, Widows/Widowers Non-Contributory Pension and Deserted Wives Benefit. I have set out below a breakdown of these recipients by scheme.
|
Scheme |
Recipients |
|
Disability Allowance |
541 |
|
Blind Pension |
17 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
137 |
|
Illness Benefit |
156 |
|
Widow’s,Widower’s/Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension |
264 |
|
Widow’s,Widower’s/Surviving Civil Partner’s Non-Contributory Pension |
7 |
|
Deserted Wives Benefit |
91 |
|
Total |
1,213 |
Please note that these statistics are minimum levels for Ballymun based on the address restrictions mentioned above.
523. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will investigate a company (details supplied), which is a participant in the JobBridge programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1694/13]
View answerThe Deputy has brought to my attention a number of serious allegations in relation to the operation of JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, in a particular set of circumstances. The Department treats with the utmost seriousness any suggestion that the Scheme is being operated inappropriately and investigates all such suggestions thoroughly. Officials in my Department have indicated to me that this is the first occasion that this matter has been brought to the attention of the Department. I would advise the Deputy that there is an established process in place for dealing with issues of this nature through the ‘Contact Us’ section on the JobBridge website. I have requested Departmental officials to investigate the matters that the Deputy has raised and I will write to the Deputy as soon as I have received a report of the investigation.
524. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for domiciliary care allowance will be expedited in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1707/13]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received on the 24th September 2012. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who considered that the child was not medically eligible for DCA. A letter issued on the 22nd October 2012 outlining the decision to refuse the allowance. The person concerned subsequently lodged an appeal against this decision.
As part of the appeal process, the case has been forwarded to another of the Department’s Medical Assessors for further consideration, including a review of any new information supplied. Upon receipt of the Medical Assessor’s opinion, the case will be further examined and will be forwarded for consideration by the Appeals Office, if necessary.
525. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Social Protection if urgent attention and assistance will be given to a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1708/13]
View answerThe person concerned is in receipt of the one parent family payment at a weekly amount of €327.20. The person concerned is also in receipt of Rent Supplement at a monthly rate of €414.70 based on rent of €900 per month. This calculation is correct based on her income. An officer from the Department has contacted the person concerned directly. The person concerned is under threat of eviction as the person concerned has apparently not been paying their portion of the rent to the landlord. The person concerned stated that they were not receiving maintenance for the last number of weeks. The officer advised that they contact the family law courts regarding non-payment of maintenance and to advise the officer when they have done this. The person concerned has not done so to date but the officer will again make contact with the person tomorrow the 17th of January for an update on this. The office will endeavour to provide every financial assistance possible in an effort to avoid the threatened eviction.
526. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the number of persons in the State in receipt of home help hours while also being cared for by persons who are in receipt of carer's benefit; and if she or her Department officials have ever discussed with the Health Service Executive the reason any person cared for by a person receiving carer's benefit and the respite care grant should require home help hours also. [1711/13]
View answerCarer’s allowance and carer’s benefit are paid to people who are caring for a person who needs full-time care and attention. They are intended as an income support for the carer and not to supplement the cost of care. In many cases the care recipient will be in receipt of an income support payment in their own right, for example disability allowance or a State pension.
Home help supports, respite and other services are provided by the HSE. The individual need for these supports will vary depending on the condition of the care recipient. The fact that a carer is in receipt of a carer’s allowance or carer’s benefit does not preclude the person being cared for from receiving supports from the HSE.
A person who is caring for someone on a full-time basis with a serious illness or severe mental or physical disability may not be in a position to provide for all the care needs of this person on a round the clock basis. They may need additional support by way of a home help sometimes for just a few hours a week to do their weekly shopping for example or attend personal appointments, including providing for their own medical welfare. In addition, a person in receipt of carer’s allowance may work for up to fifteen hours per week outside the home. I would be concerned at any suggestion that a person be automatically disbarred from receiving home help support purely on the basis that a carer was in receipt of carer’s allowance. Officials in my Department have regular consultation with their colleagues in the Department of Health and the HSE on matters of concern for carers and the full range of supports for carers from the two Departments.
527. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection from December 2011 to December 2012, the number of reviews that were undertaken of persons receiving invalidity pension; of those reviews, the number upheld and the number refused in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1716/13]
View answerThe information that you requested is set out in the following table. For the invalidity pension scheme, a programme of control reviews is carried out annually to determine continuing entitlement to the scheme. Customers are selected for review according to the perceived risk of their circumstances changing, either in terms of medical eligibility, changes in employment status or other changes in circumstances that may affect entitlement.
In addition, reviews are also carried out arising from various data matching exercises carried out between the Department’s data and data held by, for example, the Revenue Commissioners, 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.
|
Month |
Invalidity Reviews |
No change in Eligibility |
Change in Eligibility |
|
December 2011 |
71 |
52 |
19 |
|
January to December 2012 |
10,566 |
9,624 |
942 |
