Written Answers Nos. 110 - 119
110. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide by Department/Agency basis the number of persons who are seeking transfers to other locations; the number of transfers that took place in 2012 on a county basis on the number of transfers that took place in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2751/13]
View answerMy Department maintains transfer lists in respect of its offices in Carlow and Kilkenny. These lists contain the names of staff, from all Government Departments and Agencies, who have expressed a formal interest in transferring permanently to these locations. Separate lists are maintained in respect of each grade.
The number of staff, by grade, that are currently on the lists for transfer to Carlow and Kilkenny are as follows:
Carlow
|
Principal Officer |
4 |
|
Assistant Principal Officer |
4 |
|
Administrative Officer |
1 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
14 |
|
Executive Officer |
46 |
|
Staff Officer |
13 |
|
Clerical Officer |
28 |
|
Services Officer |
1 |
Kilkenny
|
Administrative Officer |
1 |
|
Executive Officer |
3 |
|
Staff Officer |
1 |
|
Clerical Officer |
2 |
Transfers to both Carlow and Kilkenny may be arranged where it has been decided to fill vacancies that arise. In 2012, seven staff (all Clerical Officers) transferred to Carlow, while two staff (both at Assistant Principal grade) transferred to Kilkenny.
112. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2071/13]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 7th of November 2011. The person concerned was refused carer’s allowance on the ground that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. She was notified of this decision and the reason for it.
The person in question requested a review of this decision and submitted additional medical evidence in support of the application on the 27th of July 2012. This supplementary information was recently been assessed by a medical assessor and the application is currently with a deciding officer for a decision. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome of the review.
113. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a carer's allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2073/13]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 18th of October 2011. The person concerned was refused carer’s allowance on the ground that the care recipient is not so disabled as to require full time care and attention as prescribed in regulations. She was notified of this decision and the reason for it.
The person in question requested a review of this decision and submitted additional medical evidence in support of the application on the 6th of October 2012. This supplementary information was forwarded to the Department’s medical assessor for consideration. The supplementary information has been looked at by a medical assessor and the application is currently with a deciding officer for a decision. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome of the review.
114. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason mortgage interest supplement has been withdrawn in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2080/13]
View answerPayment of supplementary welfare allowance (mortgage interest supplement), to the person concerned, was withdrawn on the grounds that her excess weekly income is greater that the weekly mortgage interest.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned together with the relevant Departmental papers and the comments of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal was received in that office on 20th December 2012. 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.
116. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of savings she has envisaged as a result of targeting welfare fraud in 2013; if she requires any amendments to be made to the Data Protection Act in order to acquire information from other Departments, local authorities and publicly funded agencies in order to assess the actual level of State benefits and supports paid to recipients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2111/13]
View answerEnsuring the right person gets paid the right amount of money is a priority for my Department. Control work is an essential element of the day-to-day work of the Department and control savings are an estimate of the value of the various control activities across the different schemes in payment. The savings represent an estimate of the value of prevented future expenditure that would have been incurred had this control work not been carried out. Control savings are used as a performance indicator for year-on-year activities. Such savings do not include any cases of departmental or clerical error and also do not include any cases where the customer voluntarily told the Department of their means or circumstances, which resulted in a change to their rate of payment.
In 2012, the control savings target was €645million. While the outturn of control savings for last year is currently being finalised, I expect that the target will be met. There is a commitment to increase savings from control activity by €40m in 2013.
The Department has, in the last number of years, been engaged in extensive data matching exercises with a number of other Government Departments and public bodies for control purposes. Data matching is an efficient and effective mechanism to target control related activity.
The Department has an extensive legal structure to support the sharing of data for the purpose of controlling the entitlement and payment of benefits. The legislative provisions which allow for the specific sharing of data are contained in section 261 of the Social Welfare Consolidated Act, 2005. Notwithstanding the provision of the 2005 Act, the Department must, however, operate in compliance with the basic principles and legislation underpinning data protection.
The Department liaises with the Data Protection Commissioner on a regular basis and will continue, where Social Welfare legislative proposals have data protection implications, to consult with the Commissioner on such matters.
117. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection the actual weekly net amount paid to persons with unique PPS numbers; the highest weekly total net amount paid to an individual PPS number by her Department in 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2128/13]
View answerIt is not possible to extract the data requested in respect of the actual weekly net amount paid to persons with unique PPS numbers or the highest weekly total net amount paid to an individual PPS number by my Department in 2012 under one or more different payment headings. This is because the Department delivers a wide range of payments at weekly, monthly, annual and other intervals across a range of claim processing systems which support the delivery of entitlements to people under individual social welfare schemes.
While the average payment varies across the various schemes operated by the Department, the most typical rate paid to people of working age is €188 per week, while the most typical rate paid to people aged 66 years or more is €230.30 per week.
In addition to their primary weekly payment, some people may also receive secondary benefits, such as Rent Supplement or Fuel Allowance if they also satisfy the conditions for receipt of those payments. The most typical rate of Rent Supplement is €100 per week, while Fuel Allowance is €20 per week from October to April.
The tabular statement sets out the average weekly value of the most common social welfare payments.
Average values for weekly social welfare payments, Annual Average.
Provisional Outturn
|
Scheme |
Average value (€weekly) |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
243.47 |
|
State Pension (Transition) |
241.01 |
|
Widow(er)s Contributory Pension |
227.64 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
228.01 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
224.06 |
|
State Pension (Non-Contributory) |
212.49 |
|
Illness Benefit |
206.71 |
|
Jobseeker’s Allowance |
201.06 |
|
Disability Allowance |
202.98 |
|
Carer’s Allowance |
188.55 |
|
Jobseeker’s Benefit |
176.23 |
Note: The data presented above is scheme specific and does not take into account the fact that some individual recipients may be in receipt of more than one personal rate of a primary payment e.g. State Pension Contributory and a Half-Rate Carer’s Allowance (over 40% of all Carer’s Allowance recipients receive more than one primary personal payment per week). The weekly averages include arrears and increases/allowances other than fuel allowance.
118. Deputy Michael P. Kitt asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will issue on an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2161/13]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on the 26th January 2012. The application is with a deciding officer for a decision. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
119. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the full scale of back to work or other job creation opportunities available in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2192/13]
View answerThe back to work options which the person concerned may have an entitlement to avail of can be obtained from the department’s website www.welfare.ie.
Additional information on employment options may also be obtained by contacting the job facilitator in the Employment Services Support Office in Maynooth.
