Written Answers Nos. 137-140
137. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection with regard to the clothing grant that was available to families in need and on low incomes to help with the cost of holy communion and confirmation days, if this grant is still available to parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7753/13]
View answerUnder the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. There is no automatic entitlement to a payment. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance. The Government has provided over €47 million for the scheme in 2013.
A review of the guidelines on exceptional needs payments was carried out by the Department by a working group made up of former community welfare service staff. One of the recommendations emanating from this review is to address the different approaches taken, in different areas, in relation to the payment of exceptional needs payments in respect of religious ceremonies, mainly Communions and Confirmations, and to ensure that the SWA scheme is responding to financial need and not occasion.
For 2013, the Department has recommended that payment of the allowance specifically in respect of religious ceremonies will cease. Applications can continue to be made under the scheme for assistance with child clothing. This measure will ensure that the ENP scheme will continue to respond to specific need and not to the occasion.
This recommendation does not affect the discretion available to officers administering the scheme in issuing an ENP to assist an individual or household in any particular hardship situation which may arise. Persons who consider that they have an entitlement to an ENP under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme should contact the local officials administering the scheme.
138. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding an application for the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7675/13]
View answerAn application for compensation under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme was received by my Department from the individual referred to in the Deputy’s Question.
The application was returned to the applicant as it was incomplete. It has since been returned to my Department and is being assessed. My officials will be in contact with the applicant in the coming weeks about the status of the application.
139. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht further to Parliamentary Question No. 171 of 28 March 2012 if he will detail in tabular form, the number of leases, location and the number of leases with upward only rent clauses for each year since 2010 in which his Department is the lessor. [7704/13]
View answerSince the establishment of my Department on 2 June 2011, no lease arrangements are in place where my Department has acted as the landlord.
140. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will comment on the principle of universality of utility services and the precedent that line rental charges would be the same for all homes, that no differentiation between the price of line rental is made between urban and rural; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7637/13]
View answerLine rental charges form part of the universal service obligation (USO) in the telecommunications market. The purpose of this USO is to ensure that all citizens can access basic telecommunications services at fixed locations at reasonable prices. The USO in the telecommunications market is provided for in both EU legislative acts, Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament, as amended by Directive 2009/136/EC and national legislation, the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Universal Service and User’s Rights) Regulations 2011 – S.I. No.337 of 2011.
The current USO requires that at least one service provider is designated to provide telecommunications access at fixed locations, access to telephone directories, reasonable access to payphones and specific measures for people with disabilities all at reasonable access prices by regulating connection fees and line rental charges.
The national legislation authorises the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) to designate one or more service providers to perform the USO.
In June 2012 ComReg extended until June 2014, a universal service obligation addressed to Eircom, which among other things, requires that line rental for basic fixed line telephone services is available to end users at a standard price across the country. There is therefore no line rental price differentiation between urban and rural areas and nor is there is any proposal to amend this obligation at this time.
