Written Answers Nos. 129 - 139
130. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the number of jobs lost and created in each of the past four years to date under the headings of traditional and or indigenous enterprises and foreign direct investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9450/13]
View answerThe Forfás Annual Employment Survey and the CEB Annual Employment Survey report on the jobs created and lost in the companies supported by the Enterprise Development Agencies and the County and City Enterprise Boards (CEBs) respectively.
Details of the number of jobs created and lost in client companies of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland in the period 2009 to 2012 are set out in Tables A and C respectively that accompany this reply.
In 2010, the CEBs recording system changed to encompass the same format used by Forfás, thereby enabling the CEBs to produce job existing, job gains and job losses figures for 2010 onwards. Information relating to job gains and losses for 2012 (preliminary figures), 2011 and 2010 is set out below in Table B accompanying this reply.
I am pleased to say that the Agencies’ End of Year Statements indicate that 2012 was a good year for job creation in Agency-supported companies. IDA client companies created 12,722 gross new full time jobs (6,750 net new jobs). The IDA client base in Ireland now employs 152,785 people, a level last recorded before the global financial crisis began in 2008. Clients of Enterprise Ireland created 12,861 gross new jobs (3,338 net new jobs – the highest net gain for Irish companies since 2006). Also in 2012, a net increase in employment of 417 was recorded in CEB-supported companies.
THE INDIGENOUS SECTOR
Table A - Jobs Created and Lost in Enterprise Ireland-Supported Companies
|
Enterprise Ireland |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
|
Jobs Created |
8,888 |
10,987 |
14,023 |
12,861 |
|
Jobs Lost |
28,382 |
15,545 |
9,096 |
9,523 |
Table B – Jobs Created and Lost in CEB-Supported Companies
|
County & City Enterprise Boards |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 (Preliminary) |
|
Jobs Created |
4,510 |
5,331 |
4,959 |
|
Jobs Lost |
4,958 |
5,901 |
4,939 |
THE FDI SECTOR
Table C – Jobs Created and Lost in IDA Ireland-Supported Companies
|
IDA Ireland |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
|
Jobs Created |
5,239 |
9,075 |
11,594 |
12,722 |
|
Jobs Lost |
17,911 |
9,635 |
6,950 |
6,152 |
132. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the outstanding documentation required in respect of an application for rent allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9352/13]
View answerThe person concerned has been requested by the Department to provide a copy of his lease agreement. If the person concerned possesses a bank account he must also provide 6 months bank statements for the relevant account(s).
133. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for refusal of an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; the minimum hours of care required to warrant payment of carer's allowance where the caree falls within the remit of the entitlement on health grounds and dependency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9360/13]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s benefit from the person in question on the 13th March, 2012. A letter issued on the 31st May 2012 refusing the benefit on the grounds that the caree in question was not medically eligible for carer’s benefit and also that the level of care provided was not adequate for the provision of full-time care and attention as defined in the carer’s benefit legislation. In order to qualify for carer’s benefit, a person must be providing full-time care and attention to a relevant person.
The person in question subsequently appealed this decision. The outcome of the appeal was that while it was allowed on medical grounds it was disallowed on the provision of full time care and attention. Consequently, the claim remains disallowed. The outcome of the appeal and the reasons for it were communicated to the person concerned in a letter dated 24th January 2013.
An appeals officer’s decision is final and conclusive except in the following circumstances
- in the light of new evidence coming to notice since the decision was made
- it may be appealed to the High Court but only on a point of law
- the Chief Appeals Officer may revise any decision where it appears that a mistake was made in relation to the law or the facts.
In making a request for such a review, the appellant must state the reasons why they believe a mistake was made regarding the law or the facts.
134. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an application for domiciliary care allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9374/13]
View answerThere is no record in the Department of an application for domiciliary care allowance having been received from the person concerned.
135. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider measures to assist those who will be adversely affected by the reduction in the carer's respite grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9376/13]
View answerI am aware that the Government’s decision to reduce the respite care grant has been difficult for carers to accept. However, in order to allow us to protect the core weekly payments which people receive such as pensions, disability and carer’s allowance, the Government had to look very carefully at other additional payments, such as the respite care grant.
Carers receive significant income supports from the Department, among the highest rates of income support in Europe. Carers receive additional support in the form of free travel and household benefits (for those who live with the person for whom they care), and the annual respite care grant in respect of each person for whom they care. Such an annual payment, in a single lump sum with no requirement to satisfy a means test, is not available for any other group nor is there an equivalent payment for carers in any other country in Europe. If a person is getting certain qualifying social welfare payments and also providing full time care and attention to another person, they can keep their main social welfare payment and get the half-rate carer's allowance as well. They can also receive an extra half-rate carer’s allowance if they care for more than one person.
The income disregard and means test for carers is the most generous within the social welfare system. A couple under 66 with two children, earning a joint annual income of up to €35,400 can qualify for maximum payment carer’s allowance which such a couple earning €59,300 will still qualify for the minimum rate.
Expenditure on carers has increased significantly in recent years and is expected to be €776 million in 2013. The estimated expenditure on carers in 2012 was over €771 million: €509 million on carer’s allowance, €24 million on carer’s benefit, €135 million on the respite care grant and €103 on domiciliary care allowance. This represents an increase of almost €20 million on expenditure in 2011. There are currently over 52,000 people in receipt of carer’s allowance. Of these, over 23,000 are getting half-rate carer’s allowance in addition to another social welfare payment at an annual cost of some €90 million. Approximately 1,700 people are in receipt of carer’s benefit. The numbers in receipt of a carer’s allowance payment from the Department have increased by more than 150% in the last 10 years from 20,000 in 2001 to 52,000 in 2012. Expenditure on the carer’s allowance scheme has increased by almost 220% in the same period.
The respite care grant is paid to approximately 70,000 people each year, with some 5,000 people in receipt of more than one grant as they care for more than one person. This includes people who are in receipt of the carer’s allowance, the domiciliary care allowance (DCA) and carer’s benefit. Persons who are in receipt of both DCA and carer’s allowance receive one respite payment. In addition, some 5,000 carers not in receipt of a carer’s payment receive the grant.
The current rate of the respite care grant (€1,375) remains significantly higher, and still more than double what it was in 2002 (€635). Expenditure on the grant has increased by 290% since 2005 from €34.3 million to €135 million in 2012.
While the respite care grant is an important income support for carers, respite services are provided by the HSE, not through income supports provided by the Department of Social Protection. A survey carried out in 2006 indicated that the respite care grant, in the majority of cases, is not used for respite care.
If a person getting a social welfare payment has a once-off exceptional expense which they cannot reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income, they may apply for an exceptional needs payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.
136. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to make any changes to the jobs initiative programme; if she has decided to phase this programme out over the coming months and to cease the programme by the end of the year; if she will provide long term participants on the scheme with alternative employment; if she has discussed the consequences of such a decision with her Cabinet colleagues; the steps she has taken to replace the services provided by the job initiative scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9394/13]
View answerThe Job Initiative (JI) scheme was launched in 1996. The Job Initiative is a programme that initially provided three years full-time employment for people who – on entry to the scheme – were 35 years of age or over, unemployed for 5 years or more, and in receipt of social welfare payments over that period. In November 2004 the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment decided to allow those already on the programme to remain until retirement age. Further recruitment onto the scheme was also halted from that date. Current policy is to let JI wind down naturally, with no new recruitment and a steady flow of retirements.
In the Review of Employment Support Schemes, published by this Department in November 2012 it was stated that now that responsibility for the scheme rests with the Department of Social Protection consideration might be given to the option of closing the scheme.
A stakeholder conference was held on the 18th of February to consider the recommendations made in the review and to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to debate the issues raised. Further consideration will now be given to the recommendations made over the next number of months
137. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the way she proposes to protect middle income families, who will be hardest hit, if the Government goes ahead with the taxing of child benefit as outlined in the Mangan Report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9403/13]
View answerCreating jobs and tackling poverty are two of the key challenges that Ireland now faces and it is essential that our tax and social protection systems play their part in addressing these issues. In 2013, my Department will spend over €2.8 billion on supports to families and children and we need to be sure that this major investment delivers good outcomes. To this end, and in line with commitments contained in the Programme for Government, I established in 2011 the Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare, with the aim of harnessing expert opinion and experience to examine a number of specific issues and make cost effective proposals for improving employment incentives and achieving better poverty outcomes, particularly child poverty outcomes.
I was pleased to publish the first report of the Advisory Group examining child and family income supports on 20 February. This report makes important recommendations on how child benefit could be maintained as a universal payment while reforming the current system of child and family income supports so as to better target those who need these supports most. The report records that while some members of the advisory group found that taxation of child benefit is an attractive reform option, it was recognised that this approach, being limited to only one child and family income support payment, does not contribute to a better overall design of the child and family income support system. For this and other reasons, there was a strong preference in the group for another approach based on a two-tier child and family income support payment approach. The group considered that this would allow for a rationalisation of the overall child income support system while minimising work disincentives and allow for better flexibility in the targeting of support for different household types.
Given a range of complex issues involved, including fiscal, operational and legal considerations, as well as the implications for reforms in terms of child poverty and employment incentive outcomes, the Government has made no decision at this time on the core recommendations of the report. Issues relating to changes in taxation policy are a matter for my colleague, Michael Noonan T.D., Minister for Finance.
It is the Government’s intention that the report will now contribute to the policy debate on proposals to reform the structure of child and family income support payments, including the balance between income supports and services, such as childcare, while taking into account further work by the advisory group on social protection and taxation supports for working age persons as well as more general developments in the budgetary and fiscal situation.
138. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding domiciliary care allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9421/13]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received on the 11th January 2013. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Upon receipt of this opinion, a decision will issue to the customer. It can take up to 8 weeks to process an application for DCA.
139. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which mortgage, mortgage arrears, outstanding income tax liability and or penalties has been taken into account in the determination of means in respect of an application for jobseeker's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9452/13]
View answerThe means assessed in relation to the jobseeker’s allowance claim of the person concerned is based on the capital value of a second property in accordance with the legislative provisions of the scheme.
