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Tuesday, 11 Jun 2013

Written Answers Nos. 460-475

Social Welfare Appeals Status

Questions (461)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

461. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding jobseeker's benefit or allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27814/13]

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Written answers

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing in this case. Every effort will be made to hear the case as quickly as possible and the appellant will be informed when arrangements have been made.

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.

Carer's Allowance Eligibility

Questions (462)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

462. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27821/13]

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Written answers

This application for carer's allowance was disallowed on the 22nd of March 2013. The additional information supplied with your question is being reviewed by a deciding officer. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility

Questions (463)

Denis Naughten

Question:

463. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the eligibility for rent supplement to include issues such as the need not to participate in anti-social behaviour; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27823/13]

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Written answers

The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Currently, there are approximately 86,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for 2013.

In the case of private rented accommodation, tenancy arrangements involve a contract between the landlord and tenant and tenant behaviour is a matter for the landlord in the first instance. There are a number of avenues open to landlords in such cases, including the mediation service for landlords and tenants operated by the Private Residential Tenancies Board and/or recourse to the Garda Síochána and/or the Courts in relation to the enforcement of the law in dealing with anti-social or criminal behaviour. If necessary, the landlord may seek termination of the tenancy which, if affected, would result in the termination of rent supplement. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to review the operation of the rent supplement scheme with a view to introducing a code of conduct for rent supplement eligibility similar to that which operates for local authority tenants.

The purpose of this review is to ensure that tenants who are receiving long term support from the State under the rent supplement scheme are subject to the same type of anti-social behaviour regime as local authority tenants. The most appropriate way for this to happen is for local authorities to take over responsibility for meeting the accommodation needs of these individuals. The Department is currently working closely with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government with a view to transferring responsibility for the provision of rental assistance to persons with a long term housing need from this Department to housing authorities using a new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).

In addition social welfare legislation already provides the Department with the authority to refuse, suspend or terminate payment of a rent supplement in the case of a person who has been required to deliver up possession of a dwelling provided by a housing authority or an approved body where the reasons for that requirement include anti-social behaviour or the interests of good estate management.

Disability Allowance Appeals

Questions (464)

Jack Wall

Question:

464. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a disability allowance appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27911/13]

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Written answers

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 20th March 2013. 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 case in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on 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.

Farm Assist Scheme Eligibility

Questions (465)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

465. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the terms of the farm assist and rural social schemes in order to facilitate more low-income farmers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27913/13]

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Written answers

The farm assist scheme is based on jobseeker’s allowance. It was introduced in 1999 to replace ‘Smallholders Unemployment Assistance’ for low income farmers, without the requirement to be available for and genuinely seeking work. Farm assist recipients retain all the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes.

In Budget 2013 two measures were announced, which were implemented in April 2013, which bring the farm assist scheme into closer alignment with the jobseeker’s allowance scheme’s treatment of self-employed persons by:

a. Increasing the amount of means from self-employment, which is assessed against the claimant from 85% to 100%; and

b. Discontinuing the means testing disregards for child dependents of claimants.

Farm assist is a flexible payment and any farmer experiencing lower levels of income or cash-flow issues, due for example to bad weather, can ask his/her local social welfare / Intreo office to review the level of means applying to his/her claim.

The 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 Department of Social Protection has recently published a review of employment support schemes which, together with the outcome of the focused policy assessment of the rural social scheme which the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has indicated it intends to conduct this year, will inform future policy developments of the scheme.

Any changes to these schemes would be a matter for Government to consider in a budgetary context.

Carer's Allowance Appeals

Questions (466)

Jack Wall

Question:

466. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an application for a carer's allowance payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27919/13]

View answer

Written answers

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 15th February 2013. 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 the 15th May 2013 and the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on 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.

Invalidity Pension Appeals

Questions (467)

Michael Creed

Question:

467. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive a decision on an appeal of an invalidity pension application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27938/13]

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Written answers

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 26th April 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.

Invalidity Pension Appeals

Questions (468)

Tom Fleming

Question:

468. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite an invalidity pension appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27955/13]

View answer

Written answers

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 30th April 2013. 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 case in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on 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.

Questions Nos. 469 and 470 withdrawn.

Social Welfare Overpayments

Questions (471)

Noel Harrington

Question:

471. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the case of a claimed overpayment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork when the payment in question was from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27968/13]

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Written answers

The Department has a statutory obligation to record and collect all overpayments. It is the customer’s responsibility to declare all income of which he or she is in receipt, including any social welfare payments. The person concerned was assessed with an overpayment of rent supplement of €20,231.38 as he had failed to advise that he was in receipt of a Disablement Pension. He was advised of this overpayment and of his right of appeal. To date he has failed to exercise this right of appeal.

It is still open to him to appeal this decision. A form for this purpose is being posted to him.

Invalidity Pension Appeals

Questions (472)

Tom Fleming

Question:

472. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will examine an invalidity pension appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28009/13]

View answer

Written answers

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 30th May 2013. 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 case in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on 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.

Job Initiatives

Questions (473)

Simon Harris

Question:

473. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection the labour activation measures that are in place to encourage persons to take on seasonal work; the provision in place to allow persons to move from unemployment to seasonal work without impact on welfare entitlement when seasonal employment ends; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28012/13]

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Written answers

The Government will continue to ensure that the social protection system incentivises rather than blocks the return to work for unemployed people, including the taking on of seasonal work.

The activation measures available for jobseekers do not discriminate between persons seeking seasonal work and those seeking typical work. Hence, those seeking seasonal work can avail of the same range of activation measures that are currently available to persons seeking longer-term work. To this end, in the first four months of this year, there were some 38,100 referrals of unemployed persons (including those seeking seasonal work) to group engagement sessions with DSP’s Employment Services. As part of this process, all job-seekers are advised of the JobsIreland website and Freephone service where employers advertise their vacancies. These vacancies include seasonal positions.

Employers and other commentators have stated that people are wary of taking up short term employment due to the perception that there would be delays getting back into payment when that employment ends. In order to address these concerns and to benefit the many people who wish to avail of temporary work, the Department decided to extend the period for which claims can be temporarily suspended in November 2012.

Where a person states that they have found work, it is normal practice for a jobseeker claim to be closed. However, in cases where the customer is taking up a short period of temporary work or training, arrangements are now in place to simplify the process of signing off and back on at the end of this period. In these cases, instead of closing the claim, the local office temporarily suspends payment for the duration of the work or training. The period of suspension for temporary work has been increased from four weeks to eight weeks. This harmonises the period with those on temporary training courses.

When the person signs on again after the period of work or training, the claim can be reactivated very quickly and payment restored within a few days. It is important for the customer to make clear to the local office in advance that the work or training is expected to last for up to 8 weeks only. Where a period of employment is expected to exceed 8 weeks, the jobseeker’s claim is closed in the normal manner.

To ensure consistency and uniformity, the treatment of Rent and Mortgage Interest Supplement claims where someone takes up temporary work (up to 8 weeks) is being aligned to Jobseekers schemes. Customers are advised to contact the office administering the Rent or Mortgage Interest Supplement claim as soon as the employment ends so that their original entitlement can be re-instated without delay.

Question No. 474 withdrawn.

National Internship Scheme Eligibility

Questions (475)

Derek Nolan

Question:

475. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to allow persons who have been claiming social welfare payments for less than six months to obtain a position on the JobBridge scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28027/13]

View answer

Written answers

Since the commencement of the scheme on 1st July 2011, eligibility for a JobBridge internship is based upon a person being in receipt of certain specified social welfare payments or signing for credits for at least 3 months (or 78 days) out of the last 6 months. It is critical to prioritise scarce exchequer resources at those most in need and as such there are no plans to amend this requirement at present.

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