Written Answers Nos. 255-273
255. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in respect of an outstanding appeal for invalidity pension in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; when the matter will be brought to a conclusion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29410/13]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all the available evidence disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer decision.
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.
256. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if new entrants to farming who apply for farm assist will qualify for the full rate in view of the fact that they will not have any income until the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine payments issue in November and December 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29411/13]
View answerThe 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.
Farm assist is a flexible payment and any farmer experiencing lower levels of income or cash-flow issues can ask his/her local social welfare / Intreo office to review the level of means applying to his/her claim.
The assessment of means for the purpose of qualifying for farm assist is designed to reflect the actual net income and looks at gross income, less any expenses necessarily incurred, from farming. Income and expenditure figures for the preceding year are generally used as an indicator of the expected position in the following year. However, account is taken of any exceptional circumstances so as to ensure that the assessment accurately reflects the current situation. In the case of new entrants or persons changing from one type of farming to another the assessment looks at all expected annual income and is based on normal output and costs appropriate to normal stock levels, capacity, and market trends.
It may be noted that payments received under the Agri-Environment Options Scheme or Special Area of Conservation schemes are assessed separately from other farm income. With regard to this income the first €2,540 is disregarded, then 50% of the balance and related expenses are disregarded - with the balance being assessed as means.
257. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will list the regulators which are accountable to her Department; the administrative cost of operating each regulator in 2012; the accommodation costs and the number of staff employed; the total income and expenditure in 2012 for each regulator; her plans to amalgamate some regulatory offices and to amalgamate some regulatory processes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29427/13]
View answerThe Pensions Board is a regulatory agency under the aegis of my Department and is responsible for regulating occupational pensions. There is no cost to the Exchequer for the administration of the Pensions Board as the costs are borne by way of fees on pension schemes. For information, the 2012 costs were: total income €5.6; total expenditure €6.6 million; administration €6.5 million; accommodation €0.7 million. The average number of staff employed was 48.
In relation to amalgamation, the Public Service Reform Plan, designated two public institutions engaged in the oversight and operation of the Irish pension system for a critical review:
- The Pensions Board with a view to integrating its regulatory functions within the Central Bank
- The Pension Ombudsman with a view to amalgamating it with the Financial Services Ombudsman.
A Steering Group chaired by Mr Richard Hinz of the World Bank, (comprised of senior representatives of the affected institutions, the Pensions Board, the Central Bank, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman, the Financial Services Ombudsman and the Departments of Social Protection, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Finance) was established to undertake a review of the proposed amalgamations.
In relation to the Pensions Board, the recommendation of the Steering Group was not to integrate the regulatory function with the Central Bank at this time. The Steering Group did make recommendations in relation to the governance structure of the Pensions Board and these were approved by Government. The governance changes are as follows:
- Replace the current 17 person paid board with two bodies, a body which will provide operational oversight of the regulatory function with an independent chair and 2 ex officio members of government bodies and a policy advisory board (the Pensions Council);
- The Pensions Council will be comprised of unpaid members (up to 12) that encompass the balanced representation of the full range of relevant stakeholders, and act as an advisory body to the Minister. The Pensions Regulator, the Central Bank, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Social Protection will be permanent members of the Pensions Council.
- The Pensions Council will report to the Minister/Department of Social Protection;
- Nominating bodies as currently set down in the legislation will be removed;
- The Pensions Board will be renamed the Pensions Authority to ensure public awareness and clarity of its role and functions;
- The Chief Executive of the Pensions Authority will be known as the Pensions Regulator.
These amendments are currently being brought in the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013.
These changes represent a modernisation of the governance structure of the Pensions Board – which was established in 1990 with a social partnership structure. The new structure provides for separation of the regulatory oversight of occupational pensions from the policy advice.
Policy advice will be provided by the Pensions Council which will be composed of stakeholder representatives. The nomination structure in the existing legislation is being removed and guidelines will be developed to provide for a broader, more consumer based representation on the Pensions Council. Savings of approximately €100,000 will be generated by the replacement of the paid Board members with unpaid representatives.
258. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline in tabular form the number of semi-State organisations currently in operation under the aegis of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29818/13]
View answerThere are no semi-State organisations operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection.
259. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the number of new semi-State organisations under her aegis which have been established since March 2011; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29831/13]
View answerNo new semi-State organisations have been established under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection since March 2011.
260. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his policy regarding the culling of seals to protect fish stocks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29143/13]
View answerThere are two species of seals in Irish waters - the Harbour or Common Seal and the more numerous Grey Seal. Both are included in a list of species protected under the EU Habitats Directive. Consequently, Ireland is obliged to monitor and report on their status, including in relation to their population, every six years. The next such report is due this month. The assessments of seals will be available shortly on the website of the National Parks and Wildlife Service of my Department at www.npws.ie.
My Department has carried out a number of surveys, including aerial surveys, on the population of both the common and grey seals in the past number of years. All data arising from these surveys from the previous years are now being analysed in advance of the forthcoming report to the European Commission.
The data from both the Harbour and Grey Seal monitoring programmes will be comparable with previously-collected data and will inform my Department’s view as to the current status of the respective populations.
In terms of ascertaining the likely effects of seals on the fishing industry, I will be informed not only by the population monitoring undertaken by my Department, but also by investigations into seal-fisheries interactions that have been commissioned by Inland Fisheries Ireland and Bord Iascaigh Mhara and I understand that both organisations will report later in 2013.
While seals are protected under the Wildlife Acts, licences may be obtained under section 42 of the Wildlife Act to hunt seals where damage is being caused. Licences are issued in response to specific applications and each application is considered on its merits. This redress is available to individual fishermen to control damage to fisheries by seals at particular locations.
261. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will detail in tabular form, the names of all external public relations, communications consultants and organisations used by his Department since 9 March 2011; the details of the services supplied by each; the expenditure on each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28805/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below:
|
Name of Company |
Service Provided |
Total payments between 9 March 2011 to 12 June 2013 |
|
Institute of Public Administration |
Strategic Communications workshop for senior managers |
€198 |
|
The Reluctant Speakers Club |
Core and Intermediate Public Speaking Skills courses |
€595 |
|
Solamh Limited |
Positive Communication Workshops |
€324 |
|
Zoetrope |
Provision of press and publicity, online and social media services to Culture Ireland for the duration of the Imagine Ireland programme 2011 (€97,495). Provision of PR and Media services to Culture Ireland for the Venice Architecture Biennale 2012 (€6,982). |
€104,477 |
|
Total Expenditure |
€105,594.00 |
262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the extent to which financial support is available to ethnic groups for the promotion of their musical culture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28856/13]
View answerThe Government's policy on the arts is to promote and strengthen the arts in all its forms, to increase access to and participation in the arts, and to make the arts an integral and valued part of our national life.
The Deputy will be aware that responsibility for the promotion of the arts at all levels throughout the country is primarily devolved to the Arts Council. Under the Arts Act 2003, the Arts Council is statutorily independent in its day-to-day operations and my Department has no role to play in its executive or funding decisions. Full information on the Council's funding decisions is made available on their funding decisions database on their website www.artscouncil.ie.
Within the current economic constraints, investment in the arts, heritage, culture and creative sectors is more important than ever, having regard to the employment intensity of these sectors. While I know that the Deputy appreciates the funding difficulties facing all Departments at this time, I can assure him that I remain committed to securing the best possible level of funding for these sectors.
There is no specific funding provision in my Department's Vote to support ethnic groups. There is, however, a philanthropic initiative for arts and culture organisations designed to encourage philanthropic sponsorship and endowment of the arts from private sources. The initiative provides an incentive to arts organisations to proactively seek new funding relationships with sponsors which deliver private sector financial support, thereby increasing overall funding available to the arts.
A total of €210,000 is available this year to arts organisations under the scheme. A majority of the funding will be directed towards arts and culture organisations seeking support for projects that include an education component. In 2013, it is hoped that the Philanthropy Initiative, while continuing to provide an incentive to arts organisations to engage in fundraising, will also encourage arts and culture organisations to engage creatively with children and young people and add to their education.
263. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the number of appointments made to State boards under his Department's remit since March 2011; the number of positions that have been advertised; the number of applications to the boards; the number of appointments to the boards that were drawn from the applications; the current number of vacancies on each board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28970/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is provided in the table below.
|
Name of body |
Number of appointments made to State boards since March 2011 |
The number of positions advertised |
The number of applications to the boards |
The number of appointments drawn from the applications |
Current vacancies on each board |
|
Arts Council |
4 |
4 |
100 |
4 |
0 |
|
Heritage Council |
6 |
7 |
79 |
3 |
1 |
|
National Concert Hall |
15 |
15 |
76 |
12 |
0 |
|
National Gallery of Ireland |
1 |
N/A -appointment was underway prior to the introduction of the public application process |
0 |
N/A |
2 |
|
Crawford Art Gallery |
8 (reappointments) |
1 |
8 appointments were reappointments. One position recently advertised, the closing date for receipt of applications is June 21st. |
Position recently advertised, the closing date for receipt of applications is June 21st |
*8 (Government Decision on Public Service Reform has reduced the Board to 9. Pending legislation, there will be no vacancies). |
|
Chester Beatty Library |
1 |
1 |
Position recently advertised, the closing date for receipt of applications is June 21st |
Position recently advertised, the closing date for receipt of applications is June 21st |
1 |
|
National Archives Advisory Council |
4 (reappointments) |
0 |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
|
Irish Manuscripts Commission |
19 |
N/A – board members were reappointed in February 2013 pro tem during the public service reform initiative |
0 |
N/A |
0 |
|
Údarás na Gaeltachta |
11 |
Expressions of Interest were sought in respect of the 7 Ministerial nominees. Under legislation, the other five nominations are made by County Councils which have Gaeltacht areas within their jurisdictions. |
*70 This figure includes 2 applications received directly, 1 by the Department and 1 by Údarás na Gaeltachta |
Although all 11 appointments were made by the Minister, 4 were made on the nomination of county councils, in accordance with the provisions of the Gaeltacht Act 2012 and 4 appointments were made from the applications received through Publicjobs. |
1 |
|
National Library of Ireland |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
National Museum of Ireland |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
N/A |
1 |
|
Irish Museum of Modern Art |
0 |
Expressions of Interest were sought for current and future vacancies in May 2011 Expressions of Interest have again been sought in June 2013 |
69 Closing date for current applications 21st June 2013 |
No appointments have been made to date. |
7 |
|
Irish Film board |
7 |
7 |
95 |
5 |
0 |
For completeness, appointments to the boards of Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency, which comprise An Foras Teanga, a North-South Implementation Body, are made by the North-South Ministerial Council, arising from nominations on a 50:50 basis from each jurisdiction.
264. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the amount of money he has spent on aerial observations of persons cutting turf from 22 June 2012 to 12 June 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29182/13]
View answerMy Department has made payments in the sum of €28,369 on aerial surveillance of turf cutting on raised bog Special Areas of Conservation in the period in question. Invoices in respect of a further €9,279 were received in my Department in the last few days, and are being processed at present.
It should be remembered that Ireland faces daily fines of up to €25,000 per day for failure to preserve Special Areas of Conservation which are protected under Irish and European law.
265. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will consider reopening the Gaeltacht road grant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29258/13]
View answerIn view of the very limited budget available and in the context of the priorities outlined in the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 , there are currently no plans to re-open this scheme in the short to medium-term.
266. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in tabular form the total number of uncertified sick days taken by employees in his Department; the average uncertified sick days per employee taken; the total certified sick days taken by employees; the average certified sick days per employee; the total sick days taken by employees; the average total sick days and median overall sick days per employee in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. [29266/13]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware my Department was established on 2nd June 2011. The requested totals in respect of the period 2nd June - 31st December 2011 and for the full year of 2012 are set out in the table below. The requested averages have been calculated and are shown for the full year of 2012 but have not been calculated for the June – December 2011 period, as that is not a full year. However, in order to facilitate comparison between these two periods, the table below includes information on the time lost rates for the periods in question. This shows the time lost due to sick leave expressed as a percentage of total potential working days in each period.
|
2011 2 Jun-31 Dec |
2012 1 Jan – 31 Dec |
|
|
Working Days in Period |
133 |
229 |
|
No of Staff (whole time Equivalent) |
608 |
577 |
|
Total Uncertified Sick Days |
242 |
333 |
|
Total Certified Sick days |
3,735 |
4,378 |
|
Total Sick Days |
3,978 |
4,711 |
|
Median Sick Days |
5 |
5 |
|
Lost Time Rate for Period uncertified |
0.3% |
0.25% |
|
Lost Time Rate for period certified |
4.62% |
3.31% |
|
Lost Time Rate for period overall |
4.92% |
3.57% |
|
Average uncertified sick days per employee |
0.57 |
|
|
Average certified sick days per employee |
7.48 |
|
|
Average sick days per employee |
8.05 |
267. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will list the regulators which are accountable to his Department; the administrative cost of operating each regulator in 2012; the accommodation costs and the number of staff employed; the total income and expenditure in 2012 for each regulator; his plans to amalgamate some regulatory offices and to amalgamate some regulatory processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29417/13]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that there are no regulators accountable to my Department.
268. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will outline in tabular form the number of semi-State organisations currently in operation under the aegis of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29808/13]
View answer269. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will outline the number of new semi-State organisations under his aegis which have been established since March 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29821/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 268 and 269 together.
There are no semi-State organisations funded from my Department’s Vote Group and nor have any new semi-State organisations been established. A list of all bodies which are funded from my Department’s Vote Group can be found on my Department’s web-site by accessing the following link: http://www.ahg.gov.ie/en/AboutUs/AgenciesBodiesunderDepartmentsAegis/.
270. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the legal position regarding public access and fishing rights as they apply to naturally occurring lakes here. [29144/13]
View answerOwnership of fishery rights, as distinct from ownership of the bed and soil of a river or lake, is a property right set out in relevant title or other relevant documents. In consequence, as the Deputy will appreciate, the complexity of the ownership of fishing rights means that the position varies from lake to lake. The owners of fishing rights and their agents have a right to reasonable access. The allocation of the right to fish is a matter for those who own fishing rights on particular lakes or rivers. In some instances ownership of fishing rights, going back significantly in time, is fragmented and can be ambiguous, with some lakes being in State ownership and some in private ownership. My Department has no role in the allocation of privately owned fishing rights, or in investigating fishery right title.
Some fishing rights are clearly identified property rights and are ‘rated fisheries’ whereby the fishery owner pays an annual rate (similar to a commercial rate) to the State via Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) – in these instances the fishery would normally be identified on their property title. There are other lakes where the fishing rights are owned by the riparian property owners.
IFI is working with my Department on a major project to modernise, consolidate and simplify the law pertaining to inland fisheries. The review of legislation is currently at the public consultation stage and my Department will be examining proposals improving access to waters as part of this process as well as seeking to clarify, in as far as possible, the issue of ownership of fishing rights.
A key objective of this process is to put in place the legislative basis to allow IFI to develop the potential of the sector, mainly by increasing the number of anglers utilising the resource, empowering stakeholders to take an active role in the development of the resource and to maximise the returns from the inland fisheries resource to local communities and the State.
271. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a progress report on the roll-out of broadband and high speed broadband in the Lucan, Clondalkin, Rathcoole, Saggart, Newcastle and Palmerstown areas of County Dublin, on an individual basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28640/13]
View answerConsiderable progress has been made in recent years in both the coverage and speeds of national broadband infrastructure, with a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms.
The Government, through the National Broadband Plan, which I published on 30th August last year, has recognised that the key imperative now is to ensure high speed broadband availability to all. The Plan commits to high speed broadband availability across the country by ensuring that high speed services of 30Mbps are available to all of our citizens and businesses, well in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020, and that significantly higher speeds are available to as many homes and businesses as possible.
Ireland is now therefore moving to a new phase of public and private sector investment in broadband in Ireland which will see significantly improved speeds delivered across the country.
Since the publication of the Plan, investments by the commercial sector are underway in both fixed line and wireless high speed broadband services, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas. There is evidence that industry is investing beyond the targets to which they committed in the Plan.
Some of the key developments in the short and medium term are as follows:
- Eircom launched its next generation broadband services on 16th May last, with speeds of up to 70Mbps, immediately available to over 300,000 premises. By the end of this year, eircom aims to reach more than 600,000 homes and businesses. It has a target to pass 1.2m premises by June 2015.
- UPC is continuing with its investment in the cable network, which should see 750,000 homes able to access services at data speeds of at least 150 Mbps by 2015.
- Other fixed operators also continue to invest in Local Loop Unbundling (LLU). BT Ireland now supplies broadband access to both Vodafone and Sky Ireland, and along with other operators, is also investing in fixed infrastructure.
- Mobile wireless operators are making plans for the rollout of 4G services later this year. The rollout of 4G will facilitate significantly increased mobile broadband speeds.
- ESB is currently considering the prospect of utilising its distribution network to rollout fibre broadband services.
In tandem with these commercial developments, intensive work is underway in my Department to progress a State-led investment to secure the countrywide introduction of next generation broadband access.
In order to progress the State-led investment, a full procurement process must be designed and EU State Aids approval must be obtained. My Department will shortly embark on a formal mapping exercise to identify the areas of the country to be targeted in the State-led investment under the Government’s National Broadband Plan to ensure the provision of high speed broadband services where the commercial market will not deliver. This exercise will inform an EU State Aids application in respect of the State-led intervention and is a necessary prerequisite for State Aids approval.
Intensive technical, financial and legal preparations including stakeholder engagement will be ongoing throughout 2013 with a view to the launch of a procurement process in 2014.
Through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, we are committed to increasing the availability of next generation speeds significantly, with a view to ensuring that all citizens and businesses, including all those situated in the areas of Lucan, Clondalkin, Rathcoole, Saggart, Newcastle and Palmerstown, can participate fully in a digitally enabled society. The Deputy may wish to contact commercial operators directly with a view to establishing what commercial services are available or planned in these areas, in the first instance.
272. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide in tabular form the number of households in County Meath that have had electricity and or gas disconnected in the year 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28750/13]
View answer273. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide in tabular form the number of households in County Cavan that have had electricity and or gas disconnected in the year 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28751/13]
View answer274. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide in tabular form the number of households in County Monaghan that have had electricity and or gas disconnected in the year 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28752/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 272 to 274, inclusive, together.
Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including disconnections, is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent statutory regulator. I have no statutory function in the matter of disconnections of electricity or gas customers regardless of the supply company involved.
The CER provides quarterly and annual updates on the electricity and gas retail markets, including on disconnections on a national level, and further information may be found at: http://www.cer.ie/en/electricity-retail-market-reports-and-publications.aspx?article=b0ba4820-3227-499f-9879-16de76bdd5b0.
Nevertheless, the number of disconnections is a matter of great concern to me as it is for the Government, the CER, voluntary organisations and suppliers. The rise in disconnections in recent years has coincided with the economic recession, which has caused customer arrears and debt levels to rise.
In line with the CER’s Code of Practice on disconnection, electricity and gas suppliers must facilitate payment options or plans for domestic customers experiencing genuine hardship and, where appropriate, engage with a money advisor acting on behalf of the customer or a recognised charity. This must include offering the customer a Pay As You Go Meter. According to CER’s published Electricity and Gas Retail Markets Report 2012, 14,713 Pay As You Go electricity meters were installed in 2012. That report also states that there are approximately 18,000 token meters in operation. In the gas market, 12,730 Pay As You Go gas meters were installed in 2012, bringing the total to over 66,000 meters in place, including the old style keypad (prepayment meters). In addition, disconnections may not be initiated where a customer has entered into a payment plan with the supplier and is honouring that arrangement.
I would strongly encourage any electricity and gas consumers who are in financial difficulty to engage with their suppliers and accept a Pay As You Go meter thus ending the possibility of being disconnected and not incurring further debts. I welcome the fact that CER is working with energy suppliers to ensure that they take all reasonable steps to assist customers through this difficult period and that disconnections resulting from genuine inability to pay are minimised, and only occur as a very last resort.
Implementation of the measures set out in the Government’s Affordable Energy Strategy, published last November, is pivotal to protecting the interests of vulnerable customers and improving energy affordability.
In addition, the Government will continue to support the delivery of energy efficiency measures to vulnerable households in 2013. The Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme has been allocated Exchequer funding of €18 million for 2013, which is expected to result in upgrades in over 10,000 homes.
