Written Answers Nos. 639-656
639. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will approve an application for disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37830/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 12th July 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 15th August 2013 and 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.
640. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will address concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding a pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37835/13]
View answerIt is not appropriate for me to comment on developments in specific pension schemes. These are a matter for the management of the company and the trustees of the relevant pension scheme. If there are regulatory issues involved, it is a matter for the Pensions Board.
641. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of each social protection scheme; the cost of each scheme for 2013 to date; and the numbers availing of the payment for each to date. [37851/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is collated by the Department annually for inclusion in the Statistical Information on Social Welfare Services report which is laid before the Dáil when published and copies lodged in the Oireachtas library. Furthermore these reports are available to the public at www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Annual-Statistical-Information-Reports.aspx. For the Deputy’s convenience a tabular statement follows detailing the number of persons in receipt of a Social Welfare payment and the provisional cost of each scheme at the 31st of July.
|
Social Welfare recipients and related expenditure by scheme at 31 July 2013 |
||
|
Type of Payment |
Recipients |
Provisional Expenditure €000 |
|
State Pension (Non-Contributory) |
95,651 |
547,879 |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
322,684 |
2,267,465 |
|
State Pension (Transition) |
14,001 |
79,090 |
|
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension |
117,095 |
775,116 |
|
Death Benefit (OIB Widows) |
675 |
4,410 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
317,043 |
1,813,230 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
81,297 |
583,586 |
|
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's Non-Contributory Pension |
1,882 |
9,566 |
|
Deserted Wife's Allowance |
301 |
1,729 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
27,946 |
73,089 |
|
Farm Assist |
10,655 |
58,700 |
|
Pre-Retirement Allowance |
3,103 |
21,446 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
79,121 |
364,864 |
|
Deserted Wife's Benefit |
7,551 |
46,623 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
21,495 |
166,293 |
|
Adoptive Benefit |
20 |
140 |
|
Health and Safety Benefit |
60 |
355 |
|
Back To Education Allowance |
6,389 |
120,551 |
|
Back To Work Allowance Employee |
14 |
|
|
Back To Work Enterprise Allowance |
10,413 |
70,572 |
|
Part-Time Job Incentive Scheme |
258 |
938 |
|
National Internship Scheme - Jobbridge |
5,160 |
38,814 |
|
Community Employment Programme |
22,717 |
191,656 |
|
Tús - Community Work Placement Scheme |
5,678 |
48,769 |
|
Rural Social Scheme |
2,513 |
26,938 |
|
Disability Allowance |
103,272 |
661,091 |
|
Blind Pension |
1,424 |
8,632 |
|
Carer's Allowance |
56,285 |
322,208 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance (Families) |
25,208 |
60,435 |
|
Respite Care Grant |
N/A |
112,398 |
|
Illness Benefit |
62,115 |
|
|
Interim Illness Benefit |
348 |
390,198 |
|
Injury Benefit |
789 |
9,192 |
|
Type of Payment |
Recipients |
Provisional Expenditure €000 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
52,178 |
387,539 |
|
Disablement Benefit |
14,225 |
43,595 |
|
Carer's Benefit |
1,676 |
14,789 |
|
Child Benefit (Families) |
605,899 |
1,105,131 |
|
Family Income Supplement |
40,766 |
148,909 |
|
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance |
136,323 |
35,094 |
|
School Meals |
N/A |
9,354 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory) |
429 |
3,011 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Contributory) |
879 |
6,292 |
|
Rent Allowance |
131 |
398 |
|
Household Benefits |
418,788 |
177,392 |
|
Fuel Allowance(1) |
N/A |
126,878 |
|
Free Travel |
773,470 |
43,266 |
|
Rent Supplement |
83,114 |
220,995 |
|
Mortgage Interest Supplement |
11,739 |
22,320 |
(1) Information regarding the allowance’s recipients is not segregated from the statistics of the schemes under which it is paid.
642. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made to date on an appeal for domiciliary care allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37855/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 23 April 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 3 July 2013 and 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.
643. Deputy Dara Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason persons on a blind pension are not eligible for the JobBridge scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37872/13]
View answerJobBridge internships are designed to provide job seekers with high-quality real-workplace experience to enable them to break the cycle where they are unable to progress into employment, even with good practical or academic qualifications, but lacking proven real work experience. Job seekers who are in receipt of a live claim (Jobseekers Allowance/Jobseekers Benefit/One Parent Family Payment/Disability Allowance) or are signing on for credits for at least 3 of the last 6 months (78 Days) are eligible to participate. These eligibility criteria are necessary in order to target scarce exchequer resources to those who are long-term unemployed. It is the Department’s view that the blind pension does not form part of the same activation stream as JobBridge and that, consequently, it would not be appropriate to include it as one of the qualifying payments.
I would point out that the Department have other activation measures available to those in receipt of Blind Pension including the Work Placement Programme (WPP). Further information on this programme is available on the Department’s website www.welfare.ie.
645. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection if compensation paid by the State (details supplied) is assesed as means for jobseeker's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37874/13]
View answerSocial welfare legislation provides for the disregard of certain compensation awards when assessing the means of a person for social assistance schemes including jobseeker’s allowance. These awards are those made:
- by the Compensation Tribunals established in relation to Hepatitis C and HIV,
- to persons who have disabilities caused by Thalidomide,
- under the provisions of the Health (Repayment Scheme) (Nursing Homes), or
- by the Residential Institutions Redress Board.
There is no legislative provision to exclude other compensation awards from the means tests for social assistance schemes. Such awards are treated as capital for means testing purposes. The yearly value of property (excluding the family home) and capital is assessed on a notional basis. The first €20,000 of combined capital and property is then disregarded. The balance is assessed by reference to a formula.
I understand that the Deputy is not referring to a current or past claim for jobseeker’s allowance. In the event of a jobseeker’s claim being made, any compensation award received will be examined to determine whether it comes within the scope of the current exemptions and in the context of the full circumstances of the individual case.
646. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will detail by name, location and cost the number of capital projects funded by her Department for each of the past five years to date in tabular form in an area (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37967/13]
View answerThere have been no capital projects funded by the Department in each of the five years to date in the areas of Kinsale, Bandon and Clonakilty.
647. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the action she will take to address the anomalous position of workers who work for low wages for less than 19 hours a week over more than three days but cannot currently qualify for income support; her views on whether the present arrangements create in some cases a disincentive to take up or retain paid employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38014/13]
View answerThe jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The Revised Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure on the jobseeker’s schemes of €3.66bn in 2013. The family income supplement or FIS payment is designed to provide income for employees on low earnings with families. The Revised Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure on FIS of nearly €230 million in 2013.
Under the general conditions of the jobseeker’s schemes a person must be fully unemployed for at least 4 in any 7 days. To qualify for payment of FIS a person must be engaged in full-time insurable employment which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight or 19 hours per week.
Where persons take up employment which involves working more than 3 days per week but less than 19 hours the part-time job incentive scheme may, subject to scheme criteria, support them in making such a transition to employment. The scheme allows persons who are long-term unemployed to take up part-time employment for less than 24 hours per week and receive a weekly income supplement. Participants in this scheme are expected to continue to make efforts to find full-time work.
More generally it is recognised that a changing labour market has resulted in a move away from the more traditional work patterns, resulting in an increase in the number of persons employed for less than a full week. This is an important policy issue for the Department but any changes to the current criteria could have significant cost implications. For that reason, the Department will consider this issue very carefully. In tandem the Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare, which has already reported to me on a number of important policy areas, is now looking at the whole area of atypical work and I look forward to their recommendations on this issue by end year.
648. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on appeal for invalidity pension in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38018/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 28th August 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
650. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will detail all addresses and estates in a county (details supplied) that are not permitted to be in receipt of rent allowance/supplement; the rationale for each; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38047/13]
View answerThe 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. There are approximately 82,500 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €403 million for the scheme in 2013.
Rent supplement is subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant may incur. Limits are set at levels that enable eligible households to secure and retain suitable accommodation, having regard to the market conditions. There is no limit or restriction on the proportion or number of people that may receive rent supplement in an area. Section 25 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 provides that payment of rent supplement can be refused in respect of accommodation which is situated in an area notified to me as the Minister for Social Protection by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, as being an area of regeneration. There are no such areas in County Wicklow.
651. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Social Protection if she wil report on the progress of Ireland's application for funding under the youth employment initiative, the closing date for which is approaching in October 2013. [38089/13]
View answerThe Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) for Ireland will be delivered as part of the new European Social Fund Operational Programme (ESF OP) 2014-2020. This Operational Programme (OP) is currently in the early stages of preparation under the leadership of the Department of Education and Skills. This will involve a consultation phase and negotiations with the European Commission and factoring in the outcomes of the Partnership Agreement process led by DPER. However, at this point, the European Parliament and the European Commission have yet to reach an agreement on the qualifying criteria for funding from the YEI and this is delaying the application for funding. It is anticipated that the OP will be advanced to completion by early 2014.
Implementation plans of each Member State in relation to the Youth Guarantee will have a bearing on their ability to access funding from the YEI. In addition to, and concurrent with our work on the ESF OP, an interdepartmental working group is currently preparing the Implementation Plan for the Youth Guarantee which, when approved by the government, will be submitted to the European Commission at the end of this year. In terms of preparation for implementation, we sought funding from the European Commission (€250,000) for a proposed pilot Youth Guarantee project in the Ballymun area. I am pleased to say that our submission was one of those approved by the Commission for funding and the Ballymun project will commence in October.
652. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has engaged with the business, education and youth-work sectors in the possible design and operation of programmes to be funded from the EU's youth employment initiative. [38090/13]
View answerThe Government is now reviewing the current range of youth employment policies in Ireland to assess what measures will need to be taken to commence the implementation of the Youth Guarantee. It is intended to produce a concrete plan for the implementation of the Guarantee before the end of 2013. The Government, through an interdepartmental implementation group is working with all relevant sectors to maximise the impact of a Youth Guarantee in Ireland. The Department of Social Protection set up this interdepartmental group with officials and programme managers from the Department of Education and Science, Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to develop this plan. These Departments consult with relevant sectors on a regular basis in relation to the programmes and services for which they have responsibility. It is also planned to have a round of such consultation before finalising the implementation plan.
In terms of a starting point for the design and operation of programmes to be funded from the EU youth employment initiative, the Department of Social Protection has obtained funding from the European Commission (€250,000) for a pilot Youth Guarantee project in the Ballymun area. On the National Steering Group for the Ballymun pilot are representatives from the business (IBEC), education (FAS\VECs) and youth-sectors (National Youth Council of Ireland). Experience gained from this pilot project is being used in part to inform the design of the national Youth Guarantee project.
653. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Social Protection when a determination will be made on an appeal for disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38111/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16th July 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 6th August 2013 and 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.
654. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly may expect a decision on an appeal for disability allowance. [38128/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 29th August 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.
655. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly may expect a decision on an appeal for disability allowance. [38141/13]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
656. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly may expect a decision on an appeal for carer's allowance. [38152/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 9th July 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 these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question 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 appeal 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
