Written Answers Nos. 89-96
89. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection if a grievance payment received from the Health Service Executive is assessed as means for a means-tested payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47341/13]
View answerSocial welfare legislation provides for the disregard of certain compensation awards when assessing the means of a person for social assistance purposes.
These compensation awards are those made:
i. by the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunals;
ii. by the Residential Institutions Redress Board;
iii. to persons who have disabilities caused by Thalidomide; and
iv. under the provisions of the Health (Repayment Scheme) Act 2006.
All other compensation or court awards are assessed in the normal manner.
90. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the implementation of each of the recommendations of the group set up to examine the operation of the domiciliary allowance scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47347/13]
View answerThe review of the Domiciliary Care Allowance scheme (DCA), which was published in April 2013, makes a number of recommendations in relation to operation of the scheme.
An implementation group, comprising officials from the Department of Social Protection, other relevant departments/ relevant bodies and parent/representative groups has been established to action the administrative recommendations in the report. Some of these recommendations require changes to the Department’s IT systems. This work and the work on the remaining administrative changes has commenced and is progressing well.
It is intended to have the administrative recommendations contained in the report implemented in the near future.
Policy recommendations contained in the report have yet to be considered by Government.
91. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of new invalidity pension appeals lodged in 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; the number of such appeals already open at the start of each of those years; the number of decisions made in each year; the average waiting time for a decision on an appeal in each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47348/13]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of invalidity pension appeals from 2011 to 2012 and to date in 2013 is contained in the following table.
There has been a rapid and sustained increase in the number of appeals received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office since 2009 which has placed extraordinary pressure on the office. Up to 2009, the average number of appeals received was 15,000 per annum whereas in 2012, the office received 35,484 appeals. In order to manage this increasing workload, significant resources and efforts have been put into reducing backlogs and improving appeals processing times for appellants. These included the assignment of 15 additional Appeals Officers, in addition to 10 former Community Welfare Service Appeals Officers who joined the appeals office in 2011, bringing the total number of serving Appeals Officers to 41; reviewing and improving business processes; and implementing a new operating model within the appeals office.
In addition, a major programme of process redesign and modernisation has been undertaken in the Department in relation to many of its scheme areas, aimed at reducing backlogs and reducing the time taken by the Department to respond to requests from the appeals office for submissions in relation to appeals.
These measures have led to improvements in processing times and a significant increase in the number of appeals finalised from 17,787 in 2009 to 32,558 in 2012. The Chief Appeals Officer expects to finalise 6,000 more cases in 2013 than in 2012. Good progress is also now being made in reducing the number of appeals on hand from 20,414 at 1 January 2013 to 15,981 at 1 November, 2013.
The average waiting time for appeals peaked in 2011 when the average time for an oral hearing was 52.5 weeks and for a summary decision was 25.1 weeks. In 2012 these times improved by 10.3 weeks when the average time for an oral hearing dropped to 39.5 weeks while the time for a summary decision increased slightly to 27.8 weeks. This improvement has continued with the average processing time up to October 2013 reducing to 34.9 weeks for an oral hearing and 26.3 weeks for a summary decision.
A similar trend is reflected in processing times for invalidity pension appeals. In 2010 the average processing time for an invalidity pension oral hearing was 59.7 weeks while a decision requiring a summary decision took an average of 40 weeks. This had improved to 48.7 and 38.8 weeks respectively in 2012 and has further improved (up to October 2013) to 43.1 and 36 weeks respectively.
These processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation. They include all activities during this period including time spent awaiting any clarification from the appellant, time in the Department for comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal put forward by the appellant, and any further investigation, examination or assessment by the Department’s Inspectors and Medical Assessors that is deemed necessary. A considerable period of time is added to the process when an oral hearing is required because of the logistics involved in this process. While this process carries an inherent delay in terms of finalising an appeal, it also crystalises the flexibility and accessibility of the appeals system.
By its nature and because it is a quasi-judicial function, the processing of appeals takes time and reflects the fact that, by definition, the appeal process cannot be a quick one.
Invalidity Pension Appeals 2011 to 2013 (to 31 October 2013)
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
Average Processing Times |
Average Processing Times |
|
Appeals on hand at year beginning |
Appeal Receipts |
Appeals Officers Decisions |
Summary Decision (in weeks) |
Oral Hearing (in weeks) |
|
|
2011 |
612 |
2,285 |
903 |
36.4 |
58.9 |
|
2012 |
1,582 |
4,765 |
1,465 |
38.8 |
48.7 |
|
2013 (to 31 October 2013) |
4,356 |
4,027 |
3,995 |
36.0 |
43.1 |
92. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection if every person who is the subject of a disability allowance review is now being seen by a Department medical assessor before a decision is taken on their case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47349/13]
View answerApplications for disability allowance are normally medically assessed at desk by one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who assesses the available medical evidence with reference to evidence based protocols and guidelines. The Medical Assessor then presents his/her medical opinion to a Deciding Officer, who makes a decision on the basis of the overall scheme rules, taking account of the opinion of the Medical Assessor. Customers are informed in writing of all decisions and also informed of their options as a result. Customers are entitled to request a medical review if they submit additional medical evidence in support of their claim. All additional medical evidence received is presented for review to a Medical Assessor following receipt in the Department. In considering the medical evidence at desk, where circumstances dictate, it is always open to the Medical Assessors to call a customer for an in-person assessment. Where appropriate and taking all available evidence into account, a Deciding Officer may revise a decision to disallow a claimant or alternatively the new medical evidence is referred to a Medical Assessor who assesses the case in line with evidence based protocols and guidelines, and presents a medical opinion to a Deciding Officer in the scheme area. The Deciding Officer reviews the overall decision based on the medical and non-medical criteria and informs the customer of the decision in writing. The customer is also informed of their right of appeal.
93. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the various industries and professions that have taken part in the JobBridge scheme; and if she will confirm the career choices that are in public sector employment. [47363/13]
View answer102. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm the various professions that are facilitating interns under the JobBridge programme in both the public and private sectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47386/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 102 together.
68% of all JobBridge placements to-date have been in the private sector with 21% of placements in the public sector and 11% in the community/voluntary sectors.
This equates to 4,847 internships to-date in the public sector. Of the 4,847 placements in the public sector, 1,341 jobseekers are currently on the scheme and 3,506 jobseekers have finished their placements in the public sector.
In terms of placements in the public sector, the following occupational areas have been prominent:
- Administration
- Education
- Accountancy
- Information Technology
- Science related
- Engineering
- Architects/Surveyors
- Legal professionals
- Business/Finance
- Marketing
- Health related
- Sports/Leisure
In terms of placements in the private sector, the following occupational areas have been prominent:
- Administration
- Information Technology
- Marketing/Sales/Advertising
- Finance/Accountancy
- Engineering, Architects and Surveyors
- Artists/Designers
- Gardening/Horticulture
- Production related
- Services sector
- Sports and Leisure
The Indecon evaluation of JobBridge found that there is a higher rate of employment among participants who completed their internships in private sector organisations. However, encouragingly 41.2% of all participants who undertook their internship in a public sector organisation progressed into paid employment. The high rates of progression into employment among public sector interns also show that the benefits of the development and experience that interns gain in public sector host organisations facilitate them in gaining employment.
94. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the Report on Pension Charges in Ireland 2012 and the submissions received from the industry in response to the report, if further policy or regulatory action is proposed for the pension system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47364/13]
View answer95. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the Report on Pension Charges in Ireland 2012, if she plans to correct the considerable variation in the range of charges being imposed on consumers, especially smaller occupational pension schemes and individual pension arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47365/13]
View answer96. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the recommendation of the Report on Pension Charges in Ireland 2012, if approaches are being developed to improve consumer, employer and trustee awareness and knowledge of pension charges; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47366/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 94 to 96, inclusive, together.
The Report on Pension Charges 2012 was undertaken by my Department, working with the Central Bank and the Pensions Board, and with support from PWC. The primary objective of the report was to gather information on the level of pension charges levied, to assess whether these charges are reasonable and transparent, to report on the findings and to make recommendations. The report highlights a wide range of issues in relation to pension charges and identifies that there are major challenges to be addressed in the two main areas of reasonableness and transparency of charges.
With our ageing population and with people living longer, planning and saving for retirement is more important than ever. A key part of this is to know what level of pension you are likely to receive in retirement and for employers, trustees and scheme members to understand the very significant impact pension charges can have on your final pension fund. The report shows that small percentages can add up to big reductions in a pension fund over time.
The launch of the Report on Pension Charges was followed by a three month consultation with stakeholders. There was a broad range of views expressed in the submissions received as well as a range of suggestions and proposals aimed at improving various aspects of the pension charging environment. Following the consultation period, it was agreed by Government in April 2013 that the recommendations contained in the report will be implemented, and this work has commenced.
A Pension Charges Working Group is in place to initiate actions that follow up on the recommendations of the report. This group comprises the Department of Social Protection, the Pensions Board and the Central Bank. Each has a core role to play in delivering on the recommendations contained within the Report on Pension Charges and work has commenced in this regard. Joint action undertaken by the group has and will include consultation with other stakeholders as appropriate.
I have also previously signalled a change to the governance structure of the Pensions Board which will be restructured. Under the new structure, a separate unpaid Pensions Council, with a number of members representing consumer interests, will advise on matters of pensions policy. The first task I will be giving the new Council is to monitor the implementation of the recommendations in the Report on Pension Charges and advise me if further actions are needed. Should this prove necessary, a further policy and regulatory response may be brought to Government.
