Written Answers Nos. 119-129
120. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for a companion free travel pass will be finalised in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47429/13]
View answerThe Companion Travel Pass for the person named above was medically assessed by a Medical Assessor on 5 November 2013. The medical opinion has been conveyed to Household Benefits Section, Sligo and the applicant will be contacted shortly regarding the decision on her application.
121. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for the domiciliary care allowance will be finalised in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47435/13]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance was received on the 28th August 2013. The application was disallowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance and a letter issued on the 23rd September 2013 advising of the decision. A review of this decision has been requested and additional information on this child’s condition/care needs has been supplied. The person concerned will be notified of the outcome of this review as soon as it is completed.
125. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim will have to wait over two years for a decision on an appeal for an invalidity pension. [47510/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an invalidity pension appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21 October 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 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.
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, including 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 is underway 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 processing 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 processing 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 41.7 and 35.1 weeks respectively. Appeal 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. 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.
127. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the most up to date figures of acceptance for JobBridge positions on a county basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47518/13]
View answer130. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who have applied to her Department for approval to go on the JobBridge scheme; the number of these that have been successful in obtaining a placement on the scheme; the average waiting time to receive such a placement; her plans to improve the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47542/13]
View answer131. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection the length of time employers have to advertise jobs under the JobBridge scheme; if there is any obligation on employers to respond to unsuccessful applicants; if all applicants must be interviewed; if there are obligations on employers to use objective criteria when selecting participants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47543/13]
View answer132. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection when she will implement the announcement that participants on JobBridge will be able to stay on the scheme for 18 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47544/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 130 to 132, inclusive, together.
On 18 September last I announced the extension of the operating criteria of JobBridge to allow for a maximum cumulative period spent on JobBridge of 18 months, 9 months remaining the maximum period for a single internship. These changes will come into effect within the next week and full details of these changes will be advertised on the home page of the JobBridge website www.jobbridge.ie.
Advertisements remain on the JobBridge website for a maximum of 8 weeks but may be taken down before then by the host organisation and also may be re-advertised. Participation in the scheme is voluntary. The interview process and follow-up with candidates are matters for the host organisation. However, the Department has developed a tool-kit of best practice for internships (available at www.jobbridge.ie) and companies are encouraged to respond to all applications from jobseekers.
The Department does not keep statistics on the number of persons who apply for approval to go on JobBridge scheme or the average waiting time to receive such a placement. The application process is a matter for jobseekers and host organisations. As at 31 October, 2013, 22,633 placements had commenced since the scheme came into operation. I am considering the recommendations contained in the recent independent evaluation of JobBridge and any further changes to the scheme will be announced on www.jobbridge.ie.
The most up to date figures of acceptance for JobBridge positions on a county-by-county basis are set out in the following table.
Table 1. Breakdown of JobBridge interns by County since the Scheme came into operation
|
County |
Finished |
Current |
Total |
|
DUBLIN |
5707 |
1953 |
7660 |
|
CORK |
1592 |
555 |
2147 |
|
GALWAY |
1081 |
374 |
1455 |
|
LIMERICK |
815 |
342 |
1157 |
|
WATERFORD |
563 |
209 |
772 |
|
KILDARE |
554 |
203 |
757 |
|
DONEGAL |
529 |
219 |
748 |
|
TIPPERARY |
508 |
211 |
719 |
|
WEXFORD |
475 |
183 |
658 |
|
KERRY |
464 |
192 |
656 |
|
MAYO |
369 |
191 |
560 |
|
LOUTH |
398 |
157 |
555 |
|
WESTMEATH |
390 |
147 |
537 |
|
MEATH |
360 |
154 |
514 |
|
CLARE |
341 |
160 |
501 |
|
WICKLOW |
365 |
111 |
476 |
|
SLIGO |
298 |
135 |
433 |
|
MONAGHAN |
256 |
128 |
384 |
|
KILKENNY |
247 |
82 |
329 |
|
LAOIS |
226 |
86 |
312 |
|
CARLOW |
211 |
85 |
296 |
|
CAVAN |
201 |
91 |
292 |
|
OFFALY |
191 |
84 |
275 |
|
ROSCOMMON |
114 |
58 |
172 |
|
LONGFORD |
131 |
36 |
167 |
|
LEITRIM |
73 |
28 |
101 |
|
Total |
16459 |
6174 |
22633 |
128. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite a carer's allowance appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47519/13]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer having fully considered all of the available evidence, including that adduced at oral hearing, decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. 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.
Questions Nos. 130 to 132, inclusive, answered with Question No. 127.
