Written Answers Nos. 115-120
115. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision on a disability allowance appeal will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49652/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21st August 2013. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 11th November 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
116. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in her review of pension strategies, she has considered total expense ratio, TER, for measuring pension investment costs as a comparator against international players and indigenous providers so that TER could become for pensions what APR is for mortgages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49668/13]
View answerThe 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 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.
The Report considers the use of the Total Expense Ratio (TER) as a measure to provide clarity of overall pension charges, including implicit investment charges. TERs relate to the costs associated with investment fund management and are particularly relevant to investment management costs because they incorporate the additional operational costs of investment funds, such as fund administration and audit fees. However, as the Report outlines, such costs do not cover the full range of pension charges. For example, administration and distribution costs also impact on pension charging structures, and these costs are not reflected in TERs. A TER and an annual management charge for an investment fund will differ and this variance reflects the additional operational costs of the fund in question. Such additional costs impact on pension savers as they are built into unit prices. Other nonoperational costs such as stamp duty and brokerage commissions do not form part of a TER and may also affect pension savers.
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 Key Recommendation of The Pension Charges Report was to "Monitor developments and continue efforts to develop a single standard measure that would assess all costs and charges and thereby enable easier comparisons to be made”.
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. The Working Group supports the development of a single standard measure to allow comparability of charges and the Pensions Board, Central Bank and DSP will work to examine the potential for this measure of expenses and how charges might be communicated.
117. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Social Protection the circumstances under which a person may retain his or her social welfare payment while receiving back to education allowance. [49680/13]
View answerThe Department of Social Protection provides a number of options to support second chance education under its Back to Education Programme to support Government policy on activation in Pathways to Work. This programme consists of the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) Scheme, a Part-time education option and an option to support jobseekers to access shorter duration education, training and development opportunities. Courses of education can range from basic foundation courses through to degree level and limited postgraduate courses.
BTEA is designed to support full-time second chance education. It enables eligible persons to pursue approved education courses that leads to a higher qualification than that already held and to continue to receive income support for the duration of a course of study, subject to conditions. BTEA covers full-time second level courses and third level courses to higher diploma level (level 8 in the national framework of qualifications).
In order to qualify for the BTEA a jobseeker must attend a full-time course of study at second or third level leading to a progression of qualifications held by the person in a recognised college, be a specific age and be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a specified period of time. Detailed information on BTEA and the other options referred to are available on my Department's website, www.welfare.ie or by contacting one of the Department's offices.
118. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive approval for a JobBridge scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49681/13]
View answerMy Department confirmed, on 15 November, that Ms. Noone was eligible to participate on JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme. It is now simply a matter for Ms. Noone's host organisation to log on to their JobBridge account and insert an appropriate start date for Ms. Noone. The internship can then commence immediately. Officials from my Department contacted both Ms. Noone and the host organisation on 18 November to advise them of this situation.
119. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on a review of a decision to refuse a disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49685/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to convene 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 for the oral hearing 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
120. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Social Protection the range of retraining and re-education opportunities available to former self-employed persons to assist them in re-entering the workforce; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49703/13]
View answerAny person of working age who does not qualify for jobseeker's benefit may claim means tested jobseeker's allowance. Subject to means and other qualifying conditions, self-employed persons may claim jobseeker's allowance if their business ceases or there is reduced demand for their services. Typically over 80% of jobseeker's allowance claims from self-employed persons have been awarded over recent years. People who were previously self-employed and are now in receipt of jobseeker's allowance have access to the full range of activation measures available to other job-seeker's allowance recipients.
Given the scale of unemployment levels, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments. Accordingly the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused in the first instance on this cohort of unemployed people. However, many services are available to the formerly self-employed who are not in receipt of a social welfare payment.
For example employment services, such as advice on job-search activities and the use of online job search tools, are available to people if they register with the Department's employment services offices, regardless of their social welfare status. Further, unemployed persons not in receipt of payments, including the previously self-employed, may also be eligible to avail of up-skilling opportunities, for example through ETB (formerly FÁS) training for unemployed people, but are not eligible to receive a training allowance while undertaking the course. Springboard and Skillnets courses for unemployed people, funded through the Department of Education and Skills, are also open to people who were previously self-employed, regardless of their social welfare status.
