Written Answers Nos. 388-405
388. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider amending the age criteria for community employment schemes to allow persons between 18 and 35 years to participate in them. [50443/13]
View answerThe Community Employment (CE) scheme already has provision for persons aged 18 to 35 years of age. The standard age for CE eligibility is currently 25 years of age, but certain disadvantaged cohorts can commence CE at 18 years of age, specifically persons with a disability, Travellers, refugees, offshore islanders, ex-prisoners and appropriately referred stabilised drug misusers.
391. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for domiciliary care allowance will be expedited in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50467/13]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 18th January 2013. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who considered that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 12th March 2013 outlining the decision to refuse the allowance. The person concerned subsequently lodged an appeal against this decision and was informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 11th September 2013 that the appeal had not been allowed. The decision/appeal process is now complete in this case.
393. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Social Protection when arrears of carer's allowance will issue in respect of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50475/13]
View answerI can confirm that the Carer’s Allowance claim for the person concerned is currently with a Deciding Officer, who is awaiting notification of amounts previously paid in respect of Jobseeker’s Allowance. Once this notification is received the amount of arrears can be calculated and a cheque for amounts due will issue shortly.
394. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will set out in tabular form the total number of persons in financial difficulty who have benefited from the Mortgage Arrears Information and Advice Service in each month since it was established; the total number of practitioners who have signed up to provide advice under the scheme; her views on whether the €250 amount available for payment for advice is adequate; her plans to review the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50491/13]
View answerThe Mortgage Arrears Information and Advice Service was established to provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to assist people in mortgage arrears or pre-arrears in assessing their options. The service, which differentiates between mortgage information and mortgage advice, has three elements:
- The website www.keepingyourhome.ie which was developed as the key online access portal for general mortgage information and advice and launched in June 2012.
- The Mortgage Arrears Information Helpline (phone 0761 074050) established in August 2012, provides general mortgage arrears information and signposting in relation to the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears and other supports available for those in mortgage arrears or pre-arrears.
- The provision of independent financial advice to mortgage holders who are being presented with long term mortgage resolution proposals by their lenders launched in September 2012.
The advice is provided by a panel of accountants drawn from members of the main accountancy institutes in Ireland. A county by county panel with over 2000 participating accountants is in place and their details are available on www.keepingyourhome.ie. Borrowers are free to choose their own advisor from this panel and the lender will pay €250 to the accountant of the borrower’s choice for the provision of this advice.
The Central Bank collates the information relating to the number of borrowers who have availed of the independent financial advice service and it is only available on a quarterly basis commencing in quarter1 2013. The data supplied doesn’t relate exactly to the reporting period as there will be delays between the time the lender makes the long-term resolution offer to the borrower, the meeting with the accountant and the receipt by the lender of the invoice. A full review of the independent financial advice service is underway to ensure that the service is meeting its objectives. The review encompasses all aspects of the service and is expected to be completed shortly and will be published in due course.
The data requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
Mortgage Arrears Information and Advice Service
|
Helpline Calls |
Keepingyourhome.ie |
Financial Advice Service ( invoices received by lenders) |
|
|
August 2012 |
295 |
||
|
September 2012 |
397 |
||
|
October 2012 |
459 |
*34,157 |
|
|
November 2012 |
410 |
6,434 |
|
|
December 2012 |
259 |
8,150 |
|
|
January 2013 |
577 |
9,955 |
|
|
February 2013 |
529 |
10,073 |
|
|
March 2013 |
737 |
12,243 |
19 |
|
April 2013 |
973 |
17,813 |
|
|
May 2013 |
610 |
9,463 |
|
|
June 2013 |
504 |
10,194 |
106 |
|
July 2013 |
473 |
9,632 |
|
|
August 2013 |
590 |
12,621 |
|
|
September 2013 |
521 |
8,438 |
182 |
|
October 2013 |
641 |
12,815 |
|
|
November 2013 (up to and including Nov 15) |
207 |
4,910 |
|
|
Total |
8,182 |
169,378 |
*Covers the period June 2012 to October 2012.
397. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Carlow will receive a reply to their disability revision and if she will expedite a reply; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
View answerThe person concerned has been notified today in writing that his disability allowance payment has been increased to the maximum weekly rate of €188.00, with effect from 16 October 2013. First payment at this new rate will be on 4 December 2013 and any arrears due will be issued shortly after this date.
398. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current waiting times for decisions on carer's allowance applications in the first instance; and the current waiting times for decisions to be made on carer's allowance appeals before the social welfare appeals office. [50504/13]
View answerNew applications for carer’s allowance are actioned promptly upon receipt and the current average time taken to decide a new carer’s allowance application is 8 weeks. It should be noted that the processing time for individual applications can vary depending on the complexity of the applicant's circumstances and the completeness of the information they provide in support of their application. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the current average time taken to process a carer's allowance appeal is 28.7 weeks overall. Carer's allowance appeals which are decided by summary decision currently take an average of 27.7 weeks and those requiring an oral hearing take an average of 33.6 weeks.
Appeal processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation. This includes 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, further investigate of additional evidence submitted, examination or assessment by the Department’s inspectors or medical assessors that is deemed necessary. Only when these reviews have been carried out and where there is no change to the decision to disallow a claim, will the file be then sent to the Social Welfare Appeals Office for consideration of the appeal. Every effort is made to process appeals in as timely a manor as possible while providing the appellant with every opportunity to have their case fully heard.
399. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 84 of 14 November 2013, if the fact that full-time care is being provided was taken into account in respect of an appeal for carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50510/13]
View answerCarer’s allowance is a payment for persons who are providing full-time care and attention to an eligible person and who satisfy a means test. An application for carer’s allowance from the person in question was refused on 11 May 2013 on the ground that the person concerned was not providing full time care and attention as required. She was notified of this decision, the reasons for it and of her right of review or appeal. The person concerned appealed this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 28 May 2013. The decision before the appeals officer was whether the deciding officer was correct in refusing the application based on the evidence provided by the applicant on their application form and as reported by the Social Welfare Inspector who investigated the claim. After careful consideration of all aspects of the case the appeals officer decided that the qualifying conditions for carer’s allowance were not fully met in this case and, consequently, the appeal was disallowed. The Social Welfare Appeals Office wrote to the person in question on 24 October 2013 to notify them of this decision. The appeals officer noted in their decision that if the circumstances of the person concerned had changed since the decision was made to refuse their application that it is open to them to re-apply by submitting a fresh claim.
400. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made to date in respect of a review regarding eligibility for invalidity pension in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50542/13]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision on 5 September 2013. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by the Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or new facts. I am advised that the person concerned submitted additional evidence which was received in the Appeals Office on 14 October 2013, and the Appeals Officer agreed to review the person’s concerned appeal on foot of this additional evidence. Regrettably the Appeals Officer did not find any new facts or fresh evidence which warranted a revision of his earlier 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 on social welfare entitlements.
401. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a decision on their appeal lodged in April 2013 in respect of their illness benefit claim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50575/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 3 April 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 30 October 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.
402. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in determination of an appeal for jobseeker's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50579/13]
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 the oral hearing, has 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.
403. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to address the issue of grants and/or allowances available for parents of twins, triplets, quadruplets and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50595/13]
View answerChild benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a physical or mental disability. Child benefit is currently paid to around 612,000 families in respect of some 1.17 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion. As a universal payment child benefit assists parents with the cost of raising children. The Government is conscious that child benefit is an important source of income for all families, especially during a time of recession and high unemployment. Parents of multiple birth children receive an additional monthly premia paid at one and a half times the monthly child benefit payment rate for each twin and double the monthly payment rate for each child in other multiple births. As a result parents with twins will receive a child benefit payment of €4,680 a year while parents with triplets will receive €9,360 per year. Therefore, families with twins receive €1,560 more a year than a family consisting of two single birth children. In the case of a family with triplets, the additional support would amount to €4,680 a year over the support given to a family consisting of three single birth children.
Special rates of payment for children of multiple births have been a feature of the child benefit scheme since the mid-1960s. The rationale for monthly premia rates was linked with the additional costs that might arise in cases of multiple births compared to other households with the same number of children but of different ages. The higher level of support extended to parents of children of multiple births is therefore significant, especially when considered over an entire childhood. Any plans to change the amount paid in respect of such payments are a matter to be decided in a budgetary context.
405. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person working one hour per day for each of seven days per week will qualify for any jobseeker's allowance for that seven day period; the reasons for this policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50637/13]
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 my Department provide for expenditure on the jobseeker’s schemes of €3.66 billion in 2013. It is a fundamental qualifying condition of both schemes that a person must be fully unemployed for four in any period of seven consecutive days, so a person working seven days a week will not qualify. Where a jobseeker takes up employment 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.
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 my Department but any changes to the current criteria could have significant cost implications. 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 over the coming months.
