Written Answers Nos. 257-272
257. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for carer’s 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. [52625/13]
View answerI confirm that the Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on 15 March 2012. The person concerned was refused carer’s allowance on the grounds that she was not providing full time care and attention as required. She was notified of this decision on 11 April 2013. The person in question requested a review of this decision and file was forwarded to a social welfare inspector (SWI) for assessment of the level of care being provided and for a means assessment and confirmation that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance were satisfied. The person in question was invited to attend for interview with the SWI but failed to attend without providing good reason.
Following the review the decision remained unchanged. The person in question was notified of the review outcome on the 14th of October 2013 and of her right to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) within 21 days. There is no record of an appeal being registered in this case.
If the person in question wishes to make a new application for carer’s allowance, she may do so by completing and submitting a claim form. If she makes a new application, it is likely that the application will need to be referred to a SWI for investigation. In that event, it is important that the person in question complies with all reasonable requests from the SWI in relation to the investigation of her application for carer’s allowance.
258. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Protection if the changes to the allocation of funds proposed in the pensions Bill could be extended to include funds currently in wind-up but where the funds have not yet been distributed by the time of enactment. [52644/13]
View answerThis matter was considered during the deliberative process. However, based on advice received, the provisions in the Bill will apply to any scheme which commences wind up after the passing of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2013.
259. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52683/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5th 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 21st November 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.
260. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding eligibility for mortgage interest relief in the case of persons (details supplied) County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52689/13]
View answerThe mortgage interest supplement payment to the persons concerned was suspended pending receipt of information requested on 23rd September 2013. The information requested remains outstanding thus preventing a decision on eligibility.
261. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Carlow will receive a reply to their application for an exceptional needs payment; and if she will expedite the matter. [52709/13]
View answerThe Mid Leinster Rents Unit of the Department is awaiting information regarding an Exceptional Needs Payment of the client concerned. On receipt of this information, a decision will be advised to the client.
262. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an invalidity pension appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52741/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 22nd October 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 31st October 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.
263. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount of overall estimated spending of €1.08 billion on community employment, Tús and JobBridge that is expected to be allocated to counties Longford and Westmeath in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52751/13]
View answerThe estimates for expenditure for 2014 are still subject to confirmation within my Department. The working estimates for each of the programmes mentioned are set out in the following table. Estimates of likely expenditure on a county basis are not generally provided due to variability in factors affecting work programme. I have however, provided data in respect of the number of placements allocated under each of the Department’s initiatives as of December 2013.
|
WORKING AGE - EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS |
2014 Provisional Estimate €’000 |
National Allocation (placements) |
Longford Allocation (placements) |
Westmeath Allocation (placements) |
|
Community Employment Programme |
357,500 |
25,300 |
302 |
546 |
|
Tús Community Work Placement |
120,100 |
7,500 |
100 |
140 |
|
National Internship Scheme - JobBridge |
82,250 |
8,000 |
* |
* |
*There is no specific allocation for individual counties. The number of JobBridge placements to-date has been 23,845, of which 566 placements have been in County Westmeath and 177 placements have been in County Longford.
266. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a disability benefit appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52769/13]
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 disallow 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.
267. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a breakdown of the annual infrastructure and capital expenditure by her Department on a regional basis and a county basis over the past five years. [52804/13]
View answerThe details requested are not immediately available. However, my Department will write to the Deputy with these details as soon as they are available.
268. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection if an appeal will be reopened in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the new evidence supplied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52819/13]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision on 20th September 2013. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of an Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed in the light of additional evidence or new facts.
I am advised that the additional evidence submitted by the Deputy on 15th October has been forwarded to an Appeals Officer who has agreed to review the case. The person concerned will be contacted when the review of his appeal has been finalised.
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.
269. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) will receive a response to their application for a PPS number; and if she will expedite an answer. [52844/13]
View answerThe Personal Public Service Number (PPS Number) is the individual’s unique reference number for all dealings with Government Departments and public bodies.
A PPS Number is automatically issued in the case of children born in Ireland. In other cases PPS Numbers are issued following a controlled allocation procedure which takes approximately 20 minutes and involves personal attendance at one of the Department's PPS Number allocation centres, the completion of a written application form, the submission of appropriate identity documents and the proving of identity.
In circumstances where a person is not resident in the State, but requires a PPS Number, s/he, or someone acting on his or her behalf, must apply by post to the Department submitting the required documentation. This is the case in respect of the application referred to by the Deputy.
The Department processes some 17,000 of these applications annually. The vast majority of such requests are for reasons such as probate or property purchase. However some requests are from individuals who are employed outside of the State by an Irish employer and require a PPS Number in that context. Where these requests are identified, they are given priority by the Department. Apart from these, requests are dealt with in the date order in which they are received. It normally takes between 3-4 weeks to finalise the allocation of such PPS Numbers. In all cases, once it becomes apparent that a person will require the allocation of a PPS Number, I would urge that the application be submitted immediately, rather than waiting until the last minute, in order to ensure that it will be available when required.
The application referred to was received in my Department on the 18th of November and a PPS Number was allocated on the 4th of December.
270. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding determination of entitlement to a contributory pension in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; if she will provide a breakdown of the calculations in this case; the reason all arrears have not been paid from the date of entitlement; the reason the applicant was not informed of their right to make voluntary contributions to ensure an entitlement to a full contributory pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52857/13]
View answerThe person concerned reached pension age of 66, on 9 April 2013. Her application for State pension (contributory) was disallowed on 14 November 2012, on the basis that she had outstanding PRSI liabilities for periods of self-employment. A self-employed person cannot be deemed to meet the qualifying conditions for State pension (contributory) unless all outstanding PRSI contributions are paid.
Following the discharge of all outstanding liabilities the claim was reviewed, and State pension (contributory) was awarded to the person concerned on 21 October 2013, with effect from 4 October 2013. The applicant was notified of the decision, and all due arrears of pension have been paid.
The State pension (contributory) entitlement was calculated based on the insurance record of the person concerned covering the period from commencement of employment to 31 December 2012, yielding a yearly average of 49 contributions. The payment of additional voluntary contributions would not have enhanced the State pension (contributory) entitlement, as a maximum rate of pension is payable.
271. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection her Department’s progress in preparing the youth guarantee implementation action plan due to be submitted to the European Union authorities this month. [52860/13]
View answerThe Department of Social Protection has set up an interdepartmental Youth Guarantee Implementation Group with officials and programme managers from the Department of Education and Skills, Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The terms of reference for this group are to review the current range of youth employment policies in Ireland to assess what measures will need to be taken to commence the implementation of the Guarantee.
The Department held a stakeholders’ consultation forum in relation to the Guarantee on October 14, and has also invited further submissions from the bodies that attended.
The Department of Social Protection has also requested the assistance of the OECD in developing the implementation plan. In particular the OECD has been asked to identify best international practice and how it might best be applied to implementation of the Youth Guarantee in Ireland. A delegation from the OECD has already met with stakeholders at the forum mentioned above as well as with a range of relevant public bodies. They will be presenting an interim report this week.
The development of the plan is also drawing on expert work already carried out by the European Commission over the last few years, and in particular the Commission Staff Working Document (SWD) accompanying the Proposal for a Council Recommendation on Establishing a Youth Guarantee, published in December 2012.
The Department appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee (JOC) on Education and Social Protection on November 6th in order to provide a comprehensive update on the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan. Also present at the JOC were representatives of various Youth Guarantee Stakeholders including the National Youth Council of Ireland and the Union of Students of Ireland. The session was streamed live on the RTE website.
It is intended to produce a concrete plan for the implementation of the Guarantee for consideration by the Government shortly
272. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a social welfare appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 3. [52892/13]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 4th December 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.
