Written Answers Nos. 134-146
134. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the decision to refuse jobseeker's allowance will be reviewed in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10173/14]
View answer135. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if and when rent support will be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10174/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 135 together.
The person concerned made a claim for jobseeker’s allowance on 26th June 2013 which was disallowed on the grounds that she was not habitually resident in the State. She appealed this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 8th August 2013 and her Appeal was disallowed on 6th February 2014.
As a result of the outcome of her Appeal the person concerned does not have an entitlement to a rent supplement as a person must also satisfy the habitual residence condition to receive this payment.
136. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if rent support will be restored in line with current requirements in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10175/14]
View answerThe client concerned was asked to have their rent reduced in line with the maximum rent limits that came into effect on the 17th June 2013. The Department was advised that this has now been achieved and her rent supplement claim was reassessed accordingly on the 19th February. All arrears due will issue to the client on the 27th February.
137. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding determination of eligibility for carer’s allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10177/14]
View answerThe person in question has been notified that her carer’s allowance in respect of one care recipient is being stopped on 26th March 2014 as, following a review, it was decided that the medical criteria were no longer satisfied based on the medical evidence submitted to date in relation to one of her care recipients.
For receipt of carer's allowance for a child under 16 years domiciliary care allowance must be in payment for that child. In those circumstances, the child is deemed to be medically eligible for carer’s allowance.
Once the child reaches 16 years, as in this case and is no longer entitled to domiciliary care allowance, a review of the continuing entitlement to carer’s allowance is carried out.
The person in question may request a review or may submit an appeal to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office if unsatisfied with the decision to stop her carer’s allowance for the care recipient concerned
138. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding eligibility for disability allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10178/14]
View answerAn application for disability allowance was received from the person concerned on 14 January 2014. The application, based upon the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds and the person was notified in writing of this decision on 25 February 2014.
139. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount of social welfare assistance being offered to persons (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10182/14]
View answerIn the case of the couple concerned the gentleman is currently in receipt of a jobseeker’s allowance payment at a weekly rate of €223.40. This rate is payable following the deduction of weekly means of €149.00.
140. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection in a situation where the owner of a limited company is the sole employee of that company, if it is then eligible to apply for an internship under the JobBridge scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10183/14]
View answer141. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection if craftspeople-tradespeople are exempt from the rule where a sole trader cannot take on an intern under the JobBridge scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10184/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 141 together.
JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme, was launched on 1st July, 2011 as part of the Government’s Jobs Initiative. JobBridge provides work experience placements for those on the Live Register for a 6 or 9 month period to assist in breaking the cycle where jobseekers are unable to get a job without experience, either as new entrants to the labour market after education or training or as unemployed workers wishing to learn new skills.
Those sole traders who have at least one full-time employee (working at least 30 hours per week and paying PAYE and PRSI) are in a position to become JobBridge host organisations.
If an owner of a limited company is an employee of that company and is working at least 30 hours per week and paying PAYE and PRSI as an employee of same company then that company may be eligible to take on an intern subject to all other eligibility criteria being met.
In the context of craftspeople/tradespeople, it should be noted that the Department launched an extension of the successful pilot initiative between JobBridge and the Crafts Council of Ireland which provides for sole traders, without employees, in the crafts area to take on an intern. The extension announced provides for an additional 50 places under this initiative. Interested applicants should contact the Craft Council of Ireland for further information on how to participate in this pilot initiative.
If an individual has any queries relating to the operation of the JobBridge Scheme, they may contact the JobBridge team via the Contact Us section of the JobBridge website www.jobbridge.ie
142. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is any mechanism by which a person who is currently unemployed can sign for credits where they failed to do so due to lack of knowledge of the system for over the two year period set down by her Department. [10191/14]
View answerCredited contributions (credits) are social insurance contributions which are awarded, under certain circumstances such as unemployment or illness, to an insured person without payment of a Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contribution. Their purpose is to help protect the future social insurance entitlements of insured persons by providing cover during periods when paid PRSI contributions are not due.
To qualify for unemployment credits, a person must be available for full-time employment and genuinely seeking such work, and customers are obliged to demonstrate this on an ongoing basis. Legislation provides that, where a person has no paid or credited contributions for a period of two consecutive years, they will not be awarded credits until they have a further 26 weeks of paid PRSI contributions.
Where a person makes an application for unemployment credits retrospectively, they must show good cause for the failure to claim at the relevant time. In this context, a statement that the reason for the delay was due solely to a lack of knowledge may not be considered sufficient to warrant an award of credits on ‘good cause’ grounds.
In addition, in circumstances where retrospective award of credits was being sought for a considerable period, there would be a considerable onus on the customer to demonstrate that they had satisfied all of the conditions during the period concerned and, in particular, to show that they had been available for full-time employment and had been making all reasonable efforts to find suitable full-time work on an ongoing basis throughout the period concerned.
In relation to the above, customers are advised to apply at their social welfare local office/Intreo office in order to ensure that their application is examined and to receive a formal decision on their claim.
144. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding funding for an event; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10103/14]
View answerThe millennium anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf marks a significant milestone in the history of Ireland. I have been enormously impressed at the initiative taken by local authorities with connections to Brian Ború, the Battle of Clontarf and Ireland's Viking heritage to arrange a series of festivals and events throughout 2014. I have been equally pleased by the enormous community and voluntary interest in marking this anniversary. Although funding is very much constrained, I am pleased to have been able to support events with a national impact, including the National Museum of Ireland and Trinity College Dublin in their arrangements for joint exhibitions entitled: "Emperor of the Irish: Brian Ború and the Battle of Clontarf, 1014" and "Clontarf 1014: Brian Ború and the Battle for Dublin April to December 1014". I have also been pleased to support the Clontarf leg of the 'National Heritage Trail' development. These national-level developments, along with focused support from the National Gallery and organisations, including Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, for commemorative events represent a significant commitment from my Department to the programme.
I welcome the service being planned and I am supportive generally of the project mentioned. However, I regret that there is no funding available at this time to support this latter initiative.
145. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he willl ensure that services in Irish are made available to the Irish speaking community to the same standard as those services in English; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9980/14]
View answerThe primary objective of the Official Languages Act 2003 is to ensure the improved provision of public services through the Irish language. The Act seeks to give legislative effect, insofar as the delivery of public services through Irish is concerned, to Article 8 of the Constitution and to how that article has been interpreted by the Supreme Court. The Act provides a framework for improvements in the delivery of public services through Irish over time so that the State’s obligations can be met in a coherent manner which is commensurate with available resources. This is an ongoing process which can be challenging for public bodies, particularly having regard to current resource pressures.
146. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps he is taking to ensure the ending of the derogation of the status of Irish as an official language of the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9997/14]
View answerA decision on whether or not to extend the derogation regarding the use of Irish in EU institutions for a further period of time is required by December 2015 at the latest. My Department is engaged in discussions with various stakeholders, including the EU institutions, in order to formulate specific proposals on the optimal approach to the ending of the derogation. It is hoped to bring the matter forward for consideration by Government in the coming months. As part of the Government's strategy to ensure that a sufficient number of qualified personnel are available to meet the needs arising from the recognition of Irish as an official and working language of the EU, my Department continues to provide substantial funding for a range of specialised third level courses and for the development of Irish language terminology for the EU terminology database, InterActive Terminology for Europe (IATE).
