Tuesday, 25 Mar 2014

Written Answers Nos. 552 - 571

EU Regulations

Questions (553, 554, 555)

John O'Mahony

Question:

553. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the fact that if there are alterations to existing aid by way of payments for the free travel scheme amounting to an increase of more than 20% from the original budget, and that it has gone on longer than six years, it is deemed new aid for each of these reasons even if commenced in 1967 under Regulation 794/2004 and that she is obliged to claw back the unlawful State aid from Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus immediately; if she will confirm that she will do so; whether she will be bound by her answer on the 10 March 2014; and if she will notify the EU Commission accordingly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14022/14]

John O'Mahony

Question:

554. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify an issue in relation to contractual arrangements with binding obligations in breach of EU state aid rules (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14024/14]

John O'Mahony

Question:

555. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify obligations on Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus and certain compliance issues (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14025/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 553 to 555, inclusive, together.

The intention of the free travel scheme is that it should not confer any real financial advantage on participating undertakings. Moreover, the scheme’s objectives are of a social character and the benefits involved are targeted at individual consumers. The mechanism used to deliver those social character benefits to passengers requires participation by transport undertakings. Commission Regulation (EC) No 794/2004 of 21 April 2004 mentioned by the deputy, refers to changes in State aid and is therefore not applicable in the context of a scheme which does not constitute State aid.

It is the clear understanding of successive Irish Governments that the free travel scheme is compatible with Article 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). In this regard:

a) Undertakings participating in the free travel scheme have a clearly defined responsibility to provide free travel to beneficiaries of the scheme whereas non-participants have no such obligation;

b) Compensation under the scheme is calculated in advance on the basis of fares foregone at a reduced rate to take account of travel generated by the free travel scheme. The objective is that compensation payable should not exceed what is necessary having regard to the costs incurred;

c) Those operators which participate in the scheme receive a payment significantly below the standard fare whereas those operators which do not participate in the scheme are free to charge the full fare for all passengers.

As the free travel scheme is not intended to provide a profit to operators, payment under the scheme is not an “advantage” in State aids terms but merely compensation for the additional costs incurred. For these reasons the free travel scheme is not considered to be incompatible with Article 107. It pursues a social objective of the type identified in Article 107(2) (a) TFEU.

In any event, the scheme has been in operation since 1967, before Ireland joined the European Communities in 1973. Therefore, even if the scheme did amount to State aid (which, of course, is not accepted by successive Irish Governments) it would be “existing” aid under Articles 17-19 of Regulation 659/1999. The question of informing the EU Commission does not therefore arise.

The contractual arrangements in place with participating transport operators, including CIÉ companies, are on the basis of agreements set out in exchange of letters, rather than a formal contract. This practice is not uncommon, and indeed is used by the EU itself. Participating companies are obliged to accept passengers in possession of a valid free travel pass. There have been no changes to this obligation since 1997. The Department carries out surveys to ensure that companies meet their obligations.

Last year a letter was issued to all transport operators participating in the free travel scheme prior to the launch of the Department’s public services card incorporating the free travel variant. This letter required them to submit the following documentation:

1. Current Tax Clearance Certificate;

2. A National/International Road Passenger Transport Operator’s Licence as issued by the Department of Transport;

3. Regular service Licence as issued by the National Transport Authority for all bus routes in the Free Travel Scheme;

4. PSV licences in respect of each of the buses on which they carry free travel pass holders;

5. Motor insurance policies which indemnified the Minister for Social Protection against any claims, causes or actions arising out of any accident involving free travel pass holders while embarking, travelling on or disembarking from their buses;

6. A Public Liability Insurance Certificate;

7. Fares structure/s and timetables.

Companies were reminded of their requirement to notify the Department of any change in the level of service which they provide, ensuring at least one month's prior written notification of their intention to cease or modify their bus operations on any route. On foot of this, a range of operators across the State were inspected on the ground by Department officials. To ensure that the service as agreed is available, each operator was communicated with for confirmation (by signed declaration) of routes and timetables as agreed with the Department. Any operator found in the course of the inspection not complying fully with the terms of their agreement, will be inspected further and action will be taken to stop their payments and recover any overpayment from when they actually ceased to operate a particular route.

Disability Allowance Appeals

Questions (556)

Nicky McFadden

Question:

556. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Social Protection if the disability allowance appeal of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath has been received by the appeals office; and when a decision will be reached on the appeal. [14026/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I 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 which was notified to her on 3 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. Following receipt of additional evidence, the Appeals Officer agreed to review the case. In light of the new information, the Appeals Officer has decided to set aside his previous decision and has re-opened the appeal by way of granting an oral hearing. Every effort will be made to have the hearing as soon as possible and the person concerned will be notified of the arrangements when 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.

Disability Allowance Applications

Questions (557)

Michael Ring

Question:

557. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of the timeline pertaining to a disability allowance claim and review, in tabular form, in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; the date on which an application for disability allowance was received in her Department; the date the medical element of the claim was approved by her Department’s medical officer; the date the file was sent to the deciding officer which resulted in the claim being disallowed from 3 December; the date on which the person submitted further documentation seeking a review of the decision; the date the file was sent to a social welfare inspector for a full report; the exact amount this person's means were in excess of the statutory limit for disability allowance; when it is envisaged that this claim review will be complete; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14036/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The person concerned was awarded a reduced rate disability allowance (DA) with effect from 30 March 2011. Following a review of her continuing entitlement to DA on 28 November 2013 she was disallowed payment from 3 December 2013 as her means exceeded the statutory limit for receipt of DA. Following a request by the person for a review of this decision, the person’s file is currently with a social welfare investigator for a means investigation. When the investigator’s report is received a deciding officer will review the claim and the person will be notified directly of the outcome. It is expected that the investigator’s report will be received within the next two weeks.

This information is summarised, as requested, in the following tabular statement.

Date Application was Received	29-March-2011
Date of Opinion of  Medical Assessor	14-June-2011
Date DA claim was awarded (at a reduced rate because of means) with effect from 30 March 2011	20-October-2011
Date file was sent from Social Welfare Investigator  to Deciding Officer for review of continuing eligibility	25-April -2013
Date from which claim was disallowed on the grounds that means exceeded the statutory limit	03-December-2013
Date on which further documentation received from customer with a request for a further review	20-December-2013
Date file was sent to Social Welfare Investigator to establish means	14-January-2014
Exact Amount by which Means are in Excess of the statutory weekly limit	€3.28
Date expected for Completion of Investigator’s report	Within 10 working days

Question No. 558 withdrawn.

Departmental Correspondence

Questions (559)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

559. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if citizens' applications for welfare and pensions and their associated files are sent via e-mail or post, the processing times for all forms of applications to her Department; and the associated postage costs. [14054/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Department administers over 70 schemes and services through a network of local and central offices throughout the country. In some instances customers call into their local office to submit a claim, while in others claims are made by post or online. For example, applications for State Contributory Pension are proactively initiated by the Department where there is a known entitlement, with the customer given a unique key to enable them to go online to complete their application. In the case of jobseeker's assistance and jobseeker's benefit these claims are made in person at the customer’s local office with no transfer of files required except in the case of an appeal. In addition, it should be noted that the Departments systems are set up to make information accessible throughout the Departments network, thereby greatly reducing the need to transfer files or applications.

It is not departmental policy under data protection to send customer files by e-mail. Postal costs are not broken down in such a way that could provide an estimate of the amount spent solely on this function. The following table sets out the processing times on the main schemes operated by the Department during February 2014.

Overall Claim Processing Performance	Average weeks to award new claims, February 2014	Average weeks to award all claims including appeals, February 2014
Jobseekers Benefit		1
Jobseekers Allowance		3
One-Parent Family Payment		13
State Pension Contributory (Dom)		7
State Pension Transition (Dom)		5
Widow(er)'s Contributory Pension		2
State Pension Non-Contributory		19
Widow(ers) Non Contributory Pension		13
Household Benefits		1
Free Travel		3
Domiciliary Care Allowance		9
Supplementary Welfare Allowance		1
Bereavement Grant - Sligo		5
Child Benefit (Domestic & FRA)		2
Child Benefit (EU Regulation)		28
Family Income Supplement (New)		4
Carer's Allowance	12	34
Disability Allowance	11	31
Invalidity Pension	9	38
Bereavement Grant - Longford		1
Illness Benefit		1

Social Welfare Appeals Delays

Questions (560, 561)

Tom Fleming

Question:

560. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite a supplementary welfare allowance appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14055/14]

Tom Fleming

Question:

561. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite a jobseeker's allowance appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14056/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 560 and 561 together.

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the jobseeker’s allowance appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 12 February 2014. Her supplementary welfare allowance appeal was registered on 3 March 2014. 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 have now been received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office and both appeals have been referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeals 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.

Question No. 562 withdrawn.

Post Office Network

Questions (563)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

563. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures she is taking to support the use of post offices in connection with social protection payments; her future plans in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14081/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I was very pleased to sign a multi-year contract with An Post for the delivery of over the counter cash services to welfare clients in December last year following an EU-wide procurement competition. This contract, which is very substantial in terms of its reach, value and impact, enables the disbursement of cash payments to some nine hundred thousand (900,000) clients currently. These services are provided through a network of over 1,300 post offices and agencies around the country.

Last year approximately €9.5 billion was paid in cash to our clients at post offices. This accounted for 43.7 million transactions and cost the Department just under €75 million (including internal processing costs). By comparison, some 37 million payments were issued directly into accounts in financial institutions by electronic funds transfer (EFT) and cost the Department under €9 million. In short, cash payments are an inherently more expensive means of paying clients. The differential reflects to a large part the additional costs incurred in securely packing, processing, transporting, delivering and issuing cash to clients. The Department must address such a significant variation in costs in the interests of the economy, taxpayers and welfare clients.

Mindful of the scope, scale and impact of these payments, the Department undertook a root and branch examination of its payment processes, methods and approaches. This resulted in the preparation of a Payment Strategy which was approved by the Government last year. The Strategy has the goal of reducing significantly the level at which welfare payments are made in cash and thereby minimising the associated expensive fees. This is in keeping with wider Government policies and changes in consumer preferences. It is based on the objective of better public services and more effective e-payments as set out in the Public Service Reform Plan and the eGovernment Strategy 2012-2015. It is also aligned to the objectives of the National Payments Plan, which highlighted that the move to electronic payments is critical to reducing the very high levels of cash usage in the Irish economy with its consequential impacts on costs and competitiveness. The Strategy aims to remove the limits that cash payments impose on clients in terms of making onward financial transactions and availing of cheaper prices online.

We are all aware of the clear trend towards electronic payments which are being adopted by consumers generally as a matter of choice. These behavioural choices are very apparent among the Department’s clients also. Two out of every three clients who claimed a contributory state pension last year chose to have it paid into an account. Four out of every five new child benefit clients chose to be paid electronically into an account. The Department is willing to accommodate its clients in exercising the choice of electronic payments where this is possible in the interests of economy, efficiency and national competitiveness.

Departmental Contracts Data

Questions (564)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

564. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 304 of 11 February 2014, in relation to amounts and other details to do with external contracts and procurement and further to the answer she provided to Parliamentary Question No. 115 of 12 March 2014 seeking the same information, if she will provide an explanation for the difference between both of approximately €14 million and the way some amounts and recipients are absent from one answer to the other; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14102/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I always endeavour to be helpful in relation to the information provided in answers to Parliamentary Questions and to ensure that the response addresses the specific question raised. I would point out to the Deputy that the information sought in the Parliamentary Questions referred to was not the same and, accordingly, there were significant differences in the details supplied in the answers and the total amounts of money referred to therein.

The major difference is that Parliamentary Question No. 304 (PQ 6461/14) of 11 February 2014 asked me to provide details in relation to contracts awarded since May 2011. Parliamentary Question No. 115 (PQ 12586/14) of 13 March 2014 requested details of payments made since February 2011. The responses provided were responses appropriate to the details sought.

Some of the apparent difference also relates to the specific request in the first PQ for the full value of certain contracts, i.e. those put in place since May 2011, compared to the request for amounts paid in a given period, i.e. since February 2011, in the second PQ.

In addition, there are a number of recipients listed on PQ 12586/14 that are not included on PQ 6461/14 as the relevant contracts were awarded prior to May 2011. For example, the contract value for the General Register Office (GRO) maintenance & development project awarded in 2010, and the contract value for SDM (Service Delivery Modernisation) support and maintenance awarded in 2008 are not included in PQ 6461/14. However payments made since February 2011 in relation to these contracts totalling some €11 million are included in PQ 12586/14. Full details of the constituent elements of the two responses are included in the following tables.

I am satisfied that the engagement of consultants and external service providers contributes to decision making and policy formulation, and provides valuable support for the Department’s service delivery modernisation and reform programmes, and that procurement of consultants and external service providers is compliant with best practice in procurement, governance and realising value for money.

Contractor		Amount Spent 2011-end Jan 2014		Contract Value for contracts awarded post May 2011
	GRO Maintenance & Development	€1,022,009	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	SDM - Means Object	€195,305	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Business Process Improvement	€186,563	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	SDM- Payment & Generic Scheme	€1,631,729	Payment & Generic Scheme & Payments Processing - Deduction at Source for LPT	€1,227,284
	FÁS ICT Applications Systems Review	€44,772	FÁS ICT Applications Systems Review	€44,772
	Single European Payment Area (SEPA) compliance	€136,056	SEPA Compliance Project	€169,316
	Predictive Analytics Model	€15,744	Predictive Analytics Model	€15,744
	Mobile Opportunity Exploration	€33,388	Mobile Opportunity Exploration	€33,388
Accenture	Enhancement of Means Assessment Object Project	€352,645	Enhancement of Means Assessment Object on the BOMi	€391,829
	SDM - Support & Maintenance	€10,093,362	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Redundancy & Insolvency Functions	€1,165,158	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	SDM - Non Contributory Suite	€1,115,031	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	SDM - Activation Customer Profiling & Case Management	€132,788	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Migration of CWS Staff HR Records	€25,620	DPER Contract = not included in response
	Public Services Card Registration & Management Functionality on BOMi	€1,045,046	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Intreo – One Stop Shop Pilot	€176,836	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	BOMi Production Support	€1,986,209	BOMi Production Support	€3,693,075
	BOMi Business Change	€1,221,707	BOMi Business Change	€2,386,200
	BOMi Release & Environments Mgt Functions	€798,563	BOMi Release & Environment Mgmt.	€1,445,250
	BOMi Central Test	€655,517	BOMi Central Test	€1,199,250
Bearing Point	Illness & Disability Scheme enhancement	€379,669	Technical Change Services in Medical Referral & Case Management Service	€607,285
	Standard Authentication Framework Environment (SAFE) Public Services Card	€182,314	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	SAFE PSC provision	€2,349,494	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
Biometric Card Services	Standard Authentication Framework Environment (SAFE) Public Services Card	€2,779,411	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	IS Audit Consultancy/Computer Audit Assistance	€103,021	IS Internal Audit Services	€170,748
	Confidential Forensic Investigation Services	€7,109	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Security Partner to provide ongoing Information Security Support	€34,215	Security Partner to provide ongoing Information Security Support (2012-2014)	€83,025
	Support to Regional Development Team (Client Contact & Assessment)	€537,854	Support to Regional Development Team	€1,564,560
Deloitte	Pathways to Work Case Management - BOM Dev Team	€254,705	Business Object Modelling Team	€826,560
	SWITCH Research Programme	€450,000	DOF Contract = not included in response
	Analysis & Measurement of Deprivation & Poverty	€199,474	Analysis & Measurement of Poverty and Deprivation	€230,703
	Profiling of “Stock” Live Registrants	€16,873	Profiling of Live Registrants to identify those most at risk of Labour Market Disadvantage	€33,745
ESRI	Evaluation Research (BTEA)	€9,809	Not on contract D/B = not included in response
	PARP Support & Development	€619,480	PARP Support & Development and Oracle Support & Upgrade	€2,750,000
	PARP Modifications	€101,337	PARP Support & Dev	€116,883
	PARP Production Support	€51,540	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
FUJITSU	Oracle Financials & Business Objects	€13,950	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	SDM - Certification of Unemployment by Mobile Phone	€830,777	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Office Systems Modernisation	€199,475	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Stór Support & Maintenance	€244,321	Corporate Portal (Stór) Support & Maintenance	€600,000
	Corporate Portal (Stór) Support & Maintenance	€189,088	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
Hewlett Packard	Welfare.ie Redesign 2012	€426,451	Welfare.ie Redesign 2012	€569,958
	Business Objects Modelling Advice & Expertise	€92,104	Business Objects Modelling Advice & Expertise (2013-2015)	€463,710
	SDM - Business Objects Modelling Advice & Expertise	€108,486	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	BOMi - Business Objects Modelling Advice & Expertise	€234,463	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Technical Development Advice	€144,644	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	BOMi- Technical Development Advice	€168,181	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	SDM - Technical Development Advice	€199,260	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
Naked Objects	No Spending in period		Provision of support for the Naked Objects Framework (NOF)	€153,750
3M	SAFE - Facial Image Matching	€184,794	Not Included
Axiom Consulting	Employee Engagement Programme (Culture & Values)	€74,812	Culture & Values (Employee Engagement Programme)	€122,692
Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion	External Service Delivery - Employment Services	€140,989	External Service Delivery - Employment Services	€114,260
Compass Point	Developing architecture for Intreo	€4,600	Developing architecture for Intreo	€4,600
Consult Hyperion	SAFE PSC	€132,978	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Corepay Development & Upgrade	€38,402	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	Online Overtime	€1,016	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
	CoreExpense Travel & Subsistence System Upgrade & Upgrade of Core Time & Attendance System	€63,862	CoreExpense Travel & Subsistence System Upgrade & Upgrade of Core Time & Attendance System	€80,980
	Online P60, PRD60 & Income Levy Certificate	€526	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
Core International	CorePay & CoreExpense Enhancement (SEPA)	€5,381	DOF Contract = not included in response
Creative Inc.	Design Work for Intreo	€24,777	Design Work for Intreo	€23,407
Daniel Finn	Pathways to Work – Consultation	€650	Pathways to Work – Consultation	€650
Dept. of Enterprise, Trade & Employment	Administrative Burden Review	€14,000	Not a DSP contract = not included in response
Ernst & Young	Security Partner to provide ongoing Information Security Support	€7,623	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
FÁS	FÁS support for existing ES/CE Information Systems	€55,533	Memorandum of Understanding with FAS => not included in response
Haywood Associates	BOMi- Technical Development Advice	€87,871	BOMi- Technical Development Advice	€524,694
Indecon	Evaluation of the JobBridge National Internship Scheme	€59,557	Evaluation of the JobBridge National Internship Scheme	€60,725
	Digital Documents (Cardiff Teleform Software Development & Support)	€160,825
Inpute Technologies	SAFE PSC	€33,210	Digital Documents	€175,890
	Update of the Diet Supplement Diet Cost Report	€4,000	Update of the Diet Supplement Diet Cost Report	€4,000
Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute			Update of the Diet Supplement Diet Cost Report - duplicate	€4,000
Irish Research Council	Social Inclusion Research Innovation Awards	€61,103	Grant Aided Research = not included in response
Dr. Mary Mulcahy	Poverty Research Initiative Awards	€1,422	Grant Aided Research = not included in response
Eleanor Ashe	Poverty Research Initiative Awards	€1,750	Grant Aided Research = not included in response
John Grenham	Report on GRO Records	€3,557	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
KPMG	Actuarial Review of Social Insurance Fund	€153,750	Actuarial Review of Social Insurance Fund	€153,750
Language	Intreo Corporate Identity	€21,990	Intreo Corporate Identity	€22,730
Mel Cousins & Associates	Review of Best International Practice regarding In-Work Supports	€10,000	Review of Best International Practice re In-Work Supports	€10,000
	Guidance documentation for deciding & appeals officers	€2,400	Guidance documentation for deciding & appeals officers	€2,400
Mercer Ireland Ltd	Long-term Pensions Policy Research	€18,450	Long-term Pensions Policy Research (Review of Pensions Priority)	€18,150
Microsoft	Support to Technical Architecture Group	€13,445	Strategic input to Technical Architecture Group	€53,109
Monsoon Consulting	Modification to Jobseekers smartphone app	€7,042	FÁS Contract (Not DSP Contract) = not included in response
	Updates to Jobseekers smartphone app	€7,085	Modification to Jobseekers smartphone app	€6,865
Net Affinity Ltd	Poverty Research Initiative Awards	€291	Grant Aided Research = not included in response
NUI Galway	Poverty Research Initiative Awards	€5,000	Grant Aided Research = not included in response
NUI Maynooth	Poverty Research Initiative Awards	€6,500	Grant Aided Research = not included in response
OECD	OECD Review of Long Term Pension Policy	€130,000	OECD Review of Long Term Pension Policy	€130,000
	Youth Guarantee Advice	€50,000	Planning re Youth Guarantee Implementation	€50,000
PA Consulting Group	Payments Strategy	€111,142	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
Patrick Oliver Ryan	Gender Recognition Advisor Group	€7,000	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
PlatformWeb	EURES Cross Border Partnership Website	€3,250	Not DSP Contract [EURES Northern Ireland/Ireland Cross Border Partnership] = not included in response
PriceWaterhouseCooper	National Pensions Framework Implementation/Review of Pension Charges	€60,900	Review of Pension Charges	€61,500
	Provision of Financial Advisory Services (for Payment Services Evaluation)	€7,380	Provision of Financial Advisory Services	€7,380
Red Dog	Design work on various SDM projects	€944	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
Rits	Confidential Forensic Services	€4,654	Confidential Forensic Services	€99,000
Technical Guidance Ltd	Review of Pension Charges	€1,230	Review of Pension Charges	€1,230
TOR Financial	Models of National Employment Based Pension Systems	€9,900	Long-term Pensions Policy Research (Development of Report on Auto Enrolment)	€6,956
Trinity College	Poverty Research Initiative Awards	€9,788	Grant Aided Research = not included in response
UCD	Poverty Research Initiative Awards	€6,650	Grant Aided Research = not included in response
Version 1	Welfare.ie Maintenance & Support	€58,011	Contract awarded pre May 2011 = not included in response
Wright Environmental Services	Not Consultancy or IT External Service Provision = not included in response		Environmental Services	€7,026
Employment Health Advisors Ltd	Not Consultancy or IT External Service Provision = not included in response		Site investigation re. smoke testing/waste pipes/hygiene monitoring/odours in DSP Cobh, Co Cork	€2,023
Nifast	Not Consultancy or IT External Service Provision = not included in response		Arklow, Co Wicklow; Tallaght, Dublin and Kings Inn, Dublin, SWLO risk assessments regarding reception areas	€1,845
Elizabeth Costello	Not Consultancy or IT External Service Provision = not included in response		Editing Services for research publications	€650
CPL Training Ltd, trading as Nifast Health and Safety Training	Not Consultancy or IT External Service Provision = not included in response		Health & Safety Review of Department of Social Protection premises, 77 Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin 1	€1,100
	TOTAL	€34,831,593	TOTAL	€20,528,647
			TOTAL DIFFERENCE	€14,302,946

Programme for Government Implementation

Questions (565)

Billy Kelleher

Question:

565. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update in tabular form of the commitments in the programme for Government that relate to her Department; and the progress that has been made in the implementation of each commitment. [14120/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Programme for Government commits to implementing a fundamental programme of reform of the system of social protection. The scale of this reform is challenging and wide-reaching. I am committed to working with the Department and its agencies in the delivery of the commitments in this Programme for Government and substantial progress on many of the commitments has already been made. The third Annual Report which sets out the implementation status of my Department’s main achievements in the Programme for Government was published by the Department of the Taoiseach in March 2014 and is available on http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Work_Of_The_Department/Programme_for_Government/Programme_for_Government_Annual_Report_20141.pdf

It is the Government’s intention to publish the fourth Annual Report in March 2015 which will set out specific progress during 2014. The timeline for the delivery of my Department’s commitments for Programme for Government is over the lifetime of the Government. The progress summary on the implementation of the commitments relevant to my Department is outlined in the following table.

Current update as of March 2014

Commitments in the Programme for Government for which the Department of Social Protection has a primary role

Commitment	Status Summary at March 2014
Halve the lower 8.5% rate of PRSI up to end 2013 on jobs paying up to €356 per week – announced in the Jobs Initiative.	Implemented.
Expand eligibility for the back to education allowance.	Implementation options under consideration and new initiatives are being piloted in 2013/2014.
The development of a new graduate and apprentice internship scheme, work placement programmes and further education opportunities for our young unemployed providing an additional 60,000 places across a range of schemes and initiatives – announced in the Jobs Initiative.	Implementation in progress.
Replacing FÁS with a new National Employment and Entitlements Service (NEES) so that all employment and benefit support services will be integrated in a single delivery unit managed by the Department of Social Protection. This integrated service would provide a ‘one stop shop’ for people seeking to establish their benefit entitlements; looking for a job; and seeking advice about their training options.	Implementation underway, including roll out of Intreo.
The NEES will process citizen entitlements such as supplementary welfare allowances, higher education grants and welfare allowances. It will manage as much as possible means testing for State entitlements. It will also be responsible for employment referral and training supports provided by FÁS. This service will offer users a higher level of personalised employment counselling, with more frequent face-to-face interviews. Those on the live register who are identified as being most at risk of long-term unemployment will receive priority treatment for more intensive support. It will ensure active case management for people in need of assistance.	Implementation underway, including roll out of Intreo.
Maintain the standard 10.75% rate of employers PRSI.	Implemented.
Introduce a range of measures to tackle the problem of welfare fraud.	A range of measures have been implemented under the Fraud Initiative 2011-2013. Further progress will be made in the context of a new anti-fraud strategy which is being developed.
Establish a Tax and Social Welfare Commission to examine entitlements of self employed and the elimination of disincentives to employment. The Commission will examine the interaction between the taxation and the welfare systems to ensure that work is worthwhile. In particular, it will examine family and child income supports, and a means by which self-employed people can be insured against unemployment and sickness	Implemented. The Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare has completed and reported on three modules: • Child and family income supports • Budget 2012 proposals relating to Disability Allowance and Domiciliary Care Allowance • Extending Social Insurance coverage for the self employed The Advisory Group is currently progressing its final module of work on the issue of working age income supports.
Convert the Money Advice and Budgeting Service into a strengthened Personal Debt Management Agency with strong legal powers.	The Personal Insolvency Act 2012 provides for three new non-judicial debt resolution processes; the Debt Relief Notice (DRN), the Debt Settlement Arrangement and the Personal Insolvency Arrangement. At the request of the Minister, the Citizens Information Board (CIB) agreed that MABS would act as Approved Intermediaries for the purposes of processing DRNs. The CIB together with MABS have worked closely with the Insolvency Service of Ireland to ensure that the appropriate structures are in place within MABS to meet the challenge of delivering this new service. An Approved Intermediary Service (AIS) has been established for the purposes of processing DRNs. To date, 31 MABS companies are included on the Insolvency Service of Ireland register of Approved Intermediaries.
Make greater use of Mortgage Interest Supplement to support families who cannot meet their mortgage payments.	Budget 2014 provided for the closure of Mortgage Interest Supplement for new applicants from 1 January 2014 and a wind down of the scheme over a four year period. In line with the Government’s strategy to assist those experiencing mortgage difficulties, the underlying principle of this measure recognises that the most appropriate way in which customers can be supported is through engagement with their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP) which will provide sustainable and durable resolution options.
Maintain Social Welfare rates.	Implemented.
Committed to achieving the targets in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion to reduce the number of people experiencing poverty.	Implementation of the National Social Target for Poverty Reduction continues to be rolled out in 2014. A Social Inclusion Report covering progress on implementation of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion during the years 2011-2012 was completed in 2013. Under Pathways to Work, a report is being prepared to examine the factors influencing the level of jobless households and to develop a range of recommendations to allow Government to take additional tangible steps in 2014 to assist these households to return to work.
We will examine the social protection system with a view to identifying and eliminating poverty traps including;- Amending the 30 hour rule for Rent Supplement and Mortgage Interest Supplement for people moving from welfare to work. Activating people on a reduced week who refuse extra day(s) employment. Over time, One Parent Family Payment will be replaced with a parental allowance that does not discourage marriage, cohabitation or work. Our tax, social welfare and other laws should not discourage people from getting married or cohabiting. For example, single mothers lose the One Parent Family Payment if they marry. Over time, we will transform it into a family income-based payment that does not discourage marriage or work.	Conditions which may give rise to the development of poverty traps are analysed on an ongoing basis. The Department’s strategic policy direction is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of a short term income support. Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer from the Department of Social Protection to local authorities. One of the key benefits that HAP will bring is the removal of barriers for people currently in receipt of rent supplement in returning to employment. Officials in the Department are working closely with those in the lead Department, Environment, Community and Local Government, who are leading the project, in developing the necessary legal, policy and operational requirements to give effect to this transfer and to pilot HAP in early 2014. Sanctions currently exist whereby a person who refuses employment or additional employment may be subject to a disallowance. In addition, issues in relation to short-time and casual workers were referred to the Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare in 2013. The outcome of group deliberations will inform Departmental policy in 2014. Changes to the One Parent Family Payment (OFP) are currently being implemented on a phased basis to 2015. The purpose of these changes is to move the scheme much closer to the jobseeker schemes, tackle the high levels of lone parents suffering from consistent poverty and to improve outcomes for lone parents and their families.
A zero tolerance approach to welfare fraud, underpinned by a major anti-fraud enforcement drive.	Progressed under the Fraud Initiative 2011-2013. Further progress will be made in the context of a new anti-fraud strategy which is being developed.
As well as more regular face-to-face interviews with an integrated employment and entitlements service for those of working age, other anti-fraud measures will be undertaken using latest available technology and better sharing of data across government departments and agencies.	Continuing to build key relationships and consult and share data with external agencies, where appropriate. Progressed the use of predictive analytics to more effectively target cases for review.
Progressively reduce reliance on Rent Supplement, with eligible recipients moving to the Rental Accommodation Scheme.	At end December 2013, there were approx. 80,000 rent supplement recipients with approx. 50,000 in payment for more than 18 months. Details of these cases are notified on a quarterly basis to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG). At the end of December 2013 a total of 47,911 households had been transferred from Rent Supplement (RS) by local authorities. Of these 28,338 were housed directly under RAS and a further 19,573 were accommodated under other social housing options. The Department’s strategic policy direction is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of a short term income support. Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) as approved by Government, responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer from the Department of Social Protection to local authorities.
Review the operation of the Rent Supplement Scheme and introduce a code of conduct for rent supplement eligibility similar to that which operates for local authority tenants.	Implementation in progress in co-operation with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. The purpose of this review is to ensure that tenants who are receiving long term support from the State under the Rent Supplement Scheme are subject to the same type of anti-social behaviour regime as local authority tenants. The most appropriate way for this to happen is for local authorities to take over responsibility for meeting the accommodation needs of these individuals through the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). The Department is currently working with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government with a view to achieving this goal.
Pay rent supplement to tax-compliant landlords registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) and offering decent quality accommodation, to root out fraud.	Since January 2011, it is a requirement that the landlord’s tax reference number must be supplied to the Department prior to award of a rent supplement claim. The Department continues to provide the Revenue Commissioners with details of all rent supplement payments on an annual basis to ensure this sector is tax compliant. The Department also continues to work closely with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) to help ensure that rent supplement tenancies comply with the statutory system of tenancy regulation and safeguards.
Divert staff from elsewhere in public service to clear the social welfare appeals backlog, and introduce a consolidated appeals process.	Implemented.
Put the household benefits packages out to tender, so that the Exchequer benefits from reduced prices.	Implementation not feasible based on advice from the Office of the Chief State Solicitor, the Commission for Energy Regulation and the Competition Authority as the Department is not the actual customer. Negotiations took place with the major utility providers which resulted in improved deals and yielded savings.
Raise the issue of payment of Child Benefit in respect of non-resident children at EU level, and seek to have the entitlement modified to reflect the cost of living where a child is resident. We will examine all possible flexibility within European legislation to reduce the cost of this payment.	Issue has been raised with the current EU Commissioner who is not willing to propose the legislation necessary. Therefore, it is unlikely progress can be made. Ireland is continuing to engage with other countries interested in this area and is participating in a group on Fair Free Movement which is trying to develop options which can be discussed with the EU Commission.
Ensure that trans-gender people will have legal recognition and extend the protections of the equality legislation to them.	The General Scheme of the Gender Recognition Bill was published in July 2013 and referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee (JOC) on Education and Social Protection. The JOC held a public consultation and hearings in October 2013 on the General Scheme and published its report in January 2014. Following Government consideration of the report, the General Scheme of the Bill will be referred to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for drafting with the aim of the legislation being published later in 2014.
Reform the pension system to progressively achieve universal coverage, with particular focus on lower-paid workers, to achieve better risk sharing, and to provide for greater flexibility for those who wish to retire on a phased basis.	A number of measures have been implemented and further measures are under consideration. The Minister recently informed the Dail of her intention to introduce a scheme to improve pensions coverage once the economy is in a more sustainable position. In this regard, the Minister is observing the developments in other countries with some interest. Analysis of the recommendations outlined in the OECD Review of the Irish Pensions System, published in 2013, is on-going and will inform further developments in the area of long-term pension policy.

Question No. 566 withdrawn.

Public Services Card Provision

Questions (567, 568)

Kevin Humphreys

Question:

567. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Social Protection since the launch of the new public services card, the number that have been issued in total; the number that have been returned and replaced due to being faulty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14158/14]

Kevin Humphreys

Question:

568. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Social Protection the person who has the contract for issuing and managing the recently launched public services card; if she is concerned at the high level of faulty cards; her plans to ensure a more robust system is in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14159/14]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 567 and 568 together.

The Public Services Card (PSC) has been introduced to enable individuals gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort, while at the same time preserving their privacy to the maximum extent possible. The PSC is designed to replace other cards within the public sector such as the Free Travel Pass and the Social Services Card (SSC) of this Department and to make it easy for providers of public services to verify the identity of customers.

Approx. 615,000 PSCs have been produced to date. These include c.126,000 Free Travel variants. PSCs are produced by a managed service provider, Biometric Card Services Limited, at a facility in Bray, Co. Wicklow. The Department’s Card Management Section deals with enquiries from customers who report that their PSC or SSC did not work at the nominated Post Office. In general, there are three reasons why swiping a card in the Post Office may fail to work, including, a record for the cardholder does not exist on the An Post file, the magnetic stripe becomes faulty over time (e.g. scratched, proximity to other magnetic stripes, wear and tear etc.) or the card reader is faulty.

To date, of the total number of PSCs issued, only 310 have been returned by customers as “not working”. However, 87 of these functioned correctly when subsequently tested by Card Management Section. The remaining 223 (0.04% of all cards produced) did not work when tested. These included cards that were faulty and cards that were damaged. In all cases, the returned PSC was revoked and the person issued with a new one. It is evident from these figures that there is almost a negligible level of faulty cards. The Department endeavours to ensure that cards issued are of the highest quality, and as part of this ongoing quality control, An Post recently tested a sample of live cards in three separate locations and all read successfully without any failure. Additionally, a number of these cards were swiped over 100 times each and no failures were recorded.

Questions Nos. 569 and 570 answered with Question No. 523.

Question No. 571 withdrawn.