Written Answers Nos. 244-253
244. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employers in County Mayo participating in JobBridge that have, when one participant completes his or her internship, replaced that participant with another intern; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20149/14]
View answer245. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employers in County Mayo that have participated in the JobBridge scheme since its inception; and of those the number that have actually gone on to employ participants after completion of the internship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20150/14]
View answer246. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that have participated in the JobBridge scheme in County Mayo since its inception; the number of participants that have progressed to employment upon completion of their internships; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20151/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 244 to 246, inclusive, together.
Some 137 host organisations have taken on more than one intern under the JobBridge scheme in County Mayo since the scheme commenced in July 2011. However, a host organisation may not, for a period of six months, take on another JobBridge intern in the same position as their previous JobBridge intern, except where the previous intern has moved directly into paid employment, either with the host organisation or another employer.
Since JobBridge commenced there have been 373 host organisations in total in County Mayo, of which 71 have employed their intern immediately upon completing their internship. There have been 731 interns in County Mayo, of whom 164 progressed directly into employment immediately upon completing their internship. It is to be noted that the percentage of interns at national level, who subsequently progress into employment within five months of completing their internship is in excess of 60%.
247. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 291 of 8 April 2014, the person who requested a new PPS number for this claimant (details supplied); if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the claimant received nothing in writing about this; if she is further aware that the claimant still uses an old PPS number when dealing with the Revenue Commissioners; if she can rule out identity fraud in this case; if she will restore the claimant’s old PPS number; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20158/14]
View answerThe Office of the Revenue Commissioners advises that while it continues to support “Level W” numbers for the limited range of non-assessable spouse options, e.g., where a couple is being jointly assessed for tax purposes, its systems now require a non “Level W” number where they are dealing with an individual in their own right. Accordingly, Revenue asks people with “Level W” numbers to change them once they need to engage with them on taxation matters. While ordinarily such requests are made to my Department by the PPS Number holder themselves, there are occasions when it is done by a person’s legal or financial representative (e.g., solicitor or accountant). My Department will then purge the existing number and replace it with either a new number or a number that the individual may have had prior to marriage. In all such cases the change is notified to the person concerned (not the legal or financial representative) by letter. In this case the person concerned was notified by letter to their home address on 19 January 2011. Since then a number of other communications containing the new PPS Number have issued from the Department to her at the same address.
Following extensive checks of records available to the Department, I can confirm that no evidence exists of any fraudulent activity in relation to the identity of the person concerned or the PPS Numbers involved. Finally, while it is possible for the Department to restore the person’s old number, the potential for Revenue to ask her to replace it again in the future exists. Officials from the Department are available to discuss the issues with the person concerned if required.
248. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a decision on jobseeker's benefit; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20160/14]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned together with the relevant departmental papers were received by that office on 7 March 2014. The appeal, in this case, was referred to an Appeals Officer on 1 May 2014, 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
250. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection her policy in relation to the payment of child benefit to children aged over 16 and in full-time education; if confirmation of enrolment at a secondary school is required for each year of school enrolment between the ages of 16 and 18; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20169/14]
View answerChild benefit is a monthly payment to assist with the costs associated with raising children. It is paid to around 616,000 families in respect of some 1.17 million children, with an estimated expenditure of around €1.9 billion in 2014. I am conscious that child benefit is an important source of income for all families.
Child benefit as a “universal” payment is paid in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years and reflects the situation whereby school attendance is a statutory requirement for children up to that age. 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 disability. For continued payment of child benefit, parents with school going children at age 16 and at age 17 have to submit a form to the Department, certified by the child’s school or college, confirming that their children are in full-time education for each of these years. I am satisfied that the requirement for school attendance for children aged 16 and 17 years in receipt of child benefit is an effective measure in terms of education and social protection policy.
252. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to establish a commission on pensions this year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20176/14]
View answerThe primary objective of pension policy is to ensure the sustainability of pension provision and in that context to support an environment which will provide an adequate income for people in their retirement. Significant changes in pension policy have been introduced in recent years, particularly in relation to increasing State pension age and supporting the sustainability of defined benefit pension provision.
It is a priority for the Government to increase supplementary pension coverage and the Programme for Government includes a commitment to reforming the pension system to progressively achieve universal coverage, with particular focus on lower-paid workers. Recent figures indicate that only half of workers aged between 20 and 69 years have a supplementary pension and this relatively low coverage is of major concern. The sustainability of the pension system is a particular concern because of the demographic challenges faced by Ireland, the associated increases in pension (and other age related) costs, and the deterioration in the public finances. This means that the task of financing future increased pension spending will fall to a diminishing share of the population as demographic projections indicate the ratio of working age to pensioners will decrease from 5.3:1 at present to 2.1:1 by 2060.
The OECD Review of the Irish Pension System, which I published last April, provides an international perspective on Ireland’s retirement-income provision. It covers all components of the pension system: State, private personal and occupational plans, and schemes for public-sector employees. Whilst endorsing pension policy reforms undertaken to date, the report also makes a number of recommendations for future reform. The OECD’s key finding was that private pension coverage, both in occupational and personal pensions, is uneven and needs to be increased urgently and the review recommended that this could be done through a universal employment-based pension system.
While there are no plans, at present, to establish a commission on pensions, options in this area are actively being considered with a view to developing a road-map for the introduction of a comprehensive occupational pension scheme.
253. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made to date on an appeal in respect of overpayment of carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20182/14]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal in respect of overpayment of carer’s allowance by the person concerned was received in that office on the 14th April 2014. 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.
