Written Answers Nos. 111 - 117
111. Deputy Dara Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision on an invalidity pension will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25017/14]
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 allow 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.
112. Deputy John Perry asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will issue on illness benefit in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Sligo; if documentation submitted on 25 March 2014 will be responded to; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25032/14]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that a letter issued to the Deputy on 4 June 2014 advising that his representations in relation to the illness benefit claim of the person concerned was being accepted as an appeal. In accordance with statutory requirement the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal have been 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.
113. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason PPS numbers are shown on free travel passes; in view of the personal nature of these numbers, if this practice will be stopped in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25034/14]
View answerThe Department of Social Protection has developed, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, a rules based standard for establishing and authenticating an individual’s identity for the purposes of access to public services. This programme of work, which is known as the Standard Authentication Framework Environment or SAFE for short, also provided for the introduction of a Public Services Card (PSC) to enable individuals to 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 of the Department and to make it easy for providers of public services to verify the identity of customers. The PSC contains advanced security features including the holder’s photograph thus preventing usage by an ineligible person.
The Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) is the individual’s unique reference number for all dealings with Government Departments and public bodies. The PPSN of the cardholder is provided on the PSC to supporting effective and efficient service delivery by Government Departments and agencies.
Last December, the Department began issuing a new Free Travel variant of the PSC and over 180,000 such cards have been produced to date.
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) has been extensively consulted on all aspects of the PSC programme, including the inclusion of the PPSN of the face of the card. The Department will continue to work very closely with the ODPC to ensure that the card is used in an appropriate manner and does not give rise to any data protection or identity theft concerns.
114. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on collective pensions as outlined in the Queen's recent speech; her plans to introduce same here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25068/14]
View answerAs matters stand collective defined contribution pension schemes are not a feature of the Irish pensions landscape though there is a range of defined benefit, defined contribution and hybrid scheme structures which would share characteristics with such a model.
The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government includes a commitment to reforming Ireland’s pension system to progressively achieve universal coverage, with particular focus on lower-paid workers.
The OECD Review of the Irish Pension System, published last year, also provides an international perspective on Ireland’s retirement-income provision. This comprehensive report encompasses the totality of the pension system in Ireland covering the State pension, private, occupational and public sector pensions. The issues of sustainability; adequacy; modernity; and equity were central to this review.
Whilst endorsing pension policy reforms undertaken to date, the report makes a number of recommendations for future reform. The OECD’s key recommendation is to improve the adequacy of pensions by increasing coverage in the funded part of the pensions system through a universal mandatory or quasi-mandatory employment based pension system.
I have previously highlighted that a soft-mandatory approach such as that envisaged by an auto-enrolment scheme, using scale to achieve greater cost efficiencies for the member, is a very proactive way in which we can increase supplementary pension coverage, though it is recognised that introduction of such an initiative would be best supported by a more favourable economic environment than is currently the case.
To ensure the optimum solution for scheme members, the development of any universal pension scheme aimed at increasing pension coverage would involve the close consideration of all potential pension models including collective defined contribution.
115. Deputy Gerald Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department will consider lowering the qualification age in all cases for participation in community employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25079/14]
View answerThe current qualification age system employed on Community Employment (CE) is determined by the eligibility for each of two main types of CE. The part-time integration (PTI) option of CE is aimed at those of 25 years of age and over who have been unemployed for 12 months or longer. It allows for one year’s participation on the CE scheme. Certain categories of participants can gain entry to this PTI option at 18 years of age (qualifying persons with a disability, Travellers, ex-offenders, refugees, offshore islanders and drug rehabilitation clients).
The part-time job (PTJ) option of CE is aimed at persons of 35 years of age and over who have been unemployed for three years or longer. It allows for three years’ participation on the scheme subject to annually renewable contracts. Again, certain categories of participants can gain entry to this option at 18 years of age (Travellers, refugees, offshore islanders and drug rehabilitation clients).
The CE eligibility criteria are kept under review to ensure fitness for purpose and maximum utilisation of CE places. As part of this ongoing review process, the entry age is currently being examined.
116. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a detailed list, in tabular form, of all staff vacancies within her Department and in each agency under her Department's remit at principal officer grade or above, including the title of the vacant post and the functional area to which it belongs; the length of time the post has been vacant; the salary attached to the post in question; in respect of agencies where Civil Service grades do not apply, if she will include vacancies where the post attracts a salary equivalent to or greater than principal officer grade; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25128/14]
View answerThe Agencies that operate under the aegis of my Department are the Pensions Authority and the Citizens Information Board. The Office of the Pensions Ombudsman also falls under the remit of my Department. There are no vacancies at Principal Officer level and above in any of these organisations.
The Department has to operate within an Employment Control Framework (ECF) ceiling determined by the Department of Public Expenditure. On an ongoing basis we are filling vacancies that arise within this overall figure.
In relation to vacancies at the grades specified by the Deputy, vacancies as detailed in the table are currently in the process of being filled.
Vacancies at Principal Officer and above in the Department of Social Protection
|
Post |
Functional area |
Post vacant from |
Salary Scale Non PPC Scale |
- |
- |
- |
|
Assistant Secretary |
Human Resources, Facilities Management, EU International. |
May 2014. |
€119,572 |
€124,917 |
€130,706 |
€136,496 |
|
- |
- |
- |
Salary Scale PPC Scale |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
- |
- |
€125,761 |
€131,385 |
€137,481 |
€143,535 |
|
Medical Assessors |
Medical assessment of those claiming a disability related payment. |
Ongoing. |
Salary Scale PPC Scale |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
- |
- |
€71,554, €74,550 |
€77,376, €80,242 |
€82,661 (Max), |
€85,169 (LSI 1), €87,675 (LSI 2). |
|
Chief Medical Adviser (CMA) |
Responsible for the management of the Department’s Medical Review and Assessment Service which comprise a multi-disciplinary team of 26 Medical Assessors. |
The position of CMA was advertised recently but the Department was unsuccessful in making an appointment. Pending the recruitment of a new CMA this post is being managed pro tem by the former Chief Medical Adviser. |
Salary Scale Non PPC Scale |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
- |
- |
€119,572 |
€124,917 |
€130,706 |
€136,496 |
|
- |
- |
- |
Salary Scale PPC Scale |
- |
- |
- |
|
- |
- |
- |
€125,761 |
€131,385 |
€137,481 |
€143,535 |
PPC scales apply in the case of a person recruited post April 1995 who in addition to paying full rate of PRSI also makes a personal pension contribution as part of their superannuation arrangements.
A competition is in progress to fill the Assistant Secretary vacancy.
117. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will enhance the community employment scheme in order to increase opportunities to carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25130/14]
View answerTo qualify for the carer’s allowance payment, a person must meet certain conditions. For example, they cannot be engaged in employment, self-employment, training or education courses outside the home for more than 15 hours a week as this would impact on their caring responsibilities. Community Employment (CE) involves working a 19.5 hour week, so by taking up a CE position a person would be in breach of this rule, which would cause the payment to cease.
However, when a person’s caring responsibilities cease, they can transfer to a CE-qualifying social welfare payment (e.g. jobseeker’s allowance) for at least 1 week and have their cumulative time spent in receipt of carer’s allowance and their current payment counted towards the 12 month CE-qualifying period (e.g. 51 weeks on carer’s allowance plus 1 week on jobseekers allowance will qualify the person for one year on CE).
There are no plans currently to introduce further measures in this regard in relation to participation on CE.
