Written Answers Nos. 74-80
74. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on extending the recently announced initiative to ensure that families at risk of losing their private rented accommodation can access help through their CWO in the Dublin region will be extended to County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26201/14]
View answerThe purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The overall aim is to provide short-term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are currently approximately 76,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014.
All prospective tenants, including those seeking to access rent supplement, particularly in urban areas, are now finding it increasingly difficult to secure appropriate accommodation due to the reduced availability of rental properties.
In view of the current supply difficulties being experienced in the Dublin region, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive in conjunction with the Dublin local authorities and voluntary organisations have agreed a protocol with the Department so that families at risk of losing existing private rented accommodation can have more timely and appropriate interventions made on their behalf. It is intended that this arrangement will be reviewed in the third quarter of the year.
While there are no plans to extend this arrangement to other local authority areas at this time, I can assure the Deputy that officers administering rent supplement throughout the country have considerable experience in dealing with customers and make every effort to ensure that the accommodation needs of families are met. Staff in the Department’s Community Welfare Service have discretionary powers to award a supplement for rental purposes in exceptional cases where it appears that the circumstances of the case so warrant, for example, when dealing with applicants who are homeless or who are at risk of losing their tenancy. Such cases are examined on a case by case basis having regard to the situation presented.
Finally, I want to advise the Deputy that a new rent limit review has commenced within the Department and will feed into the budgetary process. This review will involve a comprehensive analysis of information from a range of sources including rental tenancies registered with the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB), the Central Statistics Office rental indices and websites advertising rental properties. The Department will also be seeking the views from a number of stakeholders in this area including the local staff administering the scheme, colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, the Private Residential Tenancies Board and non-Government organisations such as Threshold, Focus Ireland, the Simon Community and Society of St Vincent de Paul.
75. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in a tabular format the number of persons who have accessed the insolvency payment scheme for each year between 2003 and 2013. [26203/14]
View answer76. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in a tabular form the total amount paid to persons under the insolvency payment scheme for each year between 2003 and 2013. [26204/14]
View answer77. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in a tabular form the amount paid to persons under the insolvency payment scheme for each year between 2003 and 2013, broken down by pay, holiday pay, pay in lieu of statutory notice and all other entitlements that are owed to the employees by the employer. [26205/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 75 to 77, inclusive, together.
The level of expenditure from the Social Insurance Fund (SIF) under the insolvency payments scheme for each year from 2003 to 2013 is as follows:
|
YEAR |
EXPENDITURE € |
|
2013 |
22,047,453 |
|
2012 |
21,664,104 |
|
2011 |
18,498,538 |
|
2010 |
23,585,349 |
|
2009 |
19,958,050 |
|
2008 |
10,059,545 |
|
2007 |
5,710,777 |
|
2006 |
4,280,271 |
|
2005 |
4,544,798 |
|
2004 |
5,489,003 |
|
2003 |
10,038,772 |
|
TOTAL |
145,876,656 |
Information in relation to the number of persons who have accessed the insolvency payment scheme is being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy in writing as soon as possible.
A detailed breakdown of payments made to persons from the insolvency payment scheme for each year between 2003 and 2013, broken down by pay, holiday pay, pay in lieu of statutory notice and all other entitlements that are owed to the employees by the employer is not available, as records are not kept in this format.
79. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal of a jobseeker's allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26213/14]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all the evidence, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision.
Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by the Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or new facts.
Following the submission of additional evidence the Appeals Officer has agreed to review the case. The person concerned will be contacted when the review of her 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 on social welfare entitlements.
80. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection the protocols that have been put in place to ensure a prompt answering of telephone calls made to published lines of the Department of Social Protection to ensure quality customer service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26229/14]
View answerMy Department receives in excess of 650,000 telephone calls per month, across its network of Intreo Centres, local offices, branch offices and headquarter buildings. In addition to the telephone service the Department provides a range of contact channels for customers including e-mail, SMS (text), through our website www.welfare.ie and face to face.
LoCall numbers are in operation for the Department’s scheme areas for a number of years. This system works successfully in conjunction with Interactive Voice Response technology to facilitate customers making contact with the appropriate section of the Department, at a low cost to the caller. A call management system is also in place across all headquarter buildings which allows managers to monitor and manage call volumes. It provides a flexible means of managing sudden peaks in customer demand and allows for the active management of calls by way of assigning more staff to the phone lines at peak periods.
Intreo Centres and social welfare local offices also provide a telephone service to customers and in response to increased pressures in recent years, a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the processing of claims have been put in place. These initiatives, including a dedicated appointment service for jobseekers, aim to ensure that customers are given comprehensive information and advice at the initial stages of their claim thereby reducing the need for customers to contact the Department by phone with follow-up queries.
In order to equip staff to deal effectively with customers, the Department provides training in customer service which includes communicating effectively with customers, effective telephone techniques, active listening and the importance of understanding and empathy. Training courses also include the raising of awareness of disability, mental health and diversity issues relevant to staff and customers.
The Department has a formal comments and complaints procedure in place to allow customers give feedback on the quality of services they receive and customers can report poor customer service by email to qcs@welfare.ie, by calling 1890 66 22 44, online on www.welfare.ie or by writing to Customer Services, Department of Social Protection, College Road, Sligo. All such complaints are investigated and appropriate action taken to address them.
