Terence Flanagan
Question:96. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to deal with the problems surrounding rent supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27802/14]
View answerRent Supplement Scheme Administration
Questions (96)
Written answers
The Government has provided over €344 million for the rent supplement scheme in 2014, the purpose of which is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources. There are currently approximately 76,000 rent supplement recipients, of which over 50,000 have been in payment for more than 18 months. 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, 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.
A review of the maximum rent limits 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, 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.
Officials in the Department are continuing to engage with those in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in progressing the transfer of customers with long term housing needs on the rent supplement scheme from this Department to the local authorities under the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).
Questions Nos. 97 and 98 withdrawn.
Invalidity Pension Appeals
Questions (99)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:99. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will allow an appeal application for an invalidity pension in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27633/14]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 23 June 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 on social welfare entitlements.
One-Parent Family Payments
Questions (100, 101, 102)
Catherine Murphy
Question:100. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is satisfied that the changed rules governing entitlement to the one-parent family payment will not lead to an increase in the number of children in poverty, currently at more than 200,000; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the changes will result in many families being forced into lower household incomes at a time when price inflation in the child care sector is extremely high; if she expects single parents to be able to afford to go to work when they cannot afford child care without supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27640/14]
View answerCatherine Murphy
Question:101. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the numbers of recipients of one-parent family payment who will transfer to a jobseeker's payment, family income supplement or carer's allowance on 3 July next; the achieved or expected saving to the Exchequer arising from the changed rules in each year from 2012 to 2015 inclusive; if her Department has evidence that the changed rules will create a poverty trap; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27642/14]
View answerCatherine Murphy
Question:102. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason she has proceeded to implement the changed rules governing the one-parent family payment when she agreed on the record of Dáil Éireann on 18 April 2012 that seven years was too young for a family to contemplate removal of that support without a system of safe, affordable and accessible child care in place, similar to what is found in Scandinavia, and she further committed not to proceed with said rule change unless she had received a credible and bankable commitment to such a system of child care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27647/14]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 to 102, inclusive, together.
The one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme has played an important role in providing income support to lone parents since its introduction in 1997. The number of OFP recipients stood at 77,209 in May, 2014, and an estimated €863 million is due to be spent on the scheme in 2014. However, despite significant levels of State spending on the OFP scheme, the results have been poor in terms of tackling poverty and social exclusion rates among one-parent families. These families continue to experience higher rates of ‘consistent poverty’ in comparison to the population generally.
The reforms to the OFP scheme aim to assist lone parents escape poverty and joblessness by providing them with enhanced access to the Department’s broad range of activation supports and services. This will assist lone parents increase their skills set and job-readiness and to facilitate their entry into the workforce and hopefully achieving financial independence. The Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2012, contains provisions to reduce, on a phased basis, the maximum age limit of the youngest child at which an OFP recipient’s payment ceases to 7 years from 2014 for new entrants and from 2015 for existing recipients. This reduction yielded savings of €2 million in 2012 and of €3.94 million in 2013, and will yield estimated savings of €8.85 million in 2014 and €26.85 million in 2015.
The next phase of the OFP reform process will commence on 3 July, 2014, when approximately 5,140 customers are due to exit the OFP scheme. All affected customers have been invited by the Department to attend information sessions, with a view to briefing them on the broad range of Departmental supports that are available. Approximately 850 affected OFP customers who are in receipt of the Family Income Supplement (FIS) will have their FIS payment automatically adjusted to take account of the loss of 60% of their OFP from 3 July. Approximately 186 affected OFP customers who are also in receipt of the half-rate carer’s allowance will have their carer’s allowance claim re-rated to a full-rate carer’s allowance on 3 July when their OFP ceases.
It is expected that approximately 3,600 individuals may apply for the jobseeker’s allowance (JA) payment, with approximately 1,500 of these being eligible for the JA transitional arrangement. This transitional arrangement exempts former OFP recipients whose youngest child is under 14 years of age from having to satisfy the jobseeker conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking full time employment. The JA transitional arrangement allows lone parents with children under 14 years of age to balance their caring responsibilities and reduces significantly their requirement for child care.
Child care policy and the delivery of child care services, is the responsibility for the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs estimates that the cost of universal child care provision in Ireland could reach around €1 billion per annum. In light of the current fiscal environment, this level of funding is not available. However, as part of a package of measures in Budget 2013, I along with then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs announced an after-school child care initiative between our two Departments. The purpose of the scheme is to help to offset some of the after-school child care costs that are associated with availing of an employment opportunity in a bid to encourage more individuals to take up employment. The scheme provides 800 subsidised places and is open to both jobseekers and OFP recipients.
By refocusing some of the scheme’s original €14 million budget, both the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs and I were able to introduce the community employment (CE) child care programme. This scheme provides approximately 1,800 child care places to CE participants and was implemented in January 2014.
These two schemes are in addition to the existing supports, which are provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. These supports currently provide subsidised child care to approximately 35,000 children of low income parents. This is a vital support to parents that enables them to avail of employment opportunities, which is clearly the best route out of poverty.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (103)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:103. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider restoring the death grant. [27695/14]
View answerWritten answers
The overall concern in Budget 2014 and previous budgets has been to protect primary social welfare rates. Abolishing the bereavement grant provides an annual saving of €22 million. This allows the Department to protect other more fundamental social welfare payments such as the State pension. I have no plans to reinstate the grant.
There are a range of supports available for people following bereavement which provide more significant support than the grant. The widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner’s (contributory and non-contributory) pension which is a weekly payment, based on contributions or a means test. The widowed or surviving civil partner grant is a once-off payment of €6,000 where there is a dependent child. A number of social welfare payments, including State pension and carer’s allowance, continue in payment for six weeks following a death. There are guardian's payments where someone is looking after an orphaned child. If a person dies because of an accident at work or occupational disease, a special funeral grant of €850 is paid.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, the Department of Social Protection may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An application can be made under the ENP scheme for assistance with funeral and burial expenses. The assistance is toward the costs of the necessary basic requirements for a dignified funeral. However, there is no automatic entitlement to such an ENP payment. An ENP is a means tested payment payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the individual applicant and that of the deceased person including any savings, property, insurance policies, etc. that would render the applicant or anybody else liable for the burial costs. The Department official will also consider if a bereavement grant is available from any other source including former employer, credit union or trade union.
In 2013 the Department of Social Protection spent some €4.4m on 3,198 funerals and burials. To 23 June 2014, there have been 1,443 payments made in respect of funerals and burials at a cost of some €2.2 million.
Invalidity Pension Appeals
Questions (104)
Michael Ring
Question:104. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a decision on her invalidity pension appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27712/14]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 26 March 2014. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 12 May 2014 and the case has been 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 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 on social welfare entitlements.