Written Answers Nos. 129-145
129. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding a one-parent family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35691/14]
View answerThe number of one parent family payment (OFP) recipients stood at 71,886 in August, 2014, and an estimated €863 million is due to be spent on the scheme in 2014.
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. These reforms, which were introduced in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2012, are predicated on activation and on getting lone parents back into the workforce once their children have reached an appropriate age.
Persons in receipt of the OFP who applies for and receives the back to education allowance will have to reapply for the OFP scheme once their college course is completed. Provided that they still satisfy the underlying conditions for OFP, i.e. parenting alone and the means test, then they will subject to the same OFP age criteria they had been before they went on the back to education allowance. They will not be assessed under the criteria for new entrants to the OFP scheme.
135. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason allowances for water cannot be made as a credit payment to the State pension in the same manner that the property tax has been taken as a deduction. [35756/14]
View answerAs part of the household benefits package, a new water support payment of €25 every three months, will be introduced in January 2015. The water support will benefit some 411,000 customers, including older people, people with a disability and carers, at an annual cost of approximately €42 million.
Development work for this new payment is underway within the Department. Existing customers in receipt of household benefits, including pensioners, will not have to make any additional application to receive the new payment. The payment will be made in the same way as existing payments, i.e. direct into their bank accounts or through Post Offices.
The Department will be writing to a small group of customers who have household benefits but for whom we have no payment details as these customers are not currently in receipt of a weekly social protection payment.
137. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a matter in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry. [35805/14]
View answerThe Department is required to review the ongoing entitlement of people who are in receipt of social welfare payments. These reviews may take place at any time(s) throughout the duration of a claim and recipients of social welfare payments are statutorily obliged to co-operate with these reviews. The Department uses information available to it from any appropriate source to enable better targeting of eligibility reviews. However, such information is treated by the Department as unsubstantiated and is used to indicate which claims might benefit from a review.
In 2013 following information received from the Revenue Commissioners, the Department commenced a series of reviews of customers, including carer’s allowance recipients, who may have significant amounts of capital and investments which could affect their means.
The review of the carer’s allowance entitlement of the person concerned was initiated based on information later proven to be incorrect. However, it is very important to emphasise that the payment to the person concerned was not stopped on foot of this unsubstantiated information. The Department made every effort to establish the position regarding the means of the person concerned and adequate time was allowed for the person in question to obtain and provide the information requested by the Department as part of the review. Suspension of the carer’s allowance payment to the person concerned occurred as a direct result of the failure of the person concerned to provide the information requested within a reasonable timeframe.
Payment was subsequently reinstated as quickly as possible once the person in question provided the Department with the required information so that the review could be completed.
Notwithstanding the above, the Department has acknowledged that upset had been caused to the person concerned. In view of this, I am informed that a letter has issued directly to the person concerned apologising unreservedly for any upset caused to her by the Department’s review process in this case.
138. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will review her Department's policy of forcing retirement from community employment of supervisors and assistants once they reach the age of 66 years; her views on whether this treatment is fair, or legal; if she will take steps to cease this discriminatory practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35808/14]
View answerCommunity Employment (CE) is a non-statutory scheme put in place to support persons who are long-term unemployed and other vulnerable groups to gain the confidence and skills to re-enter the labour market. Schemes are sponsored by local community and voluntary groups who provide valuable support services to local communities. These sponsoring organisations employ supervisory staff to administer the scheme.
Funding under CE is provided under the following four headings:
- Participant Allowances;
- Material Costs (running costs/overheads/insurance, etc.);
- Training Costs; and
- Supervision Costs
Funding is provided by the Department to the Sponsoring Organisations for the employment of staff between the ages of 25 to 65 years (up to the Friday prior to becoming 66 years). This is a long established procedure which sponsoring organisations have signed up to as part of their contractual arrangement with the Department and it is applied equally across all schemes participating on CE.
I have no plans to change these arrangements.
139. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if there will be no change to the status of her Department's offices in Ballybay, County Monaghan; if there will be no reduction in the number of staff employed at that centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35810/14]
View answerTwenty-nine staff occupying two adjoining buildings on Main St. in Ballybay, Co. Monaghan, were redeployed from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Social Protection in July 2012. Those staff are engaged in the processing of the Public Services Card. Those operations are currently being expanded, requiring additional staff.
The current facilities in Ballybay are not adequate either for existing business processes or for this planned expansion including additional staff. Accordingly, options for suitable accommodation are being examined in advance of lease renewal deadlines in 2015.
Regardless of the course chosen, there will be no reduction in the number of staff employed. There has already been an increase of four staff to manage the expanding operation and this may increase further should the accommodation allow.
141. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite a carer's allowance appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35855/14]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that a carer’s allowance appeal from the person concerned was registered in that office on 19 May 2014. The Department’s file and Deciding Officer’s submission on the appeal contentions of the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 19th September 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.
143. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Carlow will have a decision on their appeal; and if she will expedite a reply. [35862/14]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal of the person concerned has been allowed by an Appeals Officer and that the person concerned was notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision on 22 September 2014.
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.
145. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite an appeal decision in respect of a disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry. [35901/14]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 19th September 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.
