Written Answers Nos. 32-42
32. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost in 2015 of the planned €100 payment to persons in receipt of the household benefits package to alleviate the impact of water charges; the additional cost of extending the payment to recipients of the fuel allowance who do not receive the household benefits package; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36238/14]
View answer33. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost, in 2015, of increasing the €100 payment to €150 for persons in receipt of the household benefits package to alleviate the impact of water charges; the additional cost of extending the payment at the same rate to recipients of the fuel allowance who do not receive the household benefits package; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36239/14]
View answer51. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost of extending the household benefits package to recipients of carer's benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36386/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 33 and 51 together.
The household benefits package comprises the electricity/gas allowance (€35 per month) and the free television licence scheme (€160 per annum). At present, it is paid to some 411,000 customers, with expenditure estimated at €230 million for 2014.
From 2015 the household benefits package will also include a quarterly water support payment of €25. The estimated cost of this new water support payment of €100 per annum will be in the region of €42 million in 2015.
There are approximately 226,000 people in receipt of fuel allowance who do not receive the household benefits package. Extending the water support payment to these people would cost in the region of €22.6 million.
If the water support was increased to €150 annually, the estimated cost in 2015 would be €63 million, based on the existing cohort of household benefits customers. Extending a water support payment of €150 to people in receipt of the fuel allowance would cost in the region of an additional €33.9 million.
There are currently approximately 1,750 people in receipt of care’s benefit. Extending household benefits, including water support, to all of these people would cost €1.2 million per annum. The cost would be less if household benefits were paid only where the carer is living with the person being cared for as is the practice with carer's allowance.
The household benefits package was envisaged as a way of providing some additional support for those who are elderly or on long-term welfare payments. Issues in relation to all social welfare supports in 2015 are a matter for Government in the context of the forthcoming Budget.
34. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 171 of 18 September 2014, when it is expected the process of procurement of third party providers of employment services for the JobPath programme will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36254/14]
View answerJobPath is the Government’s new labour market activation service aimed specifically at the long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed. JobPath will be delivered by third party providers of employment services under contract to the Department. JobPath will augment and complement the Department’s existing employment service capacity as well as that of the Local Employment Service (LES) and Job Clubs, which already operate under contract to the Department, thereby increasing capacity to provide supports to assist jobseekers in obtaining employment.
The Department expects to be in a position to notify tenderers of the outcome of the evaluation process shortly.
35. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the position regarding an application made for a domiciliary care allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36256/14]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 20th February 2014. This application was referred to one of the Department's Medical Assessors who did not consider that the child met the medical criteria for the allowance. A letter issued on the 10th April 2014 outlining the decision of the deciding officer to refuse the allowance.
A review of this decision was requested on 20th August 2014 and additional information on this child's condition/care needs has been supplied. The application together with the new information supplied will now be examined by another medical assessor. Once their opinion is received the application will be re-examined by a deciding officer and a revised decision will be made, if warranted. The person concerned will be notified of the outcome of this review as soon as it is completed.
38. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to detail the cost of restoring by 50% the funds cut to the back to school clothing and footwear allowance introduced since the Government came into office; the cost of fully restoring the cuts outline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36269/14]
View answerThe back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €46.3 million for the scheme in 2014 and provided assistance to over 160,000 families this year.
It is estimated that the cost to restore the 2011 rates for the back to school allowance by 50% based on current eligibility criteria would be approximately €16.5 million and the cost to restore in full the 2011 rates would be approximately €33 million.
39. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost of restoring, by 50%, the cut in funding in the electricity and gas element of the household benefits package that has been introduced since the Government came to office; the cost of fully restoring the funding cuts outlined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36270/14]
View answer40. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost of restoring, by 50%, the cut in funding in the telephone allowance element of the household benefits package that have been introduced since the Government came to office; the cost of fully restoring the funding cuts outlined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36271/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 40 together.
The overall concern of Government in Budget 2014 and previous Budgets has been to protect the primary social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions at approx. €6.5 billion is the largest block of expenditure in the Department in the Estimate for 2014, representing approx. 33% of overall expenditure. Because of demographic changes the Department's spending on older people is increasing year on year. In 2013, the Department had to make provision for an additional €190 million for the increasing number of pensioners. Maintaining the rate of the State pension and other core payments is critical in protecting people from poverty.
The adjustments made to the household benefits package in recent years have made it much easier for customers to switch to cheaper energy suppliers, without the loss of any credits they may have built up. The decision to discontinue the telephone allowance provided annual savings of €48 million and meant that the Department was able to retain the other elements of the household benefits package such as the electricity and gas allowance and the television licence. These are valuable supports for recipients. The Department will spend €230 million this year on these elements of the household benefits package for over 411,000 customers.
The fuel allowance scheme and the free travel pass were also protected for older people and people with disabilities. The living alone allowance was maintained at €7.70 per week.
In 2010 the monthly value of the free electricity allowance was €40.70. It is currently €35.00. Restoring the allowance to 2010 levels would cost an additional €28 million for 411,000 customers. Restoring the allowance by 50% would cost an additional €14 million.
In 2010 the monthly value of the telephone allowance was €26. The telephone allowance was discontinued in 2014. Restoring the telephone allowance to 2010 levels would cost an additional €128 million. Restoring the allowance by 50% would cost an additional €64 million.
41. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to detail the cost of restoring by 50% the cut in funding that has resulted in a reduction in training and materials grants for community employment scheme, back to education and jobs initiative schemes introduced since the Government came to office; the cost of fully restoring the funding cuts outlined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36272/14]
View answerCommunity Employment (CE) schemes have achieved significant efficiencies over the past 2 years in their administration (circa €11m per annum). Where there have been individual cases that warranted further attention, these were reviewed at a local level and adjustments made where the circumstances permitted. The Department continues to monitor expenditure in line with the programme’s operational guidelines. As the Deputy may be aware, an additional €1.3m was allocated to the CE training budget in 2013 in order to support the provision of training to participants. The CE Financial Review of Schemes in 2012 highlighted that schemes could still operate efficiently and effectively with better targeting of funding and improvements in the administration of the schemes required by the Department.
Under the revised funding arrangements agreed with sponsors, schemes were given individual allocations of financial support aimed at meeting the particular costs necessarily incurred by them, having regard to economies made by the scheme and to the overall level of funding available for community employment nationally.
Please note that there are 2,000 more places on CE now than in 2012 with an increase in the CE annual budget increased from €352m in 2013 to €357m in 2014.
Job Initiative is closed to new entrants since November 2004 and the programme budget is reducing in line with the decreasing participant numbers via exits and retirements. There are currently 1,051 participants and Team Leaders on the JI programme. Over the past 2 years the JI programme has achieved efficiencies in the administration of the order of €2m per annum.
The cost of education allowance that formed part of Back to Education Allowance was reduced from €500 to €300 in 2012 and abolished the following year from January 2013. This amounted to a reduction in expenditure of circa €7.8m.
42. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost of restoring, by 50%, the cut in funding provided for child benefit introduced since the Government came to office; the cost of fully restoring the funding cuts outlined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36273/14]
View answerSince 2011, the monthly rates of child benefit have been standardised at €130 per month. The cost of increasing the rate of child benefit to the rates that applied in 2011 (including the re-introduction of certain grants payable in respect of multiple births) is estimated at €215 million in a full year. The cost of restoring the rate of child benefit to 50% of the 2011 rates is estimated at €108 million in a full year.
Issues in relation to the rate of social welfare supports in 2015 are a matter for Government in the context of the forthcoming Budget.
