Barry Cowen
Question:155. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive a decision on their application for disability allowance. [48089/14]
View answerDisability Allowance Appeals
Questions (155)
Written answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 5th November 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.
Question No. 156 withdrawn.
Carer's Allowance Appeals
Questions (157)
Barry Cowen
Question:157. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive a decision on their appeal for carer's allowance. [48092/14]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5th November 2014. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be 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.
Question No. 158 withdrawn.
Invalidity Pension Appeals
Questions (159)
Barry Cowen
Question:159. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive a decision on their appeal for invalidity pension. [48094/14]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 28th April 2014. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 10th November 2014 and the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on 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.
Disability Allowance Appeals
Questions (160)
Barry Cowen
Question:160. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive a decision on their appeal for disability allowance. [48095/14]
View answerWritten answers
I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned was informed of the Appeals Officers decision on 12th August 2014. 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 receipt of additional information from the person concerned the case was referred back to the Appeals Officer for review. The Appeals Officer subsequently referred the case to a Social Welfare Inspector to further investigate the means of the person concerned. The person concerned will be contacted when the review of his 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
Questions Nos. 161 to 163, inclusive, withdrawn.
Community Employment Schemes Eligibility
Questions (164)
Michael McGrath
Question:164. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if persons who do not qualify for jobseeker's allowance by virtue of the means test are eligible to participate in a community employment scheme; her plans to change the rules in this regard; if she will provide a list of the training and activation measures that are available to such persons presently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48161/14]
View answerWritten answers
Persons who do not qualify for jobseeker's allowance by virtue of the means test are ineligible to participate on a Community Employment (CE) scheme. In general, only those in receipt of a CE-qualifying payment for the requisite period of time are eligible to participate on the CE programme.
Given the scale of unemployment, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives has been to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. Accordingly, the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused, in the first instance, on the cohort of people who are unemployed and in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. There are no plans to make changes to these arrangements at present.
Despite this focus, access to training and employment programmes is also open to other groups under certain circumstances. Thus, persons who have been signing for credits for three months (78 days) of the last six months are eligible to participate in the JobBridge programme. Persons signing on for credits for 12 months or longer are also entitled to participate on Momentum provided that they have been actively seeking work. Persons signing for credits for six months or more are entitled to participate on VTOS courses subject to availability. In the case of VTOS courses, participants do not receive a training allowance but may receive travel and lunch allowances.
More generally, a range of services are available to persons who are unemployed but not in receipt of a social welfare payment. For example, employment services, such as advice on job-search activities and the use of online job search tools, are available to people if they register with the Department’s employment services offices, regardless of their social welfare status.
Furthermore, unemployed persons not in receipt of payments may also be eligible to avail of up-skilling opportunities, for example through ETB (formerly FÁS) training for unemployed people. While they are not eligible to receive a training allowance while undertaking the course, they may receive travel and lunch allowances.
The Work Placement Programme is also open to persons not in receipt of a social welfare payment, although the participant will not receive a payment while on the programme.
Question No. 165 withdrawn.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (166)
John McGuinness
Question:166. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if the review of an assessment relative to a social welfare claim in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny has been completed. [48214/14]
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 9 December 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.
Question No. 167 withdrawn.
Jobseeker's Allowance Eligibility
Questions (168)
Michael Creed
Question:168. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason parents whose eligibility for one-parent family payment ceases due to their youngest child turning 16 are ineligible for the jobseeker's allowance transition payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48250/14]
View answerWritten answers
The jobseeker's allowance (JA) transitional arrangement is available to lone parents who have previously been in receipt of the one-parent family payment (OFP) within the last three years, are parenting alone, are eligible for a JA payment and have a youngest child between 7 and 13 years of age, inclusive. Individuals who qualify for the JA transitional arrangement are exempt from having to be available for, and genuinely seeking, full-time employment and can avail of this arrangement until their youngest child reaches 14 years of age.
The JA transitional arrangement thus enables these parents to balance their caring responsibilities with work and significantly reduces their requirement for child care. It allows lone parents to work part-time without restrictions (e.g. mornings only) and still receive a JA payment – subject to a means test. They also have access to the ‘Intreo’ activation process and supports to enable them to become job-ready and/or find employment.
The exemptions from the full JA conditions remain in place until their youngest child reaches the age of 14 years, at which point, should they continue to claim the JA payment, they will be subjected to the scheme’s full conditionality.
The current cut off point for receipt of a payment under the JA transitional arrangement is the youngest child’s 14th birthday. The rationale for this age threshold is, in conjunction with the OFP scheme, to provide a tapered support to lone parents with young children - up to 14 years of age, while also maintaining the policy goal that they will not remain outside the labour market indefinitely. At 14 years of age the youngest child will be in secondary school and so the need for childcare will be substantially reduced in comparison with younger children.
There are no plans to change this at the present time.
Rent Supplement Scheme Payments
Questions (169, 176)
Joe Carey
Question:169. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on introducing reforms to the rent supplement scheme which would enable those on low incomes to avail of a portion of rent supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48262/14]
View answer
Stephen Donnelly
Question:176. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection following recent research from the Private Residential Tenancies Board, which shows that rents across the State have continued to increase, if she will increase rent supplement payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48401/14]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 169 and 176 together.
The purpose of the rent supplement scheme 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 approximately 71,800 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014.
I am acutely aware of the difficulties people are experiencing in maintaining affordable rented accommodation in areas of high demand in the current market in line with the findings by the Private Residential Tenancies Board. I am keeping the matter regarding rent limits under consideration and the review being undertaken by the Department will be finalised shortly. However, the Department is in a position of both significant influence in the private rented market and responsibility and there is a real concern that increased rent limits may add to further rental inflation and impact, not alone on rent supplement recipients, but also on many lower income workers, their families and students.
Emergency actions are being undertaken within the administration of the rent supplement scheme through the increased use of flexibility in relation to rent limits, including under the Interim Tenancy Sustainment Protocol operating in Dublin. A notice reminding all Community Welfare Service staff of their statutory discretionary power to award a supplement for rental purposes, for example, when dealing with applicants who are at risk of losing their tenancy was circulated in July 2014 and a further instruction issued last week.
Staff are increasing rental payments as necessary and are actively engaging with the various local authorities and organisations involved in homelessness. The Department is reviewing the local arrangements in place throughout the country to strengthen the existing framework to ensure that the necessary supports continue to be provided in a consistent manner.
I advise that where a person in receipt of rent supplement is at risk of losing their tenancy they should make contact with the Tenancy Protection Service provided by Threshold in Dublin at 1800 454 454 or their local Community Welfare Service throughout the country.
Rent supplement is not generally payable where a person or their spouse/partner is in full time employment i.e. 30 hours or more per week. However, a person on rent supplement who is deemed by a local authority to be eligible to participate in the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) scheme may engage in full-time employment and retain entitlement. Payment is subject to the standard means test and may continue while the local authority is making arrangements to transfer the tenant to RAS.
The Department’s strategic policy direction is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of a short-term income support scheme. Under the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer to local authorities. To date, over 390 persons have transferred to HAP in the selected local authorities. HAP will provide a more integrated system of housing supports and has been designed to allow any households that find full-time employment to remain in the scheme.
Farm Assist Scheme Appeals
Questions (170)
Brendan Griffin
Question:170. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on a farm assist appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48263/14]
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 4th November 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.