Written Answers Nos. 188-204
188. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision on a domiciliary care allowance will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2284/15]
View answerThe person concerned applied for domiciliary care allowance in respect of her child on 6 October 2014. The application was disallowed as it was considered that the child did not meet the eligibility criteria for the allowance. A decision letter issued to the customer on 10 January 2015 advising of the decision.
In the case of an application which is refused on medical grounds the applicant may submit additional information and ask for the decision to be reviewed or they may appeal the decision directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office within twenty one days.
189. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 is receiving €90 a week jobseeker's benefit rather than the full amount in view of the fact that their spouse only works 24 hours a week and cannot guarantee overtime payments. [2286/15]
View answerThe person concerned was in receipt of jobseeker’s benefit until 31 December 2014 when his entitlement to this payment expired. He submitted an application for jobseeker’s allowance which was approved with effect from 1 January 2015. As this allowance is a means-tested payment, earnings from the spouse of the person concerned are taken into account when calculating the amount payable to him; consequently his entitlement is €93.60 per week. This calculation is in accordance with social welfare legislation. The person concerned has the right to appeal this decision to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office.
190. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who is facing eviction; her plans to address the issues raised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2296/15]
View answerThe Department is currently in communication with the family concerned and the customer concerned is in receipt of their full entitlement to Rent Supplement based on their monthly rent, weekly income and family composition.
The customer’s Rent Supplement was reassessed in March 2014, which was not related to rental costs, but followed the award of a Jobseekers Allowance payment to her daughter. As required by legislation, all recipients of Rent Supplement and all adult residents in the household in receipt of their own income, are liable to make a minimum contribution towards rent.
193. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a domiciliary care allowance appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2310/15]
View answerThe person concerned applied for domiciliary care allowance in respect of two children on 16 July 2014. The applications were not allowed as the children were not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on 9 October 2014 advising of these decisions.
In the case of an application which was refused on medical grounds the applicant may submit additional information and/or ask for the decision to be reviewed or they may appeal the decision directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office within 21 days. A review of the decisions was requested and additional information on the children’s condition/care needs was supplied on 15 October and 19 November 2014. The applications together with the new information supplied will be examined by another medical assessor. Once new opinions are received the applications will be re-examined by a deciding officer and revised decisions will be made if warranted. The person concerned will be notified of the outcome of the reviews as soon as they are completed.
195. Deputy James Bannon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision on a carer's allowance will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2475/15]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person in question on 10 December 2014. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
196. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the amount spent by her Department on special advisers for each of the past four years; the way this compares with the four years from 2007 to 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2512/15]
View answerThe amount spent by the Department of Social Protection on special advisors for the years specified by the Deputy is outlined in the tabular statement. Costs include basic salary and employer’s liability with regard to pay related social insurance.
TABULAR STATEMENT: SPECIAL ADVISORS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL PROTECTION 2007 TO 2014
|
YEAR |
TOTAL SALARY |
T&S |
ANNUAL COST |
|
2014 |
|
|
|
|
Tánaiste Joan Burton T.D. |
€191,319 |
€0 |
€191,319 |
|
Minister Joan Burton T.D |
€130,975 |
€0 |
€130,975 |
|
2013 |
|
|
|
|
Minister Joan Burton T.D. |
€221, 869 |
€464 |
€222.333 |
|
2012 |
|
|
|
|
Minister Joan Burton T.D. |
€225,116 |
€646 |
€225,762 |
|
2011 |
|
|
|
|
Minister Joan Burton T.D. |
€97,833 |
€0 |
€97,833 |
|
Minister Eamon O Cúiv T.D. |
€37,921 |
€0 |
€37,921 |
|
Total 2011 |
|
|
€135,754 |
|
2010 |
|
|
|
|
Minister Eamon O Cúiv T.D. |
€134,959 |
€955 |
€135,914 |
|
Minister Mary Hanafin T.D. |
€47,261 |
€69 |
€47,330 |
|
Total 2010 |
|
|
€183,244 |
|
2009 |
|
|
|
|
Minister Mary Hanafin T.D. |
€186,976 |
€405 |
€187,381 |
|
2008 |
|
|
|
|
Minister Mary Hanafin T.D. |
€111,752 |
€470 |
€112,222 |
|
Minister Martin Cullen T.D. |
€35,099 |
€0 |
€35,099 |
|
Total 2008 |
|
|
€147,321 |
|
2007 |
|
|
|
|
Minister Martin Cullen T.D. |
€48,269 |
€0 |
€48,269 |
|
Minister Seamus Brennan T.D. |
€110,899 |
€22,127 |
€133,026 |
|
Total 2007 |
|
|
€181,295 |
197. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the amount spent by her Department on ministerial drivers and associated travel expenses for each of the past four years; the way this compares with similar expenditure for the four years from 2007 to 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2528/15]
View answerOn taking office, this Government reformed the transport arrangement for Ministers which has radically reduced the cost of travel. The Government decided to confine the use of State cars from 1 May 2011 to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence. As a result, the average cost of providing transport has been reduced by 65% - from an average cost of €280,000 per minister in 2010 to a current annual estimate of €100,000 per annum.
The previous practice whereby all Ministers were provided with State cars and Garda drivers fell within the remit of the Department of Justice and in this regard details of the costs involved in respect of 2010 and the first four months of 2011 would be a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence.
The total cost of my ministerial transport in the Department for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 to my appointment as Tánaiste on 4 July 2014 is outlined in the table below. The cost includes mileage for the use of my own car for official business and remuneration (including employers liability with regard to PRSI) for two civilian drivers to that date.
|
Year |
Total Cost |
|
2011 |
€32,790.95 |
|
2012 |
€70,514.69 |
|
2013 |
€80,145.20 |
|
2014 to July 2014 |
€72,238.70 |
Since my appointment as Tánaiste on 4 July 2014, I have been provided with a state car and Garda Driver, the cost for which is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence.
The total ministerial transport costs that relate to Mr Kevin Humphreys T.D., Minister of State from his date of his appointment in July 2014 is outlined in the table below:
|
Year |
Total Cost |
|
September 2014 to 31 December 2014 |
€27,915.30 |
The cost includes mileage for the use of his own car for official business and remuneration for 2 Civilian Drivers to that date.
198. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will review a matter regarding rent supplement in respect of persons (details supplied) in Dublin 12. [2543/15]
View answerDepartmental officials have discretionary powers under Article 38 of S.I. 412/2007 to award a supplement where it appears that the circumstances of the case so warrant and is of an exceptional nature. Such cases are examined on a case by case basis having regard to the situation presented. The person concerned was awarded rent supplement where the monthly rent is in excess of the prescribed rent limits, in order to prevent homelessness, under this legislation.
Rent supplement is subject to a means test which is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) appropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. The weekly minimum contribution is €30 for a single adult household and €40 for coupled households. Many recipients pay more than this amount because recipients are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic SWA rate towards their accommodation costs.
The rent supplement claim for the person concerned has been reviewed again. The means testing of the application showed that his family have a total weekly contribution of €140.70. The rent charged equates to €276.90 per week and their entitlement to rent supplement is calculated at €136.20 per week or €590.30 per calendar month. This calculation is correct and is in accordance with Social Welfare legislation. It is not possible to apply a different means test in order to reduce the persons’ contribution or increase the amount of rent supplement payable.
201. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the cuts due to be imposed on lone parents; the reason there is a proposed cut on lone parents who are in receipt of a half rate carer’s allowance and will no longer be eligible for the OPFP due to the age of their youngest child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2572/15]
View answer206. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the cut that is facing lone parents who are in receipt of a half rate carer’s allowance, who will no longer be eligible for the one parent family payment due to the age of their youngest child and will lose €86 a week when they are transferred to the full carer's allowance; if she will review same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2613/15]
View answer208. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will review and reverse the decision regarding lone parents who are in receipt of a half rate carer's allowance for caring for someone other than their own children who will no longer be eligible for the one parent family payment due to the age of their youngest child and who will lose €86 a week as they will be transferred to a full rate carer's allowance which will not amount to the same as the full one parent family payment and the half rate carer's allowance which is a huge loss of income to these vulnerable families; if she will put another payment in place of the one parent family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2672/15]
View answerI propose to take Question Nos. 201, 206, and 208 together.
As of the end of November, 2014, there were 70,304 recipients of the one-parent family payment (OFP). Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the OFP scheme of approximately €607 million.
The purpose of the phased OFP scheme age change reforms that were introduced in the Social Welfare and Pensions Act, 2012, is to reduce long-term social welfare dependency by ending the expectation that lone parents will remain outside of the workforce indefinitely. These reforms aim to provide the necessary supports to lone parents to help them to access the Department’s range of education, training, and employment programmes, to develop their skills set and, ultimately, to secure employment and financial independence.
The final phase of the OFP scheme age change reforms will be taking place on 2 July, 2015, when the maximum age limit of the youngest child at which an OFP recipient’s payment ceases will be reduced to 7 years for all recipients. It is anticipated that approximately 30,200 OFP recipients will transition out of the OFP scheme on that day.
When introducing the OFP scheme age change reforms, a special provision was included for recipients who are claiming the domiciliary care allowance (DCA) payment for a disabled child aged under 16 years alongside a half-rate carer’s allowance (CA). The half-rate CA is only payable for children aged under 16 years where the DCA is also in payment.
In these circumstances, the OFP payment is extended beyond the maximum age limit of the scheme and paid until the child for whom the DCA is in payment reaches the age of 16 years. This special provision ensures that OFP recipients who care for a disabled child will continue to receive support until that child reaches the age of 16 years and can apply for the disability allowance (DA) in their own right.
As a result of this special provision, 1,650 lone parents will continue to receive both the OFP payment and half-rate CA and will not be affected by the OFP scheme age change reforms on 2 July, 2015.
Approximately 800 other customers who are claiming both the OFP and half-rate CA payments are caring for another person (i.e. an adult or a child aged 16 years or over) and, as such, are not in receipt of the DCA payment. These customers will transition out of the OFP scheme on 2 July, 2015, and will have their CA claim automatically assessed and re-rated to a full-rate CA payment of €204 per week and €29.80 per week for each qualified child. The income loss occurs as these lone parents are moving from one-and-a-half payments to a single full-rate CA payment. This is the most advantageous option that is available to these lone parents. These individuals will retain their existing secondary benefits such as the respite care grant, free travel and the household benefits package.
Historically, the transition of recipients from the OFP scheme to the CA scheme has always occurred in this manner, with concurrent OFP and half-rate CA entitlement being replaced with full-rate CA entitlement once the maximum age limit of the youngest child is reached. There are no plans to review the ongoing OFP entitlement to the age of the youngest child.
202. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans to provide free travel to the survivors of residential institutions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2575/15]
View answerThere are currently approximately 800,000 people in Ireland in receipt of free travel at an annual cost of €77 million per annum.
The free travel scheme is available to all people aged over 66 living permanently in the State and this would include the majority of those who lived in residential institutions. Applicants who are under age 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment in order to qualify for the scheme. The qualifying payments for those aged under 66 are invalidity pension, blind pension, disability allowance, carer’s allowance or an equivalent social security payment from a country covered by EC Regulations or one with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement.
Any decision to extend the free travel scheme to persons who are not in receipt of a primary qualifying payment would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in the context of budget negotiations.
203. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding fuel allowance entitlements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2609/15]
View answerThe fuel allowance is a payment of €20 to low income households to assist them with their energy costs. The allowance is paid for 26 weeks from October to April. The payment represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.
The allowance is paid to approximately 415,000 customers at an estimated cost of €208 million in 2014. This includes people in receipt of job-seekers allowance or basic supplementary welfare allowance for more than 15 months (390 days).
The fuel allowance is a means tested payment, targeted at those who are more vulnerable to energy poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own. Short term payments such as jobseeker’s benefit are not means tested payments and therefore do not qualify for the fuel allowance.
204. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding jobseeker's allowance entitlements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2610/15]
View answerThe jobseeker's benefit and jobseeker’s allowance schemes provide income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2015 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseekers’ schemes of €3.01 billion.
It is a fundamental qualifying condition of both schemes that a person must be fully unemployed for four in any period of seven consecutive days, so a person working four or more days a week will not qualify.
It is recognised that a changing labour market has resulted in a move away from the more traditional work patterns, resulting in an increase in the number of persons employed for less than a full week. This is an important policy issue for the Department but any changes to the current criteria could have significant cost implications for the jobseekers’ schemes
The Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare has examined the issue of the interaction of the tax and social welfare systems to determine how the social welfare system can best achieve its goals of supporting persons through periods of involuntary unemployment, while incentivising work and disincentivising welfare dependency. I am currently considering the report of the Group.
