Willie O'Dea
Question:21. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on recent IMF commentary on the issues surrounding child benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4913/15]
View answerChild Benefit Payments
Questions (21)
Written answers
Child Benefit is a universal payment made to families with children. It assists those families with cost associated with raising children. It is paid to almost 1.2 million children in over 600,000 families. The estimated expenditure in 2014 was €1.9 billion. I am aware that in its Concluding Statement of the 2015 Article IV Mission the IMF suggests that further means-testing of benefits, or taxation of universal benefits, could generate significant savings while ensuring those on lower incomes are protected. Child Benefit is of crucial importance to families, particularly middle-income families who would stand to lose money if a means tested or taxable system were introduced. Furthermore, means testing or taxing child benefit could raise significant legislative, operational, IT and incentive issues.
A crucial element of a strong and sustainable welfare system is the principle that everybody contributes, and that the system is there in turn to support those contributors at key stages in their lives. Child Benefit is one of the few universal payments in the welfare system in that regard, and its universality has an important role to play in maintaining the sustainability of the system.
We are committed to delivering a new deal on living standards to ensure that economic recovery is felt by low and middle income working families. Thus, Budget 2015 increased child benefit by €5 per month, at a cost of €72 million. Other measures supporting families include the introduction of the Back to Work Family Dividend and increased expenditure on school meals.
Child Poverty
Questions (22)
Mick Wallace
Question:22. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the measures her Department has taken since the start of 2015, and the measures envisaged in the short and long-term, to deal with rising child poverty here in view of recent statistics from the Central Statistics Office. [4984/15]
View answerWritten answers
The CSO SILC release for 2013 shows that 11.7 per cent of children were in consistent poverty, a slight but not statistically significant increase on the 2012 rate. On the other hand, the at-risk-of-poverty for children decreased from 18.8 per cent in 2012 to 17.9 per cent in 2013. A key driver in reducing income poverty among children is social transfers, which reduce the at-risk-of-poverty rate for children from 45.5% to 17.9%, thereby lifting a quarter of all children out of poverty. This equates to a poverty reduction effect of 60.7% in 2013, an increase on the 2012, when the poverty reduction effect was 50.1 per cent. Ireland is amongst the best performing member states in the EU in this regard. In Budget 2015, the Government committed a further €96 million for children, including an increase of €5 per month in child benefit. €72 million extra will be spent on child benefit in 2015 with €22 million provided for expenditure on the new Back to Work Family Dividend and an additional €2 million on the School Meals Programme.
Government policy around tackling poverty for children and families has recently been articulated in Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: The national policy framework for children & young people 2014-2020, which adopted a child-specific social target for poverty reduction aiming to lift 70,000 children out of poverty by 2020, equivalent to a reduction of two-thirds on the 2011 rate. To achieve this target the Government is implementing a multidimensional approach to tackling child poverty, building on the lifecycle approach in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, 2007-2016 and informed by the European Commission’s Recommendation on ‘Investing in children: Breaking the cycle of disadvantage’.
A key way to tackle child poverty is to get parents back to work. Through Pathways to Work and the Action Plan on Jobs, the Government is putting people into real jobs. The Family Income Supplement and new Back to Work Family Dividend will support parents, especially those furthest from the labour market, to take up and remain in employment.
Civil Registration Legislation
Questions (23)
David Stanton
Question:23. Deputy David Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 41 of 22 January 2015 regarding the commencement of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014, the progress to date on the implementation plan to put into operation the provisions of the Act; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4972/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 was enacted on 4 December 2014. The Act contains a wide range of provisions and these will be commenced on a step by step basis. The provisions of the Act will be put into operation on the basis of an implementation plan involving both procedural and system changes.
It is intended that this work will be progressed as quickly as possible in order that the various provisions of the Act can be commenced.
Jobseeker's Allowance Data
Questions (24)
Mattie McGrath
Question:24. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of jobseekers under 25 years of age in County Tipperary who to date have been offered and completed a personal progression plan as part of the Youth Guarantee; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4714/15]
View answerWritten answers
From 1 January 2014 to 12 January 2015, a total of 129 jobseekers in County Tipperary completed a Personal Progression Plan while under 25 years of age on the date of completion. The completion of a Personal Progression Plan is a unique feature of the activation and case management service within the INTREO model. This figure does not, therefore, include Jobseekers under 25 years of age who availed of employment supports outside the INTREO service model, for example, through the Local Employment Services.
Departmental Staff
Questions (25)
Maureen O'Sullivan
Question:25. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she is satisfied that front-line clerical officers in social welfare offices are qualified to make emergency needs payments to the most vulnerable in society; the specific training given to staff who are responsible for making decisions to assist them in acting as community welfare officers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4771/15]
View answerWritten answers
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. The Government has provided €27.9 million for the scheme in 2015. 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 case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
Clerical officers do not make decisions in relation to applications for ENPs. The assessment of need and the decision on any such claim is reserved to a Designated Person, formerly referred to as Community Welfare Officer. In some offices, clerical officers provide administrative support to the Designated Person in the processing of applications for ENPs.
This administrative support would include:
- providing customers with information at reception or in response to telephone queries.
- providing customers with application packs to facilitate claim.
- preparation of applicant file.
- verification of applicant income on the Department’s payment system.
- liaising with the Designated Person where the customer indicates an urgent response is required.
JobPath Implementation
Questions (26)
Seán Kyne
Question:26. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the progress made in implementing JobPath; the contracts on the service provision that have been completed; the level of ongoing engagement between her Department and the service provider; the measurement criteria for the operation of JobPath in terms of achieving the stated aims and objectives; if JobPath will be available in all areas of the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4982/15]
View answerWritten answers
JobPath is a new programme of employment activation intended to support people, who are long-term unemployed (over 12 months) or most at risk of becoming long term unemployed, to secure and sustain full-time paid employment or self-employment. The Department is currently in the process of finalising contracts with the aim of commencing the programme in mid-2015. The Department is working closely with the companies on the development of the detailed operational procedures required to implement JobPath. The key objectives and measures of JobPath include increasing the number of JobPath clients moving into employment; increasing the duration of sustained periods of employment; reducing the average duration of unemployment and the level of JobPath client satisfaction with the service. When fully operational, JobPath will be available nationwide.
One-Parent Family Payment Payments
Questions (27)
Seamus Healy
Question:27. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will restore the income disregard for lone parents at work from €75 per week in 2015 to €146.50 per week, the level pertaining before budget 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4987/15]
View answerWritten answers
Budget 2012 introduced a number of reforms to the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme. These included the planned phased reduction of the OFP scheme earnings disregard from €146.50 per week to €60 per week between January, 2012, and January, 2016, respectively. The OFP scheme income disregard was last reduced from €110 per week to €90 per week on 1 January, 2014. As part of the measures introduced in the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Act, 2014, I got the agreement of Government that the planned reduction to €75 would not go ahead and the disregard has been maintained at €90 per week.
The further reductions to the income disregard that were scheduled to occur in January 2015, and in January, 2016, will now not take place. This will benefit approximately 28,000 working OFP recipients in 2015.
The cost of the retention of the OFP disregard at €90 per week is €8 million in 2015 and €10 million in later years. There are currently no plans to further alter these provisions
However, the introduction of the Back to Work Family Dividend as announced in Budget 2015 provides a further incentive for jobseekers and OFP recipients to avail of employment opportunities by allowing them to retain their increase for a qualified child when they leave welfare for employment or self-employment. The combination of the introduction of the Back to Work Family Dividend and the retention of the OFP earnings disregard at €90 per week are both positive and welcome as they improve the financial incentive for lone parents to avail of employment opportunities.
National Internship Scheme Data
Questions (28)
Paul Murphy
Question:28. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the use of JobBridge interns by companies which are running job clubs on behalf of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4977/15]
View answerWritten answers
The Department funds the operation of 50 Job Clubs located around the State. These Job Clubs are operated by 46 independent contractors who are, in the main, not for profit Local Development Companies (LDCs) and community based organisations. As Job Club providers are private limited companies they are entitled to be treated like any other employer for the purposes of JobBridge. In that regard, like any employer organisation, the remit of staff in Job Clubs can extend to assisting and training of new recruits (including interns) as well as providing actual work experience. Regarding the appropriateness of JobBridge interns working in Job Clubs, the question of the suitability of any individual intern to undertake particular roles is a matter to be assessed, on a case by case basis, by Job Club management.
Department records show that only two Job Clubs have hosted JobBridge interns. Department management is satisfied that the use of interns did not give rise to any cause for concern in these instances. In addition, Departmental records show that all of these interns who completed an internship subsequently entered into paid employment. Accordingly the internships appear to have met their purpose in providing a bridge between unemployment and paid employment. Their use was therefore an appropriate activation intervention and is to be welcomed rather than criticised.
State Pensions Payments
Questions (29)
Thomas P. Broughan
Question:29. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will report on recent proposals for further cuts to the State pension; if she will report on proposed changes to the State pension; and the work that has been done on a proposed universal pension savings scheme. [4715/15]
View answerWritten answers
State pensions account for the single largest block of social welfare expenditure, and while expenditure on pensions is increasing because of demographic pressures, this is being successfully managed within the overall welfare budget. This year, the Department of Social Protection will spend an estimated €6.675 billion on pensions – 34.4% of all welfare expenditure and an increase of €168 million over 2014. The overall concern of the Government in recent budgets has been to protect the primary weekly social welfare rates where possible. Maintaining the rate of the State pension and other core payments is critical in protecting people from poverty. The Government has no plans to change this policy, and I have not been presented with proposals from any Minister to reduce the basic rate of the State pension. In fact, the Government increased payments for certain pensioners by increasing the rate of the Living Alone Allowance in Budget 2015 to €9.00. This increases the maximum personal rate of the State non-contributory pension for a qualified person living alone to €228 per week, and the maximum rate for the State contributory pension to €239.30, when both the basic pension and the allowance are taken into account. In addition I was pleased to restore a partial Christmas bonus last month, benefitting over 575,000 pensioners and 1.23 million welfare recipients in total. In relation to supplementary retirement income, the development of a system to progressively achieve universal supplementary pension coverage has been a stated goal of Irish pension policy for a number of years. The programme for Government and the recent 2014-2016 Statement of Priorities affirmed this commitment. In this regard, the Government has recently made a decision to proceed with work to develop a roadmap and timeline for the introduction of a new supplementary workplace retirement saving scheme. Development of this roadmap will be progressed by the establishment of a high level Universal Retirement Savings Group (URSG). The URSG will consist of senior official representatives from key Government departments and those public bodies with a particular responsibility in the area. The group will engage with the various sectoral interests including those from the pensions industry, representatives of small, large and multinational employers, trade unions and consumer/interest group representatives. The broad role of the group will be to consider the constituent factors involved in constructing an efficient and effective universal retirement savings system. A recommendation will be brought to Government for consideration in the form of a roadmap and estimated timeline for introduction.
Local Employment Service
Questions (30)
Catherine Murphy
Question:30. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that funding for the County Kildare local employment service network has dropped by over 60% in 2015 compared to 2014; if her attention has been drawn to the enormous impact this will have on the ability of persons to get back to work, at variance with her stated aims of moving persons off social welfare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4973/15]
View answerWritten answers
There has been no reduction in the level of funding allocated for the Local Employment Service (LES) for 2015 and there has been no reduction in the funding allocation of any individual LES. The LES in question was actually granted some additional funding to cover an increase in overheads in 2015. The Deputy may be referring to a change to the funding of support grants that are provided to jobseekers to assist them with certain minor costs involved in getting back to work but the level of such funding in 2015 remains unchanged. Up until 31 December 2014, the LES had access to two funds i.e. the Technical Support Grant Fund and the Mediator Fund. From 1 January 2015, the LES has access to a single fund (Mediator Fund) but the level of funding provided has been increased to an amount equivalent to the combined LES expenditure in 2014 from both funds. The Mediator Fund has been allocated across LES contractors on the basis of the number of clients with whom they are contracted to engage in 2015.
Rent Supplement Scheme Payments
Questions (31)
Willie O'Dea
Question:31. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will review the caps currently in place on the rent supplement scheme; if she will provide an update on the HAP scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4912/15]
View answerWritten answers
There are currently approximately 71,500 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €298 million for 2015. I am acutely aware of the difficulties people are experiencing in maintaining affordable rented accommodation in areas of high demand in the current market, including those in receipt of rent supplement. The Department is finalising a review of the maximum rent limits and raising rent limits may not be the solution to the problem as it is likely to add to further rental inflation and could impact, not alone on rent supplement recipients, but also on many lower income workers and students. I am keeping the matter under close review.
The Department has put measures in place to ensure that the housing needs of rent supplement customers throughout the country are addressed by providing for increased flexibility within the administration of the rent supplement scheme. Notices circulated to Community Welfare Service staff reminding them of their discretionary power to award, on a case by case basis, a supplement for rental purposes in July and December 2014. A National Framework has also been developed to ensure that appropriate supports continue to be provided under the rent supplement scheme throughout the country in a consistent manner. The Interim Tenancy Sustainment Protocol introduced in the Dublin region during 2014 has recently been extended to Cork city.
Under the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer from this Department to housing authorities. HAP is currently being rolled out to selected housing authorities and there are some 706 HAP recipients, of which 242 are in the Limerick area. The Department continues to support the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, and housing authorities to ensure the success of the HAP scheme.
One-Parent Family Payment Payments
Questions (32)
Joan Collins
Question:32. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will reverse the planned changes to one-parent family payments due to be implemented in July 2015. [4772/15]
View answerWritten answers
There are currently 69,884 lone parents being supported by the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme at an estimated cost to my Department of approximately €607 million in 2015. 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 and poverty among lone parents and to ensure that they have improved access to the Department’s range of education, training, and employment support programmes in order to assist them in securing employment. The final phase of the OFP scheme age change reforms will take 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. These customers will be supported by my Department to transition to an alternative income support payment – as appropriate.
The introduction of the Back to Work Family Dividend as announced in Budget 2015 provides a further incentive for jobseekers and OFP recipients to avail of employment opportunities by allowing them to retain their increase for a qualified child when they leave welfare for employment or self-employment. It is estimated that approximately 9,600 lone parents who transition off their OFP payment will transfer to the family income supplement and as such will qualify for the Back to Work Family Dividend.
There are no plans to review the OFP age reforms.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (33)
Joan Collins
Question:33. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the way her Department is addressing the high number of incorrect decisions at first instance by Department officials which have led to the high rate of 55% overturned on appeal. [4710/15]
View answerWritten answers
Decisions on social welfare schemes are made by Deciding Officers (DOs) and Designated Persons (DPs). They determine entitlement in accordance with the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 2005 (as amended) and regulations. DOs/DPs will assist customers in making their applications but, as a matter of law, the burden of providing evidence to support a claim rests with customers. It is worth pointing out that the Department makes decisions on over two million claims across a range of schemes each year and DOs/DPs are very conscious of their obligations to customers and every effort is made to ensure people receive the entitlements due to them.
A customer who is not happy with the initial decision is entitled to seek either an internal review or to appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) and are advised of this.
Of the 38,421 appeals finalised by the SWAO in 2013, 55% (21,139) had a favourable outcome for the appellant in that the appeals were either allowed in full or in part or resolved by way of a revised decision by a Deciding Officer in favour of the appellant. However, this does not necessarily mean that the initial decision was incorrect. It is important to note that it is often the case that when customers appeal a decision, they submit new information, or new information comes to light at the oral appeal hearing. In particular, where a scheme involves illness, disability or caring conditions, there is often a second medical assessment submitted. These new facts often allow the Department to make a more favourable decision. In fact, 21% (8,062) of the appeals finalised by the SWAO in 2013 were finalised as a result of revised decisions being made by DOs or DPs in the Department and those cases then did not fall to be heard by an Appeals Officer.
The Department’s Fraud and Error surveys show a low level of departmental error most recently 0.04% and 0.01% in Widows and Jobseeker's Allowance scheme surveys. There were no errors identified in the Child Benefit survey.
Measures to minimise incorrect decisions in the first place include management checks at local level and ongoing improvement to guidelines and advice. The Department has begun a process of examining decision files, identifying common errors, and issuing staff bulletins to advise staff of best practice.
A major new training programme for DOs, DPs and others is also expected to lead to ongoing improvements in decision making.
There are regular meetings between the SWAO and officials of the Department to identify and resolve issues that give rise to appeals, in order to have more consistent application of the legislation and guidelines between the DWAO and the Department’s DOs and DPs.
Departmental Staff
Questions (34)
Aengus Ó Snodaigh
Question:34. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her view on the report commissioned by a coalition of non-governmental organisations, including FLAC, Doras Luimní, Nasc and Crosscare, which highlighted serious customer service issues, including racism and rudeness to immigrants on the part of some social welfare officers. [4910/15]
View answerWritten answers
The report in question: “Person or Number? 2” was produced by a group of NGOs dealing with migrants. It draws heavily on 35 case studies as its main source of information. It is important to be clear at the outset that these 35 cases are not a random sample of social welfare customers, but were drawn only from a selection of people who sought help from outside agencies. The 35 cases, while important individually, also need to be seen in the context that the Department pays about 1.45 million customers each week and nearly 88.5 million payments were made last year. The Department is proud to have a long history of superb customer service and has been considered a leader in this area in the public service. In that context, regardless of how small or unrepresentative the number of sample cases is, it is unacceptable that any customer of the Department of Social Protection should feel that they have been subjected to inappropriate behaviour and/or language, or left in a situation where they feel they cannot access their entitlements. If the relevant groups are willing to send details of these cases to the Department, the specific allegations will be investigated. Unfortunately, without specific details, it is not possible to take action in relation to the individual cases. The Department provides many services to assist customers (including migrants) in their dealings with the Department. These include:
- Translations: Translation services are provided to and from all languages, on request. The majority of translations paid for by the Department relate to supporting documentation required for processing customer claims such as birth, marriage or death certificates, medical reports and statements relating to customers’ circumstances. In 2014 almost 4,000 documents were translated to / from over 50 languages.
- Interpretations: Interpretation services are provided on request, where necessary to facilitate customers in their engagement with the Department, where English is not the customer’s first language. The service is provided by way of either a 3-way phone conversation, or a face-to-face service, where an interpreter attends in person to facilitate customer/staff interaction.
- Training: The Staff Development Unit of the Department provides a range of staff training courses which focus on the delivery of quality customer service. This training includes the raising of awareness of disability, mental health and diversity issues relevant to staff and customers.
In addition, operational guidelines and other support and materials are available to staff to assist them in their interactions with customers.
Farm Assist Scheme Payments
Questions (35)
Charlie McConalogue
Question:35. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she has carried out an analysis of the impact her changes to farm assist with respect to income disregards have had on farmers; if she will reconsider the changes she has made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4978/15]
View answerWritten answers
The farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker’s allowance. Farm assist recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2015 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the farm assist scheme of €88.7 million. All recipients of farm assist have benefitted from the Christmas Bonus paid last month and all recipients with children will also benefit from the increase in child benefit I announced in the Budget. Changes introduced in Budgets 2012 and 2013 have brought farm assist into closer alignment with the jobseeker’s allowance scheme’s treatment of self-employed persons.
Farm assist is a flexible payment and any farmer experiencing lower levels of income or cash-flow issues can ask their local social welfare / Intreo office to review the level of means applying to their claim.
The assessment of means for the purpose of qualifying for farm assist is designed to reflect the actual net income from farming. Income and expenditure figures for the preceding year are generally used as an indicator of the expected position in the following year. However, account is taken of any exceptional circumstances so as to ensure that the assessment accurately reflects the current situation.
As part of the normal budget process, all potential budget measures, including any changes to the farm assist scheme, are assessed in terms of the impact they would have if introduced. The scheme is kept under ongoing review by my officials. There are no plans to change the current scheme criteria.
Industrial Relations
Questions (36)
Clare Daly
Question:36. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the discussions she has had with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in order to deal with the way pensioners can get access to the State's industrial relations machinery when their retirement income is being altered, an issue which she has acknowledged needs to be addressed. [4906/15]
View answerWritten answers
I am glad to say that I have approved measures to facilitate engagement between the trustees of a pension scheme and groups representing the interests of pensioner and deferred scheme members. I recently signed the Occupational Pensions Schemes (Section 50 and 50B) (Amendments) Regulations, 2015 and approved Pensions Authority guidance to facilitate this change.The change to regulations will require the Pensions Authority to notify groups representing the interests of pensioner and deferred scheme members in situations where the Pensions Authority is proposing to issue a unilateral direction under section 50 of the Pensions Act to restructure scheme benefits or to wind up a pension scheme under section 50B. This requirement will afford the representative group an opportunity to make a submission to the Pensions Authority in relation to such proposals. The Regulations also give the representative group the right to appeal such a direction by the Pensions Authority to the High Court on a point of law. I also approved an amendment to guidance issued by the Pensions Authority on this matter. This change to guidance will require the trustees of a pension scheme to notify groups representing the interest of scheme members of proposals by the trustees of a defined benefit pension scheme to issue a direction under section 50 of the Pensions Act to restructure scheme benefits. This requirement will afford the representative group an opportunity to make a submission to the trustees of a pension scheme in relation to proposals to restructure scheme benefits.
These changes will facilitate engagement between groups representing the interests of pensioner and deferred scheme members and the Pension Authority and the trustees of a pension scheme.
The question of whether it is appropriate that groups representing the interests of pensioners and deferred scheme members have access to the State’s industrial relations machinery in pursuing pension scheme matter has been raised for consideration with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and officials of both Departments have met to discuss this matter. It is acknowledged that the industrial relations system in Ireland is voluntary in nature both as regards access to the Labour Relations Commission and the Labour Court. Any change to that principle which would put in place a mandated right to be part of the process would alter fundamentally the conduct of industrial relations.
Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility
Questions (37)
Denis Naughten
Question:37. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will review the eligibility for rent supplement to include issues such as the need not to participate in anti-social behaviour; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4717/15]
View answerWritten answers
There are currently approximately 71,500 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €298 million for 2015. In the case of private rented accommodation, tenancy arrangements involve a contract between the landlord and the tenant. The Department has no contractual relationship with the landlord and tenant behaviour is a matter for the landlord in the first instance. There are a number of avenues open to landlords in such cases, including the mediation service for landlords and tenants operated by the Private Residential Tenancies Board and/or recourse to the Garda Siochána and/or the Courts in relation to the enforcement of the law in dealing with anti-social or criminal behaviour. Under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 tenants are obliged not to behave within a dwelling, or in the vicinity of it, in a way that is anti-social. Landlords are obliged to enforce the tenant’s obligations, and may seek termination of a tenancy due to a tenant’s antisocial behaviour.
The Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 provides the Department with the authority to refuse, suspend or terminate payment of a rent supplement in the case of a person who has been required to deliver up possession of a dwelling provided by a housing authority or an approved body where the reasons for that requirement include anti-social behaviour or the interests of good estate management.
The Department’s strategic position is to transfer responsibility of long term rent supplement tenancies from this Department to the housing authorities which will be delivered through the new Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). The Department is working closely with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and housing authorities to support the achievement of the targets of the HAP scheme as set out in the “Social Housing Strategy 2020: Support, Supply and Reform”.
Social Welfare Appeals Delays
Questions (38)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:38. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the measures her Department is taking to address the delays, often months, in the individual section review process and social welfare appeals process due to delays in getting files from different social welfare departments to the appeals office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4970/15]
View answerWritten answers
The review and appeal processes in the Department of Social Protection are, at all times, predicated on the principles of fairness and natural justice. 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.
Appeal processing times are calculated from the registration date of the appeal to the date of its finalisation. They include all activities during this period including time spent awaiting any clarification from the appellant, time in the Department for comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal put forward by the appellant, and any further investigation, examination or assessment by the Department’s Inspectors and Medical Assessors that is deemed necessary. While this process carries an inherent delay in terms of finalising an appeal, it also crystalises the flexibility and accessibility of the appeals system. By its nature and because it is a quasi-judicial function, the processing of appeals takes time and reflects the fact that, by definition, the appeal process cannot be a quick one.
This multi-layered approach is designed to give every opportunity to the customer to present their case as fully as possible can, at times, move more slowly that the Department would wish. I can assure that Deputy that there is a continuing focus on the processes to ensure that they are completed as expeditiously as possible.
I am satisfied that the process in place give as much opportunities to customers as possible in ensuring they get their correct entitlements.
Rent Supplement Scheme Payments
Questions (39)
Seamus Healy
Question:39. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection in view of the fact the current rent supplement scheme is not fit for purpose and is creating hardship and homelessness for housing applicants, her plans to introduce a revised scheme including increased rent caps and increased rent supplement payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4988/15]
View answerWritten answers
There are currently approximately 71,500 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €298 million for 2015. I am acutely aware of the difficulties people are experiencing in maintaining affordable rented accommodation in areas of high demand in the current market, including those in receipt of rent supplement in areas of Tipperary. The Department is finalising a review of the maximum rent limits and raising rent limits may not be the solution to the problem as it is likely to add to further rental inflation and could impact, not alone on rent supplement recipients, but also on many lower income workers, their families and students. I am keeping the matter under close review. The Department has put measures in place to ensure that the housing needs of rent supplement customers throughout the country who were a risk of homelessness are addressed by providing for increased flexibility within the administration of the rent supplement scheme. Notices circulated to all Community Welfare Service staff reminding them of their discretionary power to award, on a case by case basis, a supplement for rental purposes in such circumstances in July and December 2014. A National Framework has also been developed to ensure that appropriate supports continue to be provided throughout the country in a consistent manner. The Interim Tenancy Sustainment Protocol introduced in the Dublin region during 2014 has also been extended to Cork city within the last week.
I would advise the Deputy that he should advise any person in receipt of rent supplement who is at risk of losing their tenancy to contact their local Community Welfare Service responsible for their claim as soon as possible.
Farm Assist Scheme Payments
Questions (40)
Charlie McConalogue
Question:40. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on reversing the changes she made to farm assist with respect to income disregards in view of the serious negative affect on the income levels of already struggling farming families; the reasons she is refusing to carry out an analysis to assess the impact that the changes have made on those families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4979/15]
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The farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker’s allowance. Farm assist recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2015 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the farm assist scheme of €88.7 million. All recipients of farm assist have benefited from the Christmas Bonus paid last month and all recipients with children will also benefit from the increase in child benefit I announced in the Budget. Changes introduced in Budgets 2012 and 2013 have brought farm assist into closer alignment with the jobseeker’s allowance scheme’s treatment of self-employed persons.
Farm assist is a flexible payment and any farmer experiencing lower levels of income or cash-flow issues can ask their local social welfare/Intreo office to review the level of means applying to their claim.
The assessment of means for the purpose of qualifying for farm assist is designed to reflect the actual net income from farming. Income and expenditure figures for the preceding year are generally used as an indicator of the expected position in the following year. However, account is taken of any exceptional circumstances so as to ensure that the assessment accurately reflects the current situation.
As part of the normal budget process, all potential budget measures, including any changes to the farm assist scheme, are assessed in terms of the impact they would have if introduced. The scheme is kept under ongoing review by my officials. There are no plans to change the current scheme criteria.