Written Answers Nos. 165-182
165. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Taoiseach to detail the number of staff from his Department or any agency under his remit working out of a Government building at a location (details supplied) in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5708/15]
View answerNo staff from my Department or under the aegis of my Department are based in Government Buildings at Abbeyleix Road, Portlaoise, County Laois.
166. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set down her views on re-instating the employer PRSI relief, that is, the 4.25% rate provided to businesses from 2011 to 2013, considering the risk to the future feasibility of smaller businesses due to the return to the 8.5% rate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5552/15]
View answerEmployer PRSI is payable on earnings at the rate of 10.75% in respect of weekly earnings in excess of €356 and at 8.5% on weekly earnings of €356 or less.
As part of the 2011 Jobs Initiative, the Minister for Finance announced the halving of the 8.5% rate of employer PRSI to 4.25%, as a means of helping job creation and improving labour cost competitiveness, particularly in the tourism and other employment-rich areas of the economy. This measure was implemented on a 2½ year limited time basis to apply from 1 July 2011 until 31 December 2013. The 4.25% employer PRSI rate reverted to the original 8.5% rate from 1 January 2014.
The reversion of the employer PRSI rate to 8.5% was provided for in legislation and was built into the PRSI income base for 2014 and subsequent years. Re-instating the 4.25% employer PRSI rate would reduce the annual PRSI yield to the Social Insurance Fund by an estimated €195 million in a full year.
167. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to outline her views on providing free television licences for pensioners from the North who have homes here and contribute positively to the economy here, in line with pensioners from here, who are currently exempt from paying for the licence. [5627/15]
View answerThe Department will spend approximately €227 million this year on the household benefits package, including more than €54 million for the free television licence scheme, for approximately 415,000 customers.
Free television licences are available as part of the household benefits package for people who are permanently resident within this jurisdiction and who are over 70 or in receipt of a qualifying payment. People from Northern Ireland who live within this jurisdiction on a permanent basis are entitled to apply for the household benefits package.
The package is not available, however, in respect of houses which are not an applicant’s principal residence. I have no plans to amend the scheme to provide for free television licences for holiday homes.
168. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the average fees paid on the management of pension funds here and her plans to cap these fees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6042/15]
View answerThe Report on Pension Charges 2012, undertaken at my request, was the first comprehensive study of the area. The report, which can be accessed on the welfare.ie website, was undertaken by my Department working with the Central Bank and the then Pensions Board. It gathered information on the level of pension charges levied during the pension-saving cycle from initial set-up, to on-going maintenance and to the point of retirement. The focus of the report is on pension types utilised by the majority of pension savers in the Irish marketplace. This amounts to almost 750,000 people who have pensions across a wide range of pension vehicles, both employer-sponsored and individual arrangements.
The report shows that there are a wide range of different charges and their application can vary greatly, both in scale and complexity across the various pension arrangements. Charging structures are influenced by many scheme specific factors including scheme structure, type, age and size.
The report noted that unlike other pension structures, the cost structure in relation to Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs) is regulated and considered whether similar regulation should apply for other pension vehicles. Having examined the issue in depth, the report concluded that the focus of recommendations should be on measures that would introduce clarity and consistency across the various products, and increase consumer/trustee understanding to provide a better result for the consumer. I have previously highlighted that the matter of pension charges will be kept under review with a view to considering more stringent options if necessary. In this regard I can confirm that I have asked that the matter of pension charges be a priority item for consideration by the Pensions Council. I recently established the Pensions Council to help strengthen the pensions environment by advising the Minister for Social Protection on policy matters of relevance to pensions and giving consumers greater input into pension policy.
169. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will extend the tenant protection scheme being operated by Threshold and her Department to Cork county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5538/15]
View answer174. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the amount expended on rent allowance in each of the years from 2008 to 2014 and to date in 2015 in each local authority area in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5636/15]
View answer177. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to outline her plans and the progress made to provide young persons on a reduced rate of payment and trapped in homelessness with the support and financial means to exit homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5658/15]
View answer207. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the same support that is currently available to local authority housing applicants in County Dublin to local authority housing applicants in County Clare, who are living in private rented accommodation, or those who are seeking to secure private rented accommodation but are unable to meet the market-related rent demands, particularly in view of the growing problem of homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6138/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 169, 174, 177 and 207 together.
The rent supplement scheme provides support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. There are approximately 70,700 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €298 million for in 2015. Rent supplement recipient numbers by county and information on expenditure since 2008 is provided in the attached tabular statements. Rent Supplement expenditure by local authority is not available.
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 areas of Cork and Clare. The Department has put measures in place to ensure that the housing needs of rent supplement customers throughout the country who are at risk of homelessness are addressed by providing for increased flexibility within the administration of the rent supplement scheme. Notices were 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 Department continues to monitor the measures in place to ensure that the appropriate supports are in place for rent supplement recipients including the Interim Tenancy Sustainment Protocol operating in Dublin, which was extended to Cork city in recent weeks. The Department’s response will continue to be kept under review during 2015.
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 or in Cork city or their local Community Welfare Service as soon as possible.
Concerns have been raised by advocacy groups regarding the reduced rates of jobseeker’s allowance for younger persons and homelessness. The reduced rates encourage young jobseekers to improve their skills and remain active in the labour market in order to avoid the risk of becoming long-term unemployed and will help them to progress into sustainable employment. Where a person is in receipt of a reduced rate of jobseeker's allowance and he or she participates in a course of education or training a higher rate of €160 applies.
In addition to the measures in place under rent supplement, enhanced processes to provide earlier and more intensive engagement, additional places on a number of programmes and youth-oriented variants of existing schemes are being rolled out. This will help to ensure that all of those young unemployed people who need most support, those who are assessed as having a low to medium probability of securing employment in the absence of any support, will receive a Youth Guarantee offer within four months of an initial one-to-one interview.
The Department is also actively engaging with Tusla and non-government organisations in providing the necessary support to vulnerable young people leaving care who are experiencing homelessness or in insecure situations. These cases are managed on a case by case basis and the payment of deposits and rent in advance is considered. This form of assistance is very important to those on low incomes who are at risk of, or who are homeless, or who rely on the private rented market to meet their housing needs. In 2014, the Department made a total of some 3,000 payments of rent deposits/rent in advance at a cost of €1.48 million throughout the country, of which some 850 payments at a cost of over €360,000 were made to persons aged under 25 years.
Table 1: Rent Supplement End of Year Recipient Numbers & Expenditure: 2008 to Date
|
Year |
Recipients |
Cost €000 |
|
2008 |
74,038 |
440,548 |
|
2009 |
93,030 |
510,751 |
|
2010 |
97,260 |
516,538 |
|
2011 |
96,803 |
502,747 |
|
2012 |
87,684 |
422,536 |
|
2013 |
79,788 |
372,909 |
|
2014 |
71,533 |
338,135 1 |
|
2015 |
70,761 2 |
298,415 3 |
1 2014 Revised Estimate
2 At end of January, 2015
3 Rev 2015 Exp
Table 2: Rent Supplement End of Year Recipient Numbers per County
|
County |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
End Jan. 2015 |
|
Dublin |
24,119 |
31,261 |
33,818 |
34,423 |
32,584 |
29,541 |
26,453 |
26,202 |
|
Cork |
8,538 |
10,603 |
10,988 |
10,732 |
9,878 |
9,020 |
8,273 |
8,134 |
|
Kildare |
3,275 |
4,161 |
4,409 |
4,447 |
4,338 |
4,135 |
3,698 |
3,717 |
|
Galway |
3,733 |
4,989 |
4,829 |
4,615 |
4,134 |
3,983 |
3,591 |
3,576 |
|
Wexford |
2,870 |
3,763 |
4,055 |
4,102 |
3,700 |
3,179 |
2,700 |
2,628 |
|
Limerick |
2,942 |
3,669 |
3,896 |
3,833 |
3,323 |
2,984 |
2,461 |
2,374 |
|
Louth |
1,887 |
2,426 |
2,563 |
2,734 |
2,549 |
2,422 |
2,211 |
2,189 |
|
Wicklow |
2,066 |
2,699 |
2,613 |
2,719 |
2,495 |
2,381 |
2,130 |
2,145 |
|
Tipperary |
2,082 |
2,572 |
2,680 |
2,609 |
2,199 |
2,094 |
1,961 |
1,943 |
|
Donegal |
3,282 |
3,470 |
3,194 |
2,977 |
2,411 |
2,047 |
1,812 |
1,786 |
|
Meath |
1,453 |
2,213 |
2,552 |
2,723 |
2,143 |
1,941 |
1,726 |
1,683 |
|
Kerry |
2,252 |
2,398 |
2,339 |
2,278 |
2,037 |
1,888 |
1,736 |
1,702 |
|
Mayo |
2,585 |
3,077 |
3,012 |
2,928 |
2,435 |
1,900 |
1,619 |
1,600 |
|
Westmeath |
1,275 |
1521 |
1,623 |
1,671 |
1,592 |
1,588 |
1,533 |
1,523 |
|
Waterford |
2,126 |
2,267 |
2,332 |
2,098 |
1,773 |
1,556 |
1,443 |
1,432 |
|
Clare |
1,441 |
1780 |
1,937 |
1,961 |
1,722 |
1,547 |
1,336 |
1,319 |
|
Kilkenny |
1,092 |
1,472 |
1,577 |
1,619 |
1,365 |
1,210 |
1,011 |
962 |
|
Carlow |
1,161 |
1,498 |
1,484 |
1,440 |
1,239 |
1,108 |
1,086 |
1,094 |
|
Offaly |
833 |
1,053 |
1,273 |
1,349 |
1,240 |
1,124 |
1,041 |
1,020 |
|
Laois |
706 |
979 |
1,151 |
1,178 |
1,097 |
1,085 |
1,008 |
1,011 |
|
Roscommon |
1,042 |
1,286 |
1,276 |
1,275 |
997 |
802 |
687 |
678 |
|
Longford |
706 |
789 |
715 |
623 |
511 |
507 |
476 |
478 |
|
Sligo |
733 |
822 |
787 |
698 |
591 |
542 |
451 |
460 |
|
Cavan |
874 |
1,115 |
1,029 |
843 |
519 |
455 |
414 |
418 |
|
Monaghan |
509 |
640 |
598 |
488 |
438 |
395 |
352 |
354 |
|
Leitrim |
456 |
507 |
530 |
440 |
374 |
354 |
324 |
333 |
|
Total |
74,038 |
93,030 |
97,260 |
96,803 |
87,684 |
79,788 |
71,533 |
70,761 |
170. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection to set out the basis of the claim by her Department, in its publication on the social impact assessment of the main welfare and tax measures for 2015, that the most significant improvements between budget 2014 and budget 2015 were for the poorest and richest households, in view of the contradictory evidence published in its report. [5543/15]
View answerThe Department recently published the social impact assessment of the main welfare and tax measures for 2015, including the new water charges package. Social impact assessment is an evidence-based methodology which estimates the likely effects of welfare and tax policies on households across income levels and social groups.
The assessment was prepared by the Department, which is responsible for the welfare component of the Budget. It is based on the tax/welfare micro simulation model SWITCH developed by the Economic and Social Research Institute. Responsibility for the analysis rests solely with the Department.
One aspect of the assessment examines the distributive impact of the composite budgetary package for 2015 compared with the 2014 measures. Overall, there is a marked difference in the overall distributive impact: an average gain of 0.7 per cent in 2015 compared to an average loss of 0.8 per cent in 2014.
The contrast in distributive impact between 2015 and 2014 is greatest at the top and bottom of the income distribution, on the basis that these two quintiles experienced the greatest losses in 2014, which were then transformed into gains in 2015. Thus, a loss of 1.1 per cent for the bottom quintile in 2014 is replaced by a gain of 0.3 per cent in 2015 (a difference of 1.4 percentage points). Similarly, the top quintile goes from a loss of 1.1 per cent in 2014 to a gain of 1 percent in 2015 (a difference of 2.1 percentage points). For middle income groups, the scale of the transformation is not as dramatic, given the smaller losses experienced in 2014. The report acknowledges that over the two years combined, many households will still show an overall loss in income.
It should be noted that certain items are not included in the assessment, for instance, additional expenditure on labour market initiatives (such as the back to work family dividend and the expansion of JobsPlus). In addition, the assessment also does not include non-welfare expenditure measures for 2015, such as healthcare, education, social housing, and the new housing assistance payments, which will remove the barrier to full-time work for long-term recipients of rent supplement. Work is ongoing to quantify these impacts as part of the ESRI SWITCH research programme.
171. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite an application for a disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5548/15]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to convene an oral hearing in this case.
Every effort will be made to hear the case as quickly as possible and the appellant will be informed when arrangements for the oral hearing have been made.
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.
172. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will arrange for an inspector to call on a person (details supplied) in county Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5558/15]
View answerAs stated to the Deputy in my replies to Question No 182 on 27 January 2015 and Question No 76 on 5 February 2015, the person concerned submitted an application for One Parent Family Payment on 30 October 2014. The One Parent Family Payment scheme is subject to a means test and in order to carry out a means test a customer must be available for interview or contactable at a given address. The person concerned was recently invited for interview with a Social Welfare Inspector but failed to attend. A letter of invitation was posted to the person concerned a full week prior to her scheduled interview. The Social Welfare Inspector also tried on a number of occasions to contact the person concerned by telephone and by way of a house call but again was unable to contact her. The application was recently closed and the person concerned was notified of this decision by post. A copy of the invitation for interview and notification of the closure of the One Parent Family Payment application that were posted to the person concerned are retained on file.
The person concerned has recently submitted another One Parent Family Payment application and the Social Welfare Inspector will be in contact with her, in relation to this application, in due course.
173. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Kildare qualifies for a special once-off payment to alleviate hardship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5623/15]
View answerAccording to the records of this Department, the person concerned has not submitted a recent application for an exceptional needs payment. It is open to the person concerned to make an application to her local community welfare service.
Question No. 175 withdrawn.
176. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if an oral hearing can take place at an early date in respect of an application for a carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5651/15]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 1st December 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.
179. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if, under the proposed Gender Recognition Bill 2014, a person can have his or her birth certificate amended to reflect his or her preferred gender identity. [5675/15]
View answerThe Gender Recognition Bill 2014 provides that, where a gender recognition certificate is issued to a person, the person’s gender shall, from that date, become for all purposes the preferred gender so that if the preferred gender is the male gender the person’s sex becomes that of a man and, if it is the female gender the person’s sex becomes that of a woman.
A person who is issued with a gender recognition certificate and is registered on the register of births or adopted children register may apply to the Registrar General to have their required particulars entered on the gender recognition register which is being established under this legislation. They may then be provided with a birth certificate drawn from that register which will show the preferred gender and new names (if names are also changed).
The legislation also provides for similar arrangements for persons registered on the register of intercountry adoptions maintained by the Adoption Authority of Ireland and on the foreign births register maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Gender Recognition Bill 2014 was introduced as a Seanad Bill on 21 January 2015 and is currently progressing through that House.
180. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the serious concerns of stakeholders regarding the current location of the General Register Office, the unsuitability of the current facilities; the need to urgently relocate the office to a location that reflects its cultural and genealogical significance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5680/15]
View answerThe Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for the acquisition and maintenance of office accommodation for the Department of Social Protection. The research rooms were relocated from Irish Life Mall to Werburgh Street in September 2013. This was done as part of a cost saving, lease rationalisation programme undertaken by the OPW.
Customers seeking access to records for genealogical purposes are receiving the same high level of service at the facility in Werburgh Street as they received at the previous location.
There are no plans for the further relocation of the research rooms.
181. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a carer's allowance appeal will be finalised in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary. [5687/15]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision.
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.
182. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that her Department's helpline telephone number to validate a public service card is a 1890 number, which, despite being called a low-cost number, can result in high call charges to customers, depending on the service provider; whether she will take steps to resolve this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5696/15]
View answerLo-call numbers have been in operation for the Department’s scheme areas for a number of years. These have been coupled with Interactive Voice Response technology to facilitate customers making quick contact with the appropriate section of the Department at a low cost to the caller.
While 1890 numbers provide a cheaper means of communication for those who do not have free calls on landlines, it is acknowledged that they can, on occasion, be more expensive when called from a mobile. Accordingly, the Departments’ website alerts the public to the fact that lo-call numbers can attract different tariffs depending on the operator of the phone service.
The Department is currently reviewing the use of lo-call telephone services which may not be available on certain telephone plans, with a view to improving access and associated costs for the public. The review is at an early stage.
