Written Answers Nos. 42- 49
42. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if an oral hearing will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied) who was refused a carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15861/15]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 14th April 2015, 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.
43. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the current processing time for a carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15873/15]
View answerThe average time taken to award a new claim for carer’s allowance is currently 12 weeks. Where a request is made for a review of a decision on a new claim or where there is an appeal against a decision, this will take longer.
One way that claimants can assist the Department to make a full and timely decision on their claim is to ensure that the claim form is fully completed and signed and that all necessary accompanying documentation is enclosed.
The Department is committed to ensuring that claims are processed as expeditiously as possible. Each scheme area is continuously monitored and reviewed to ensure customers are responded to as quickly as possible. The staffing needs of the Department are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources. Additional resources have been applied to help to deal with the significant increase in the number of carer’s allowance applications being received and to minimise processing times.
44. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if payment of arrears of disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be expedited in view of the fact that the person did not receive any financial support from the Department while the appeal was ongoing. [15890/15]
View answerThe person concerned has been awarded a disability allowance payment with effect from 16 April 2014. First payment will be on 13 May 2015 and any arrears due will follow shortly.
45. Deputy Eric Byrne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by some community employment schemes in recruiting staff to meet their quota of participants; the additional incentives that are needed to encourage more persons to take up vacant positions on such schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15907/15]
View answerThe Community Development Officer with responsibility for this project is in regular contact with the person nominated for the day to day management of the Community Employment (CE) programme by the project’s Board of Directors. The issue raised has not been raised recently by the project sponsor with the Community Development Officer.
This project is currently in its first cycle of Year 1 of a three year contract. The contracted numbers are for 35 participants; there are currently 24 registered participants on the scheme. In recent days a further 17 persons have been referred to the CE supervisor, from which it is hoped that the 11 remaining vacant positions will be filled.
46. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on reforming the Money Advice and Budgeting Service from 51 individual companies to six companies; her views on maintaining a strong volunteer and community input into service at a local level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15919/15]
View answer47. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will have a consultation process with the individual Money Advice and Budgeting Service companies prior to implementing any changes to the structure of the service. [15920/15]
View answer48. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when she expects a report from the Citizens Information Board on the reform of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service. [15921/15]
View answer49. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on having a debate in Dáil Éireann on the restructuring of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service; if there are significant reforms in their structures proposed by the Citizens Information Board. [15922/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 46 to 49, inclusive, together.
At the outset, I wish to assure the Deputy that the Government is totally committed to maintaining and strengthening MABS and its local delivery of services. While work is underway exploring how to optimise resources and governance arrangements to the greatest extent possible, I can also assure the Deputy that there will be no diminution of locally-provided services to the public, no closure of service locations, and no staff redundancies. In fact, the aim of this exploration is to ensure that any efficiencies and savings achieved in governance arrangements can be used to expand and enhance local service delivery.
The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for providing information, advice (including money and budgeting advice service) and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services. CIB delivers on this remit through a network of delivery partners which includes 51 local Money Advice and Budgeting Services (MABS) and 42 local Citizens Information Services (CIS). In 2015 the CIB has been allocated a budget of €46 million of which some €17.9 million is allocated to the MABS network of companies.
There are over 600 permanent staff, approximately 200 scheme workers and an estimated 2,000 volunteers working for the 93 independent companies in the network (51 MABS and 42 CISs). Each of these companies has a separate voluntary Board of Management, comprising an average of over 9 members per Board resulting in a governance structure of over 800 people. The maintenance of such an unwieldy company and Board structure is no longer sustainable from an organisational or governance perspective and the resource effort required could otherwise be directed towards improved service delivery to citizens. Therefore, as part of the implementation of its Strategic Plan 2012-2015, CIB commissioned a feasibility study to identify options for dealing with this issue through greater organisational consolidation and/or integration of its delivery partners. This work was carried out by a company called Pathfinder and overseen by a Steering Group, comprising national representatives from MABS staff and Boards, Citizens Information Services staff and Boards, and staff from the Citizens Information Board. The work included extensive and comprehensive consultation with all stakeholders, including representatives of CIB's delivery partner services (MABS and CIS) at local level. It identified a number of options for consideration. Following on from this, the Board of CIB agreed to the establishment of a Design Group tasked with outlining and recommending possible new structural models. The Design Group includes members of the voluntary boards and staff of a number of the MABS and CIS services, together with representation from CIB management. Submissions were sought by CIB from the representatives of Boards and staff of MABS and CIS, to inform the deliberations of the Design Group.
The Design Group recently furnished a progress report on its deliberations to the CIB executive, which in turn communicated an update to its network of service delivery partners. The Design Group has identified, as an option for consideration by the Board of CIB in due course, that the 51 Boards of MABS companies and the 42 Boards of CIS services could be consolidated across six (6) regions, resulting in six (6) independent MABS companies and Boards, and six (6) independent CIS companies and Boards, all reporting to the board of CIB. However, it is important to note that any such consolidation would be at the Board level only. All existing MABS offices would remain unaffected. Local service delivery and personnel would not be impacted and would continue as before. It may be possible to take any savings that arise and use them for enhancing local service delivery or indeed offering additional services. It is also important to note that neither this option nor any alternative has yet been considered by the Board of CIB. Accordingly, no decisions have been made by the Board and no proposal has been formally made by it to my Department for consideration. It is expected that the Design Group proposal, when further developed, will be formally submitted to the Board of CIB for its consideration.
I am satisfied that the level of engagement in the process to date, involving all the relevant CIB delivery partners, including the Money Advice and Budgeting Service is reflected in the proposal from the Design Group and that a debate in Dáil Éireann on the matter is not required at this time.
