Written Answers Nos. 51-60
51. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if full payment of disability allowance is payable to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32507/15]
View answerThe person concerned is currently in receipt of reduced personal rate of disability allowance as he has income from self-employment.
An application for a qualified adult allowance was received and entitlement examined. An increase for qualified adult and a qualified child was awarded with effect from 2 September 2015. Notification of this decision issued to the person concerned on 14 September 2015.
52. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an application for a carer's allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Cork; when a decision will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32510/15]
View answerI confirm the Department has received an application for carer's allowance from the person concerned on the 7 July 2015. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
53. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans to direct community welfare officers to issue payments in relation to exceptional needs grants to assist with funeral costs directly to those who provided the relevant service to the bereaved family, for example an undertaker, the local authority and so on, rather than to the family; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32512/15]
View answerUnder 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 €29 million for the ENP scheme in 2015.
An application can be made under the ENP scheme for assistance with funeral and burial expenses. Social welfare regulations provide for the payment of SWA to a nominated payee with the written consent of the applicant. In 2015, the Department has supported approximately 2,000 applicants with financial assistance towards these funeral and burial expenses, at a cost of some €3.3 million. Department records show that approximately 80% of these ENPs were nominated to a third party, primarily the funeral director.
It is not proposed to issue a direction to staff that all payments in these categories be made directly to the service provider. Each application is decided on the basis of the circumstances presented and payments are made to a third party with the consent of the applicant.
54. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position of a one-parent family allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32524/15]
View answerThe client applied for a One-Parent Family Payment. Her claim was fully investigated and was disallowed as it was found that there was no marriage break between the client and her husband who continues to live and work in their native country. The client appealed this decision and the file was sent to the Social Welfare Inspector for review. The inspector has now confirmed her original findings to the Deciding Officer who will review her decision and prepare a submission for the Appeals Office.
55. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the amount of bonus remuneration paid to staff in her Department and to agencies under her aegis, to date in 2015; the number of persons to whom these payments were made, and their purpose; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32542/15]
View answerI can confirm that no bonus remuneration payments were made to any staff member in the Department or in any of the agencies under the aegis of this Department in 2015.
56. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in County Louth currently in receipt of the one parent family payment in 2015; the number who are no longer deemed eligible for the payment further to changes in the scheme in July 2015; and the number of these who are now in receipt of the back to work family dividend. [32601/15]
View answerLatest figures for the Department’s 3 offices in Co Louth indicate that there are 1,696 recipients of One Parent Family Payment (OFP). These are customers who are parenting alone and have a youngest child under the age of 7.
There are an additional 600 recipients of Jobseekers Allowance Transition (JST) payment. Customers on JST would again be customers parenting alone but their youngest child is aged over 7 but is under 14 years of age.
A number of customers would also have come off OFP and have children aged over 14. Where these customers are working more than 19 hours per week or where they did increase their hours to achieve 19 hours employment per week, they would currently be in receipt of Family Income Supplement (FIS).
An estimated 126 former OFP customers with children over the age of 14 on 2 July last would now be eligible for Jobseekers Allowance (JA). Of these, over half made the application for JA while another third applied for FIS. Others are currently on supplementary welfare allowance, pending decisions on other claims or are already back in the workforce.
Where jobseekers customers are not working, their transfer from OFP will not have affected their weekly income, as rates are the same. However, they will already be benefitting from the activation supports available to all jobseekers from the Department.
There are currently some 366 customers in receipt of the Back to Work Family Dividend in the Department's Louth offices. Back to Work Family Dividend is available to customers returning to work and coming off a jobseekers claim or for former OFP customers who exit the scheme due to the age of their youngest child, are in employment and do not qualify for JST or JA.
57. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of a carer's allowance in County Louth, from 2011 to 2015, inclusive. [32602/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement.
Recipients of Carer's Allowance in County Louth from 2011 to 31 August 2015
|
31 December 2011 |
31 December 2012 |
31 December 2013 |
31 December 2014 |
31 August 2015 |
|
1,308 |
1,321 |
1,542 |
1,666 |
1,779 |
58. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants for a carer's allowance processed from County Louth in 2014 and 2015; the number who were deemed ineligible, sought an appeal and were successful on appeal. [32603/15]
View answer61. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants for disability allowance in County Louth processed for the years 2011 to 2015; the number who were deemed ineligible; who sought an appeal; and who were successful on appeal. [32606/15]
View answer63. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants who were processed for an invalidity pension in County Louth for the years 2011 to 2015, inclusive; the number who were deemed ineligible; the number who sought an appeal; and the number who were successful on appeal. [32608/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 58, 61 and 63 together.
The information requested by the Deputy in relation to claims and appeals processing in respect of claims registered by residents of County Louth is not available in my Department as this information is not broken down by county.
59. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of a household benefits package in County Louth. [32604/15]
View answer60. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of a disability allowance in County Louth. [32605/15]
View answer62. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of an Invalidity Pension in County Louth. [32607/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 59, 60 and 62 together.
The information requested by the Deputy regarding the number of recipients of a Household Benefits Package, Disability Allowance and Invalidity Pension in County Louth at the end of August is detailed in the following tabular statement.
Recipients of a Household Benefits Package, Disability Allowance and Invalidity Pension in County Louth at the end of August
|
- |
No. of recipients |
|
Household Benefits Package |
11,231 |
|
Disability Allowance |
3,125 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
1,795 |
