Written Answers Nos. 36-48
36. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will investigate a matter (details supplied) regarding social welfare fraud; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33786/15]
View answerThe vast majority of people on social welfare are claiming the correct entitlement due to them. However, a small minority is not and a range of measures are employed by the Department to ensure that social welfare fraud and abuse is minimised and that its control activity is appropriately focused.
The Department has set out its strategic approach to tackling fraud and error in the Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy. It includes systematic measures to prevent and detect fraud and to ensure effective debt recovery and deterrence measures are in place. As part of these measures, the Department is continuing to improve and utilise more innovative approaches to prevent and detect fraud.
A key measure of control activity is the value of control savings achieved by the Department on an annual basis. Control savings are an estimate of the value of various control activities across schemes in payment. They represent the value of prevented expenditure over a future period that would have been incurred if investigative and control work had not been carried out. In this context the Department undertakes a substantial number of control reviews each year. In 2014 over 1m control reviews were carried out yielding control savings of €505m, 99% of the overall target set for 2014. A similar level of savings is expected in 2015. In addition work is ongoing utilising predictive analytics techniques to identify non-compliance amongst existing customers of the three main working age schemes. These predictive models will enable the Department to detect more non-compliant cases and to do so more efficiently.
Furthermore the presence on the ground has been increased through the secondment of 20 Gardaí to the Department’s Special Investigation Unit. These officers are augmenting the resources and expertise available to the Department to detect and investigate fraud.
Effective deterrence is also necessary to address fraud. It is important to ensure appropriate sanctions can be applied where fraud is discovered. Where an individual committing social welfare fraud thinks that the potential penalty or sanction is minimal, relative to the potential gain, then fraudulent activity will be encouraged and will most likely continue.
The Department is proactively targeting persons with overpayments to ensure all persons who have a social welfare overpayment are making a contribution towards the repayment of the debt outstanding. Enhanced debt recovery is being achieved through a new debt management system which went live in 2014. €83m in overpayments were recovered in 2014, €8m more than the target set for the year and an increase of over 17% on the amount recovered in 2013 (€71m approx.). In addition over 315 cases were submitted for prosecution, which was in excess of the target set for last year.
The overall aim of the Department’s approach to tackling fraud and incorrect payments is to ensure that the available resources are targeted at, and are available for, the people, who need them most.
37. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if a disability payment will be approved for a person (details supplied) in County Carlow. [33792/15]
View answerI confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for disability allowance (DA) from the above named person on 31 August 2015. On completion of the necessary investigations on all aspects of the claim a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.
Any person who is awaiting a decision on their DA application may apply for means-tested supplementary welfare allowance from their local community welfare officer.
38. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on a claim by a person (details supplied) in County Carlow. [33793/15]
View answerThe person concerned is in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance at her full entitlement – the maximum personal rate per week.
39. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of an application or appeal for disability allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Carlow; and if an application for an increase in rent allowance will also be approved. [33795/15]
View answerThe person concerned has been awarded disability allowance with effect from 28 January 2015. The first payment was made by his selected payment method on 12 August 2015.
As a consequence, the rate of rent supplement entitlement was re-assessed and increased on 24 August 2015. The person in question is in receipt of their full entitlement to rent supplement based on their monthly rent, weekly income and family composition.
41. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection as to when arrears of payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33805/15]
View answerThe person concerned has been awarded disability allowance (DA) with effect from 17 June 2015. The first payment issued by his chosen payment method on 9 September 2015.
It is expected that any arrears due from June to September will issue shortly, once adjustment is calculated and made in respect of payments made in respect of overlapping schemes in the period.
42. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost in 2016 of a 1%, 2% and €5 per week increase in the weekly rate of all pension age payments, including proportionate increases for qualified adults where applicable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33807/15]
View answer43. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost in 2016 of a €5 increase in the monthly rate of child benefit from €135 to €140; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33808/15]
View answer44. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost in 2016 of an increase in the respite care grant to €1,700; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33809/15]
View answer55. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the estimated annual cost in 2016 of a €5 increase in the monthly rate of child benefit. [33903/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 42 to 44, inclusive, and 55 together.
The cost in 2016 of a 1%, 2% and €5 per week increase in the weekly rate of all pension-age payments (including proportionate increases for qualified adults, where applicable) is €71 million, €141.1 million and €154.6 million respectively.
The cost in 2016 of a €5 increase in the monthly rate of Child Benefit (from €135 to €140) is €72.6 million.
The cost in 2016 of an increase in the Respite Care Grant by €325, from €1,375 to €1,700 is €30.15 million.
These costings assume the relevant rates of payment increase from the beginning of January 2016. It should be noted that the costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2016.
45. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost in 2016 of increasing the maximum child age of the one-parent family payment from its current threshold of seven years to 12 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33810/15]
View answerThe full-year cost, in 2016, of increasing the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme maximum child age threshold from seven years to twelve years would be approximately €23.5 million.
It should be noted that this figure includes a reduction in expenditure on the back to work family dividend (BTWFD) scheme. This arises as lone parents who currently are in receipt of this payment would no longer be entitled to the dividend were they to requalify for the OFP payment.
46. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection with regard to contributory State pensions, the cost in 2016 of allowing persons to disregard up to 200 pre-1994 A1 pay related social insurance payments for the purpose of calculating their date of entry to the workforce; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33811/15]
View answerState pension (contributory) is based on the PRSI contributions paid or credited by the person over their working life, and the level of entitlement depends on their yearly average number of contributions.
The homemaker’s scheme was introduced in 1994 to make qualification for State pension contributory (SPC) easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties. The scheme allows up to 20 years spent caring for children under 12 years of age, or incapacitated people, to be disregarded when a person’s social insurance record is being calculated for pension purposes. The effect of this is to reduce the number of years by which the person’s contributions are divided, thereby increasing their yearly average, making it easier for them to qualify for a maximum rate SPC. However, it is important to note that the homemaker’s scheme will not, of itself, qualify a person for a SPC. The standard qualifying conditions for the SPC must also be satisfied. These require a person to enter insurable employment at least ten years before pension age, pay a minimum of 520 contributions at the correct rate (credited contributions do not satisfy this condition) and achieve a yearly average of at least 10 contributions paid or credited on their record.
The information requested by the Deputy is not compiled by my Department, and is not therefore available.
There are no plans to introduce a disregard in respect of parts of a person's insurance record to enable them to qualify for SPC.
47. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost of increasing the rent supplement limit in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford by 5%, 10% and 15%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33846/15]
View answer48. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost of increasing all rent supplement limits by 5%, 10% and 15%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33847/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 48 together.
Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 65,000 people at a cost of €298 million in 2015. Over 13,700 rent supplement tenancies have been awarded this year showing that significant numbers are being accommodated under the scheme.
A review of the rent limits undertaken earlier this year found that the impact of increasing limits at a time of constrained supply will increase costs disproportionately for the Exchequer with little or no new housing available to recipients.
Analysis shows that increasing the current rent limits nationwide by 5% would result in a full year cost in excess of €15 million, a 10% increase would carry a cost of almost €37 million, with a 15% increase costing approximately €51 million. A breakdown of this cost on a county basis is not available, however the costs to apply such an increase in the Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford regions, which accounts for over 58% of the customer base, would account for a significant proportion of this additional cost. Though the costing model accurately reflects the increased cost for the scheme, the likelihood is that there will be little additional supply achieved for persons seeking rent supplement support due to the constrained market. There is also the additional risk in a market with such tight supply that rent supplement limits would generate homelessness for low income/single earner families who could no longer compete with the higher rents.
Rather than increasing limits at this time rent supplement policy will continue to allow for flexibility where landlords seek rents in excess of current limits. Flexibility is provided under the National Framework for Tenancy Sustainment for both existing customers of the scheme and new applicants. Under this measure tenant’s circumstances are considered on a case-by-case basis, and rents are being increased above prescribed limits as appropriate. This flexible approach has already assisted approximately 4,000 households throughout the country to retain their rented accommodation. In addition, the Department, in conjunction with Threshold, operates a special Protocol in the Dublin and Cork areas where supply issues are particularly acute, with plans to extend this arrangement to Galway City.
I can assure the Deputy that where Departmental staff are notified of a threat of tenancy loss these measures are implemented as appropriate. Persons in receipt of rent supplement at risk of losing their tenancy are advised to contact the Department’s Community Welfare Service or Threshold’s Tenancy Protection Service without delay.
I am keeping this matter under close review.
