Written Answers Nos. 56 - 63
56. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the steps she will take to expedite an application for a carer’s allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath, which was submitted some time ago; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34884/15]
View answerI confirm that the Department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 16 September 2015. Once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
57. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the steps she will take to expedite an application for a domiciliary care allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34885/15]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 21st August 2015. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Following receipt of this opinion, a decision will be made by a Deciding Officer and notified to the person concerned. It can currently take 12 weeks to process an application for DCA.
58. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in tabular form the amount of employer's pay related social insurance collected by her Department in each year from 2011 to 30 June 2015, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34896/15]
View answerThe following table shows the total amount of employer’s Pay Related Social Insurance collected in each of the years, 2011 to 2014, and in 2015 up to 30th June 2015:
2015
|
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
YTD 30th June |
|
€000 |
€000 |
€000 |
€000 |
€000 |
|
5,460,786 |
4,995,971 |
5,331,152 |
5,749,428 |
3,101,053 |
A breakdown of employer contributions by county is not available for the years in question.
59. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the discussions she or her Department have had with suppliers or service contractors to her Department, or to agencies of her Department, to ensure that employees of such suppliers and contractors are paid the living wage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34898/15]
View answerMy Department procures services from suppliers via open public procurement which is governed by a comprehensive regulatory, legal and procedural framework. In particular procurement practice is governed by EU Directive 18 of 2004 and supported by procurement guidelines published by the Department of Finance, and circulars of the Department of Finance and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
Under Article 27 of Directive 2004/18/EC as implemented into Irish law by Regulation 27 of European Communities (Award of Public Contracts) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 329 of 2006), tenderers must provide a statement confirming that they have taken account of their legal obligations relating to employment protection and working conditions relating to the provision of the services sought.
Tenderers are also required to include an undertaking to comply fully with the provisions of the application of the Transfer of Undertakings and Protection of Employees (TUPE) Directive and Irish implementing Regulations S.I. No. 131 of 2003 European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003.
The Government has assigned responsibility for procurement policy and procedures to the Office of Government Procurement.
The Department’s procurement policy is published on the website http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Procurement-Policy.aspx. I am satisfied the Department is compliant with best practice in the procurement of supplies and services.
60. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the funding under the farm assist programme in each year from 2010 to 2014; the projected expenditure in 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34918/15]
View answerThe farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker’s allowance. The 2015 Revised Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the farm assist scheme of €88.7 million.
The farm assist scheme is kept under ongoing review. My officials have regular discussions and meetings with the IFA in relation to the scheme. Policy and operational staff are in close contact and co-operate on an ongoing basis on issues arising at local level and discuss and follow up on individual cases when the need arises.
The expenditure by year is attached in the following table.
Expenditure on Farm Assist, 2010 to 2015
|
Year |
Expenditure on Farm Assist €m |
|
2010 |
110,931 |
|
2011 |
113,724 |
|
2012 |
108,170 |
|
2013 |
99,450 |
|
2014 |
93,6141 |
|
2015 (REV) |
88,700 |
2014 Prov Outturn 1
61. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 236 of 29 September 2015, if he will confirm that the non-implementation of section 44, the local investment provision, of the 1997 Credit Union Act is not primarily due to any reluctance or unwillingness on the part of the boards of credit unions to establish special funds for social, cultural or charitable purposes, but rather, is due to the active discouragement of such initiatives on the part of the Central Bank of Ireland in its role as Credit Union Regulator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34795/15]
View answerFurther to Parliamentary Question No. 236 of 29 September 2015, I have been informed by the Central Bank that section 44 of the Credit Union Act, 1997 provides that a credit union may establish a special fund to be used by the credit union for such social, cultural or charitable purposes (including community development) where it is approved by a resolution passed by a majority of its members present and voting at a general meeting. Funds established under section 44 do not require approval of the Central Bank. The Central Bank informs me that it is supportive of such initiatives by credit unions provided they fall within the provisions of section 44. These provisions include a requirement that funds paid into such a special fund can only be paid out of the annual operating surplus of a credit union and that no funds may be paid into such a special fund unless adequate provision has been made out of the annual surplus to cover all current and contingent liabilities and to maintain proper reserves. There is also a requirement that the payment of the funds into the special fund will not affect the financial stability of the credit union. In addition section 44(3) specifies that the amount of funds which may be paid out of the annual operating surplus into such special fund shall not exceed 0.5% of the value of the credit union's assets.
62. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Finance further to Parliamentary Question No. 236 of 29 September 2015, if he has been apprised of the disposition of the Central Bank of Ireland, in its role as Credit Union Regulator, on the desirability of including credit unions in the dormant accounts regime, something that was seen as desirable by the Minister for Finance who introduced the dormant accounts regime (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34796/15]
View answerDormant Accounts legislation is a matter for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (DECLG).
Further to Parliamentary Question No. 236 of 29 September 2015, the Dormant Accounts Act, 2001 (as amended) provides for accounts in credit institutions to be transferred to the Dormant Accounts Fund when an account has been dormant for 15 years. Credit unions are currently not subject to the dormant accounts legislation. Accordingly, accounts in credit unions that have not been reclaimed by the owners for at least 15 years are not transferred to the Dormant Accounts Fund.
The Credit Union Act, 1997 (as amended) does not make reference to Dormant Accounts. Dormant accounts in credit unions, and the practices surrounding them, are governed by Rule 22 of the Standard Rules for Credit Unions published by the Irish League of Credit Unions.
I have been informed by DECLG that an analysis of the benefit of adding dormant credit union accounts to the Dormant Accounts Fund has not been carried out. In practical terms, increasing the amount available in the Fund does not necessarily allow for the introduction of new dormant accounts measures or programmes, which is the focus of DECLG in respect of the Fund. While applying the provisions of the dormant accounts legislation to credit union accounts could increase the size of the Fund, Government Departments must source monies for dormant accounts programmes and measures from their Exchequer allocation in the same way as with any other funding programme. When the monies expended on dormant accounts measures and programmes are reimbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund, the refund is to the Exchequer rather than to the spending Department. For this reason, dormant accounts expenditure is subject to the same constraints within Departments as any other spending programme.
In addition, expenditure on new dormant accounts measures or programmes would serve to increase Government debt levels, as moneys disbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund belong to the account holder, who can reclaim it at any time, and not to the State. Consequently, every euro spent from the Fund is regarded in accounting terms as a potential Government liability.
It would be a matter for Government on the advice of the Department of Finance or DCELG to decide on any extension to the Dormant Account legislation to include credit unions. However, there are no plans at present to introduce such a change.
63. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Finance if he has received pre-budget submissions from the artisan cider production sector; his views that this sector could emulate the experience of the craft beer sector and grow from 1% of market to 10% of market; if so, if he will consider a single excise rate for the cider industry, similar to what exists for wine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34815/15]
View answerI can confirm that I have received pre-Budget submissions seeking an examination of the excise bands which apply to cider with a view to removing the band that applies for alcohol content between 6% and 8.5%.
All excises are considered in the context of the annual Budget and Finance Bill process. However, it is not the practice of the Minister for Finance to comment in advance of the Budget on any initiatives that might be the subject of Budget decisions.
