Written Answers Nos. 122-142
122. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of years she considers a reasonable amount of time to pursue the repayment of an overpayment of a jobseeker's allowance claim; the Statute of Limitations that applies in such instances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41493/15]
View answerAn overpayment arises where a claimant is found to have been in receipt of a social welfare payment to which s/he was not entitled. Deciding officers are required to have regard to all the facts relevant to any revised decision on entitlement.
Once a revised decision on entitlement has been made, the person is informed of the decision and has the right to have the decision reviewed by the Department or to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. If the revised decision has retrospective effect and results in an overpayment, the person is also notified of this and is informed of the requirement that the overpayment must be repaid in full to the Department. Once the right of appeal has been exercised (or not), the Department will then consider the recovery of the overpayment.
A social welfare debt will not become statute barred for recovery. It remains with a debtor for all future entitlement payments and can be collected thereafter from any remaining estate. There is no statute of limitations preventing the Department recovering its debts by deduction from entitlements. The Department does not apply interest or penalties on the amount outstanding. Effective debt recovery is seen as an important measure to safeguard public expenditure and where someone has been overpaid, it is essential that this money is recouped.
125. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of families in receipt of family income supplement; the total cost for each of the years 2010 to 2015 to date; the estimated total cost for 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41522/15]
View answerThe family income supplement (FIS) is designed to provide support for employees, with families, who have low earnings.
The numbers in receipt of FIS and the annual expenditure since 2010 are given in the table below;
Table --- FIS Numbers and Expenditure
|
Year |
Expenditure € million |
Recipients - Families |
|
2010 |
186.0 |
28,223 |
|
2011 |
204.5 |
28,876 |
|
2012 |
223.3 |
32,307 |
|
2013 |
261.5 |
44,159 |
|
2014 |
297.7* |
50,306 |
|
2015 |
349.2** |
54,229*** |
* Provisional ** Estimate *** end October 2015
126. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if and when a water conservation grant will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41560/15]
View answerI understand an officer of my Department has contacted you regarding this matter and is awaiting details from your office. On receipt of the necessary details, the case will be examined and you will be notified of the outcome by my Department.
127. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that a social protection appeal by a person (details supplied) is processed as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41563/15]
View answerThe person concerned submitted an appeal request to her local office regarding her jobseekers allowance claim. The Deciding Officer advised the person concerned that the Department would review the jobseeker's allowance application upon receipt of specified documentation.
The appeal submission has now been forwarded to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. It is open to the person concerned to contact her local office to pursue the issue further. The person concerned can apply for supplementary welfare allowance where her entitlement to same can be examined.
128. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the staffing levels in the decisions advisory office in her Department in each of the years 2013 to 2015 to date. [41565/15]
View answerThe Department’s Decisions Advisory Office (DAO) is combined with the Department’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Unit under one Principal Officer. Staffing levels for the combined section are set out in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Staffing Levels in the DAO & FOI Unit, 2013-2015
|
Grade |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
Principal Officer* |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Assistant Principal Officer |
1 |
2 (from April) |
3 (from April) |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
3 (2.5 FTE)** |
3 (2.5 FTE) |
3 (2.3 FTE) |
|
Executive Officer |
2 (1.8 FTE) |
2 (1.8 FTE) |
2 (1.8 FTE) |
|
Staff Officer |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Clerical Officer |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Temporary Clerical Officer |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Notes to Table:
* In September 2013, the part-time Principal Officer post was replaced with a full-time post.
** FTE is Full Time Equivalent.
129. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the type of self-care, such as counselling, which is available for staff working in front-line positions in her Department, in particular, staff dealing with homelessness; the number of staff who availed of this service in 2014 and in 2015 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41566/15]
View answerThe Civil Service Employee Assistance Service (CSEAS) provides an internal Employee Assistance Programme to Civil Service staff. Centralised within the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the CSEAS operates as an interdepartmental shared service on a regionalised basis. The service is a work-based professional service which is designed to assist employees manage and resolve work-related and personal difficulties which, if left unattended, may adversely affect attendance, work performance and quality of life.
The Department’s Staff Development Unit provides a wide range of learning and development supports for staff including areas such as self-care. As part of these supports, the Department provides stress awareness training which aims to equip staff to identify signs of stress and introduces attendees to methods of dealing with their stress. In 2014, 651 staff and managers completed this in-house delivered course and, in 2015, a further 329 people attended this course.
In addition, Staff Development Unit provides Non-Violent Crisis Intervention training aimed as a support to the Department’s front-line staff. The main objective for attendees is to gain the skills and confidence necessary to handle crisis situations with minimum anxiety and maximum security. 683 staff attended this course in 2014, followed by a further 278 attendees in 2015.
These interventions are available to all front-line staff, including those dealing with people who are homeless.
130. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal under the disability allowance scheme by a person (details supplied) in County Sligo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41590/15]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 21st October 2015. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers have been received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 19th November 2015 and the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on 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.
131. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a carer's allowance by a person (details supplied) who has a genuine case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41609/15]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 11th November 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.
132. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection for certain information (details supplied), with the answers based on the period from September 2014 to September 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41630/15]
View answerA social welfare overpayment arises where a claimant is found to have been in receipt of a payment that they were not entitled to. Once a revised decision on entitlement has been made, the person is informed of the decision and has the right to have the decision reviewed by the Department or to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. Once the right of appeal has been exercised (or not) the Department will then consider the recovery of the overpayment.
Once an overpayment has been assessed, and the person has been notified, any correspondence thereafter seeking recovery would refer to the total amount of debt owed. A debt to the Department of Social Protection may comprise of a single overpayment on one scheme or a number of overpayments which may have been incurred on more than one scheme.
The table below details the number of people currently repaying a social welfare debt by deduction from the schemes identified by the Deputy.
|
Scheme |
Number of debtors repaying |
|
Carers Allowance |
1,076 |
|
Carer's Benefit |
1 |
|
Child Benefit |
1,478 |
|
Disability Allowance |
3,007 |
|
Disablement Benefit |
64 |
|
Domiciliary Care |
258 |
|
Family Income Supplement |
2,285 |
|
Household Benefits |
0 |
|
Illness Benefit |
1,136 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
1,071 |
|
State Pension Contributory |
2,085 |
|
State Pension Non-Con |
898 |
|
State Pension Transition |
0 |
|
Total number repaying for specified schemes |
13,359 |
The Deputy should note that this information refers to the current position and may change over time as people move on and off the social welfare schemes specified by the Deputy.
133. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an application by a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41633/15]
View answerI confirm that the department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 21 September 2015. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
134. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if a respite care grant will be urgently awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare who requires the assistance to provide a special vehicle for periods of respite; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41643/15]
View answerAn application for Respite Care Grant from the person concerned was received in my Department on 29th October 2015. The application is being processed as expeditiously as possible and a decision will be made as soon as possible.
135. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when an appeal for a domiciliary care allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Cork will be determined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41716/15]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 10th March 2015. This application was not allowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 27th June 2015 outlining the decision of the deciding officer.
An appeal of this decision was registered on 19th August 2015 and additional information on the child’s condition/care needs has been supplied. The application together with the new information supplied has been forwarded to a Medical Assessor for their professional opinion. Upon receipt of the Medical Assessor’s opinion, the case will be further examined by a deciding officer, who will revise the original decision if warranted or alternatively, forward the case for consideration by the Appeals Office.
136. Deputy John Lyons asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the amount of funding allocated to the school meals programme; the number of schools included by county; the criteria used to ensure the food provided is nutritious; the frequency with which she checks that third parties are meeting these criteria; the disciplinary measures in place for third parties who fail to meet these criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41717/15]
View answerThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations which benefits approximately 217,000 children at a total cost of €39 million. An additional €3 million was allocated to the programme as part of Budget 2016, bringing the total allocation to €42 million in 2016.
There are two schemes operated under the school meals programme. The first scheme is the urban school meals scheme which is operated by local authorities and part-financed by the Department. The second is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided directly to participating schools and local and voluntary community groups who run their own school meals projects. There were over 1,390 schools, preschools and other groups participating in the school meals local projects scheme in the academic year 2014/2015 and a county breakdown is provided in the tabular statement below.
The aim of the scheme is to provide regular nutritious food to children who are unable, by reason of lack of food, to take full advantage of the education provided for them. Applicants to the scheme are directed to the Department’s website which states that funding is for healthy nutritious food only and examples of food items are provided. Applicants are informed that information regarding healthy eating for children is also available from the Health Promotion Unit of the Health Services Executive and in ‘A Good Practice Guide for School Food Initiative’ produced by the organisation Healthy Food for All.
Schools/groups must reapply for funding in advance of each school year and are required to submit detailed records at the end of each school year. Any expenditure on non-food items and unhealthy foods is deducted from the following year’s allocation.
In addition, the Department initiated an inspection programme in 2012 consisting of on-site inspections in participating schools to ensure that the scheme rules are being adhered to. This inspection process will be rolled out to all schools over the next 3 year period and the Department has assigned additional resources to facilitate this work.
Tabular Statement: Breakdown of schools and preschools by county in the school meals local projects scheme
|
County |
No. of schools & preschools |
|
Co Carlow |
34 |
|
Co Cavan |
31 |
|
Co Clare |
25 |
|
Co Cork |
115 |
|
Co Donegal |
124 |
|
Co Dublin |
344 |
|
Co Galway |
72 |
|
Co Kerry |
75 |
|
Co Kildare |
29 |
|
Co Kilkenny |
28 |
|
Co Laois |
9 |
|
Co Leitrim |
14 |
|
Co Limerick |
49 |
|
Co Longford |
17 |
|
Co Louth |
31 |
|
Co Mayo |
88 |
|
Co Meath |
15 |
|
Co Monaghan |
29 |
|
Co Offaly |
22 |
|
Co Roscommon |
28 |
|
Co Sligo |
31 |
|
Co Tipperary |
49 |
|
Co Waterford |
38 |
|
Co Westmeath |
27 |
|
Co Wexford |
52 |
|
Co Wicklow |
18 |
|
TOTAL |
1,394 |
137. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for disability allowance received, granted at initial stages, refused, appealed, and subsequently granted following appeal, by county, from 1 January 2014 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41718/15]
View answerI am advised by the department that statistics are not available on disability allowance (DA) claims received by county. Furthermore, of awarded DA applications, the number awarded at initial application is also not available. Therefore it is not in a position to supply the information in the manner sought by the Deputy.
The following breakdown below relates to the total number of applications received and decided for the period concerned. The number of DA claims awarded includes all claims awarded at initial application stage, at review stage and on appeal.
Breakdown of DA claims received and decisions
|
Year |
Number Received |
Number Awarded |
Number Disallowed |
|
2014 |
21,071 |
13,876 |
13,732 (*) |
|
2015 (up to End October 2015) |
18,949 |
13,194 |
13,858 (*) |
*The number of cases disallowed includes some claims also recorded as awarded in the above table where those cases were subsequently allowed following review or appeal.
The department can provide a breakdown of persons in receipt of DA by County and the following table refers to this.
|
County |
Number of DA recipients |
|
Carlow |
1,872 |
|
Cavan |
1,676 |
|
Clare |
2,870 |
|
Cork |
14,408 |
|
Donegal |
4,962 |
|
Dublin |
28,978 |
|
Galway |
6,740 |
|
Kerry |
4,416 |
|
Kildare |
3,960 |
|
Kilkenny |
2,213 |
|
Laois |
2,017 |
|
Leitrim |
6,103 |
|
Limerick |
832 |
|
Longford |
1,361 |
|
Louth |
3,159 |
|
Mayo |
3,797 |
|
Meath |
3,077 |
|
Monaghan |
1,379 |
|
Offaly |
2,020 |
|
Roscommon |
1,654 |
|
Sligo |
1,914 |
|
Tipperary |
5,241 |
|
Waterford |
3,243 |
|
Westmeath |
2,391 |
|
Wexford |
4,252 |
|
Wicklow |
3,104 |
|
Other |
7 |
|
Total |
117,646 |
I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that statistics are not maintained on a county by county basis and it is not in a position, therefore, to supply the information in the manner sought by the Deputy. The table below relates to the total number of DA appeals received and allowed for the period in question.
Outcome of DA appeals 2014 – 2015
|
- |
Favourable Decisions |
|||
|
- |
Appeal Receipts |
Revised Deciding Officers Decisions |
Appeals Allowed |
Appeals Partly Allowed |
|
2014 |
5,554 |
671 |
3,860 |
100 |
|
2015 (to End of October 2015) |
5,463 |
1,208 |
2,821 |
73 |
138. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason an exceptional needs payment was refused for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 9, and if she will outline the criteria by which such decisions are made. [41724/15]
View answerIt is provided in social welfare legislation that a Designated Person may determine that supplementary welfare allowance can be paid to a person by way of a single payment to meet an exceptional need, having regard to all the circumstances of the case.
The person concerned applied for assistance towards the cost of clothing for a work placement, as part of his participation in a Momentum course, in October 2015. As a result of his participation in this course his weekly payable rate has been increased by €60 since the end of May 2015. In this case it was considered that the need was not exceptional as the person concerned was in a position to provide for the cost of clothing. As advised in the notification letter, if the person concerned is dissatisfied with this decision he can request a review in writing to the address supplied.
139. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if pension entitlements accrued in Spain can be transferred to a person's (details supplied) entitlement in this jurisdiction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41729/15]
View answerEU Regulations provide for the inclusion of social insurance periods a person has incurred in another Member State(s), in a combined Irish/EU record, for the purposes of state pension contributory (SPC) eligibility. Taking the combined record into account, and subject to their satisfaction of the standard SPC eligibility conditions set out in domestic legislation, a claimant may qualify for a reduced-rate ‘pro-rata’ EU state pension (contributory) under EU Regulations.
All such applications are first assessed under Irish legislation, on the basis of the claimant’s Irish contributions record only, then separately under EU legislation, using the pro-rata calculation method. If the eligibility conditions are satisfied, the most financially beneficial pension entitlement is awarded.
140. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if the rate of child dependant payment on a carer's allowance award to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41734/15]
View answerThe person concerned was previously in receipt of a half-rate increase for one qualified child (IQC) on her carer’s allowance payment. IQC for another child, at half-rate, was awarded on 23/11/2015 and payment has issued to the nominated Post Office of the person concerned, including arrears due.
In certain circumstances, payment of IQC is due only at half rate. For example, where two spouses are getting social welfare payments in their own right, the IQC is split between their payments.
According to the circumstances available to the department, the person in question is receiving the correct rate of IQC in respect of the correct number of qualified children.
141. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if and when a water conservation grant will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41739/15]
View answerThe eligibility criteria for the Water Conservation Grant are set out in the Water Services Act 2014 (Water Conservation Grant) Regulations 2015. Under regulation 5(1) a person who registers with Irish Water, as required under section 5(2)(a) of the Water Services Act 2014, on or before 30 June 2015 shall be eligible to receive the grant in 2015 if they were normally resident at the principal private residence on that date.
To date Irish Water has transferred details of over 1.3 million registered households to this Department including the details of the person concerned. A letter issued to the person concerned at the address given inviting them to apply for the grant before the deadline of 8 October 2015 and advising them that they could make this application either online or with the assistance of the Water Grant Support Team by telephone. Statutory Instrument 434 of 2015 provided for the extension of the deadline for the submission of a completed application for the Water Conservation Grant to the Department of Social Protection from 8 October 2015 to 22 October 2015. However, there is no record of the person having applied for the grant prior to the closing date.
142. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans to review the policy that persons in receipt of a jobseeker's benefit have their claim frozen if they go on JobBridge, meaning that if they had one day left on their claim they would not be assessed during the nine month internship and would still have that one day left at the end of the internship, regardless of their assets or other household income; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41762/15]
View answerUnemployed people who wish to avail of a JobBridge internship have their entitlement to Jobseekers Benefit frozen so as to ensure continuity of payment for the duration of their participation on the programme.
There are no immediate plans to change this policy. The Department has, however, commissioned an independent evaluation of JobBridge. The results of the evaluation are expected in early 2016 and will inform any further changes to the scheme.
