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Wednesday, 20 Apr 2016

Written Answers Nos. 40-57

JobsPlus Scheme

Questions (40)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

40. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will engage with the Departments of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Children and Youth Affairs to make the benefits currently available to employers availing of the JobsPlus scheme available to parents seeking to employ persons to provide affordable child care in the home; her views on the many benefits that would accrue from such a development for the child care worker, parents and Exchequer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7487/16]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy is aware, the JobsPlus incentive provides for a direct monthly payment to employers who recruit employees from the Live Register and those transitioning into employment. It provides two levels of payment - €7,500 or €10,000 over two years - paid in monthly instalments provided the employment is maintained. The rate of payment depends on the length of time the person recruited was unemployed.

JobsPlus is open to all eligible employers, including those employing childcare workers. If a parent employs a person to provide childcare in the home, they can avail of the incentive if they are a registered employer and compliant with Irish tax and employment law.

The employment offered to the childcare employee must be of a full-time nature of at least 30 hours per week spanning over four days per week. Under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000, employees are entitled to a minimum wage, currently €9.15 per hour. Employers recruiting under the JobsPlus incentive are required to comply with the Act and other statutory provisions in respect of pay and conditions.

There are many benefits for employers and employees under the JobsPlus incentive. Every new full-time job supported under JobsPlus not only reduces social welfare payments made by the State, but critically reduces the payments made to the longer term unemployed who are more likely to become long-term dependents of welfare. The incentive also influences employers to consider longer-term unemployed jobseekers over those more recently unemployed or moving employment. In addition, these new full-time workers will contribute to the Exchequer in terms of tax and PRSI paid.

Community Welfare Services Data

Questions (41, 42)

Pearse Doherty

Question:

41. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of service users who attended the weekly community welfare service clinic held at the inspector's office in Falcarragh, County Donegal, for each month in 2015 and in 2016 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7491/16]

View answer

Pearse Doherty

Question:

42. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason the weekly clinics held as part of community welfare services in the Falcarragh and Dunfanaghy areas of County Donegal have been merged; if she is aware of the negative impact which this reduction to services will have on service users in terms of having their individual welfare needs assessed and the appropriate allowances allotted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7492/16]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 42 together.

The number of customers seeking to access the Department’s Community Welfare Service (CWS) in Falcarragh has fallen considerably, to a level where it is no longer sustainable to maintain a clinic there. At present the number of weekly customers attending the Falcarragh clinic has fallen to an average of 5 a week or less. The fall in numbers is due to the far quicker turnaround on decisions on long term Social Welfare payments and also due to the administration of rental support being transferred to the Local Authority under the Housing Assistance Payment scheme.

The reduced numbers of clients who may continue to seek assistance at the Falcarragh clinic are being facilitated at the nearby weekly clinic in Dunfanaghy Intreo Office where the full range of DSP Services will also be available to customers.

If a person is unable to travel to the Dunfanaghy clinic, for example due to illness, a phone number has been provided for the customer to contact the CWS. In such circumstances, a home visit by a Community Welfare Officer will be arranged if necessary. Arrangements for emergency cases requiring the assistance of the CWS outside of normal working hours will also continue to remain in place in Falcarragh. A contact phone number for accessing this is with An Garda Síochána, HSE and other relevant Authorities.

The local Social Welfare Inspector will continue to be available to customers in Falcarragh and will continue to provide a public access day on Friday mornings.

The most recent statistics in relation to the numbers of service users who attended the weekly CWS Clinic held at the Inspector's Office in Falcarragh, in County Donegal is set out in the following table.

Attendance at Falcarragh CWS Clinic From 15 th July 2015 - 31 March 2016

Date

Number attending

JULY 2015

15TH

8

22ND

11

29th

5

AUGUST 2015

5th

4

12th

11

19th

10

26th

4

SEPTEMBER 2015

2nd

3

9th

2

16th

4

23rd

5

30th

5

OCTOBER 2015

7th

3

14th

7

21st

5

28th

7

NOVEMBER 2015

4th

8

11th

3

18th

4

25th

8

DECEMBER 2015

2nd

3

9th

4

16th

-

JANUARY 2016

6th

2

13th

-

20th

7

27th

10

FEBRUARY 2016

3rd

2

10th

11

17th

4

24th

6

MARCH 2016

2nd

-

9th

5

16th

5

23rd

-

30th

8

Household Benefits Scheme

Questions (43)

John Halligan

Question:

43. Deputy John Halligan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans to expand the eligibility criteria for the household benefits package to allow adult semi-dependent children getting jobseeker's allowance of no more than €100 per week to remain in the family home while parents in receipt of disability allowance or invalidity pension qualify for the benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7495/16]

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Written answers

The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. Widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of the household benefits package retain that entitlement. Therefore anyone aged under 70 years of age must be in receipt of a qualifying payment from the Department or satisfy a means test in order to qualify for HHB. They must also satisfy the household composition test meaning they must live alone or only with certain excepted people, which are -

- A qualified adult (a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is considered a qualified adult if a person is receiving an allowance for him/her with their payment, or would be receiving a payment for them but for the fact that they are in receipt of a payment in their own right)

- Dependent children under the age of 18, or under the age of 22 if in full-time education (a certificate from the school/college must be supplied for those aged 18 or over)

- A person who is so incapacitated as to require constant care and attention for at least 12 months (medical certification may be required)

- A person(s) who would qualify for the allowance in his/her own right (for example, a person getting a State pension)

- A person who is providing the claimant or someone in their household with constant care and attention, if they are so incapacitated as to require constant care and attention for at least 12 months (medical certification may be required).

I have no plans to change the qualifying criteria for the house hold benefits package at this time as any decision to so do would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in the context of budget negotiations.

Community Welfare Services

Questions (44, 46)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

44. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the analysis completed on the functioning of the community welfare services where face-to-face clinics were withdrawn previously, for example, Clane, County Kildare; how many of the 24 hour commitments were maintained; how many were longer than 48 hours; how the clients were catered for; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7496/16]

View answer

Catherine Murphy

Question:

46. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans for the resources she gains following the closure of community welfare services that are open to the public, including office spaces, equipment and full-time equivalent resources; how she intends to redeploy these; if she intends to allocate offices for other use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7498/16]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 46 together.

Following the transfer of the Community Welfare Service (CWS) from the Health Service Executive to the Department in 2011, the Department has re-engineered its business model and staffing resources to support the provision of integrated services across all business streams involved in the delivery of localised services. This included transferring CWS staff into case officer roles to meet activation commitments under the Pathways to Work Programme. As part of this strategy, the Department is engaged in the delivery of integrated Intreo centres, which provide a full range of services, including the CWS, generally available in one location.

CWS clinics were generally operating from Health Service Executive (HSE) premises. Where CWS service delivery has been structured these services are now being provided from Departmental offices. Premises, furniture and other equipment that remained in the ownership of the HSE were retained by that Agency. The staffing and office requirements for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed in the context of the ongoing development of integrated services, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on the schemes operated by the Department.

A number of changes were made in January 2014 in relation to the delivery of CWS in the South Kildare/West Wicklow area including Clane. Service had traditionally been provided as a walk-in-service in local clinics one or two mornings per week for limited hours. From January 2014 the CWS in the South Kildare/West Wicklow area were restructured to three main centres: Naas, Newbridge and Athy. This service is accessible by telephone call, followed up by appointments and home visits as required. There is a commitment that all customers will have their telephone call returned within one working day. This has eliminated the need for unnecessary travel to Department offices. Emergency cases are prioritised and dealt with appropriately. All clients were notified of the changes, including the new extended service times and contact details.

Approximately 1,500 telephone phone enquiries are received each month in the South Kildare/West Wicklow area. While statistics are not maintained on the number of telephone calls returned within the commitment of one working day, feedback from staff indicates that this is the case. However, if the Deputy is aware of any case where difficulties have arisen regarding the level of service provided she should provide details to the Department for review.

Social Welfare Payments Administration

Questions (45)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

45. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she has evaluated the number of applicants that have to wait a week or longer for a face-to-face appointment to make a claim for social protection support; how this impacts on her customer service charter; the provision she has made for customers that require support in the interim period; the policy changes that drive this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7497/16]

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Written answers

Since 2012, the rollout of the new Intreo service delivery model has meant that customers should no longer be experiencing a delay in obtaining an appointment for one of our schemes.

When applying for a jobseeker’s payment or a one parent family payment, customers merely present at the integrated reception of their local Intreo Centre and are given the relevant application forms and an early appointment date. They are also informed if any additional supporting information is required.

Provided that the customer presents at his/her appointment with the relevant forms completed and any other requested material, then there would normally not be any undue delay in putting the claim into payment.

Jobseeker's benefit claims are actually decided, on average, in just one week. For jobseeker's allowance, claims are decided, on average in two weeks. For one parent family payment claims, the average is 6 weeks to award, reflecting the complexity of this payment and the requirement to provide more detailed information.

Historically, where there were delays in processing primary claims, then supplementary welfare allowance payments could be made to customers in the interim period pending award. However, with the improved processing times delivered by the Intreo process, the overall number of supplementary welfare applications pending jobseeker's claims has significantly reduced, as an early decision on the primary claims has negated the need for such applications.

The Intreo process is in line with the Department’s Customer Service Charter.

Question No. 46 answered with Question No. 44.

Labour Market

Questions (47)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

47. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection for an update on the current situation regarding access to job activation, training and education for unrecognised jobseekers not on the live register, following the debate by the Joint Committee for Education and Social Protection. [7503/16]

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Written answers

As noted in replies to similar previous Parliamentary Questions, given the scale of unemployment, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives has been to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. Accordingly, the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused, in the first instance, on the cohort of people who are unemployed and in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment.

For those in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance and Jobseeker's Benefit, it is a condition of their payment to engage in activation measures. Recipients of other payments, including disability allowance (DA) and the one parent family payment (OFP), can voluntarily avail of activation services and supports. The JobBridge internship scheme is now available to recipients of a wide range of payments (DA; OFP; Blind Persons Pension; Deserted Wives Allowance/Deserted Wives Benefit; Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s contributory/non-contributory Pension). Recipients of these payments are not counted on the Live Register.

In addition, unemployed persons (including those formerly self-employed) not in receipt of qualifying payments may be eligible to avail of up-skilling opportunities, for example through ETB training for unemployed people (at present there are 1,009 upcoming day courses and 552 upcoming evening courses). Although not eligible to receive a training allowance while undertaking the course, they may receive some support for expenses on travel, meals and accommodation. Springboard and Skillnets courses for unemployed people, funded through the Department of Education and Skills, are also open to people regardless of their social welfare status.

Many other services are also available to people who are not in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. For example employment services, such as advice on job-search activities and the use of online job search tools, are available to people if they register with the Department’s employment services offices regardless of their social welfare status.

An unemployed person who does not qualify for a social welfare payment due to the assessment of their means may be eligible to sign for social insurance contribution credits. Persons who sign for credits for three months (78 days) of the last six months are eligible to participate in the JobBridge programme. Persons signing on for credits for 12 months or longer over the previous 18 months are entitled to participate on Momentum courses through Solas, provided that they have been actively seeking work, however they will not receive any payment. Persons signing for credits for six months or more are entitled to participate on ETB-run VTOS courses subject to availability. In the case of VTOS courses, participants do not receive a training allowance but may receive travel and lunch allowances.

In short, the Government is committed to supporting as many people as possible to participate more fully in employment and to become more self-sufficient by providing supports that address barriers they may encounter in finding and sustaining employment. Within this overall objective it is appropriate to provide priority for those who are in receipt of payments that are conditional on being unemployed.

In developing the new Pathways to Work 2016 - 2020 strategy, the Government engaged in extensive consultations with stakeholders including front-line workers delivering employment services to unemployed people. The strategy reflects the views and ideas gathered during this process as well as taking account of inputs from across all of Government and from agencies such as the OECD and advisory bodies such as the Labour Market Council and the Joint Committee for Education and Social Protection.

Based on these inputs, the strategy for 2016 to 2020 will reflect a shift in focus from ‘activation in a time of recession’ to ‘activation in a time of recovery and growth’ and in this regard should have two main objectives:

- First, to continue and consolidate the progress made to date with an initial focus on working with unemployed jobseekers, in particular people who are long-term unemployed.

- Second, to extend the approach of activation to other people who, although not classified as unemployed jobseekers, have the potential and the desire to play a more active role in the labour force.

Accordingly Pathways to Work 2016–2020 includes numerous, specific actions to increase labour market participation and employment progression of people who are not currently active in the labour market and to apply the concept of active inclusion as a guiding principle particularly in the period from 2018 - 2020.

The principal specific actions relevant to job-seekers who are not on the Live Register are as follows:

Expand pro-active engagement to other people of working age who are unemployed but not in receipt of a jobseeker payment:

1. Review by 2017 the Jobseeker Transition (JST) activation model and consider whether changes should be made to the structure and operation of the scheme both to improve its effectiveness in supporting lone parents to transition to employment and/or to extend it as an option for other categories of welfare recipient.

2. Expand pro-active engagement to people who are working part-time but are in receipt of a welfare payment.

3. Develop a pro-active engagement approach to support qualified adult dependants of job-seeker claimants in securing employment. For example, promote the registration of qualified spouses/partners as jobseekers in their own right.

4. Promote the availability of existing services to ‘voluntary engagers’/‘walk-in’ clients, including immigrants, who are not on the Live Register but wish to avail of employment services.

5. Utilise inter-governmental public employment services such as EURES, and build relationships with public employment services in other countries to offer employment services to Irish emigrants seeking to return to work in Ireland.

6. Offer Intreo clients access to the Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and to the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning.

7. Incorporate, as appropriate, time spent as an adult recipient or beneficiary of other full-time welfare payments (e.g. as a one-parent family payment recipient, or as a qualified adult dependent of a primary claimant) when assessing eligibility for access to employment supports.

Extend and intensify the pro-active engagement approach for people with a disability.

1. Review the range of income supports (including in-work supports) for people with disabilities to ensure payments are aligned between schemes and, if appropriate, amend the payment structure to ensure that it supports a return to work for people who wish to do so.

2. Expand the use of Intreo Centres to engage with people with disabilities and increase the number of Intreo staff trained in the provision of employment supports to people with disabilities.

3. Complete a review of the EmployAbility Service to increase utilisation of the service by people with disabilities and improve the level of employment placements.

4. Complete an analysis of existing databases of people in receipt of disability payments who may have a capacity to work and an interest in employment with a view to offering such people an opportunity to engage with the Intreo and/or the EmployAbility service.

5. Consider options to help recipients of Carer’s Allowance to access activation services as they cease their caring role.

Back to Education Allowance Eligibility

Questions (48)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

48. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she has considered extending access to the back to education allowance for qualified adults. [7504/16]

View answer

Written answers

The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments that pursue courses of education at second or third level. The objective of the scheme is to raise the educational and skill levels to enable jobseekers better access to the emerging needs of the labour market in line with Government activation strategy.

The qualified adult dependent of a person in receipt of qualifying scheme payments for BTEA purposes may be approved for the Allowance provided they establish an entitlement to a qualifying scheme payment in their own right and subject to satisfying all other BTEA conditions. Periods spent in receipt of a qualified adult allowance are counted, in addition to any periods in receipt of a payment in their own right when establishing the entitlement to the Allowance.

Eligibility to BTEA does not extend to qualified adults of participants of activation schemes.

Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility

Questions (49)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

49. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection for an update on the current situation regarding enabling jobseekers not on the live register to sign on for credits. [7505/16]

View answer

Written answers

PRSI credited contributions (“credits”) are an integral part of the social insurance system. For the most part they are linked to having an underlying entitlement to a social welfare payment while temporarily detached from the labour force or having entitlement to statutory leave e.g. parental or maternity leave. The primary purpose of PRSI credits is to secure social welfare benefits and pensions of employees by covering gaps in insurance where they are not in a position to pay PRSI such as during periods of unemployment or illness for example.

In order to qualify for credits, a person must first have entered insurable employment – he or she must have paid at least one PRSI contribution as an employed contributor and, unless deemed to be exempted, must be be available for and genuinely seeking work. Subsequently, insured workers may be awarded credits if they claim a social welfare payment because they are out of work, or they are ill or incapacitated, or if they are engaged in certain training or education courses. When a person does not qualify for a payment, they may sign-on for credits provided they qualify for the award of credits.

The PRSI class at which a contributor paid his or her last PRSI employment contribution while working determines the type of credits which may be awarded. Those whose last paid PRSI contribution was at Class A may be awarded Class A credits. Those who paid PRSI, for example, at Class D (modified rate contributor) may only be awarded Class D credits.

If at any stage in their working life, a person has no PRSI paid or credited contributions for two full tax years, they cannot be awarded credits again until they return to work and pay PRSI contributions for at least 26 weeks. The rationale for this measure centres on the general principle that there should be a reasonable link between entitlement to benefit and a recent participation in the (active) labour force.

Individuals who do not qualify for a payment but are signing for credits are included in the Live Register statistics. The Live Register also includes all claimants for jobseeker’s benefit, excluding systematic short-time workers, applicants for jobseeker’s allowance excluding smallholders/farm assist and other self-employed persons.

With regard to the Live Register it should be noted that the register is not designed to measure unemployment. It includes part-time workers (those who work up to 3 days a week), seasonal and casual workers entitled to jobseeker's benefit or jobseeker's allowance. Unemployment is measured officially by the Central Statistics Office's Quarterly National Household Survey. A person is unemployed if, in the week before the survey, they were without work and available for work within the next 2 weeks.

Question No. 50 withdrawn.

Social Welfare Appeals

Questions (51)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

51. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of a social protection appeal by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7519/16]

View answer

Written answers

I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision

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.

Social Welfare Appeals

Questions (52)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

52. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) who has been resident in County Kerry for over a year has not satisfied the habitual residency clause; if this decision will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7524/16]

View answer

Written answers

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 5 April 2016, 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.

Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals

Questions (53)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

53. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on a domiciliary care allowance appeal in respect of a person (details provided) in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7538/16]

View answer

Written answers

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case on 5 May 2016. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the 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.

State Pension (Contributory) Data

Questions (54)

Seán Fleming

Question:

54. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of A1 contributions a person requires to achieve a full State contributory pension; the average number of contributions per year that a person requires to qualify for a payment less than the full amount; when these specific yearly averages were introduced; the yearly averages that applied prior to this change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7547/16]

View answer

Written answers

The State pension (contributory) is one of the State pension schemes, and its rate of payment is related to contributions made over years into the Social Insurance Fund. As such, those with a stronger attachment to the workforce, who have paid more into that fund, are more likely to be paid under that scheme. There are a number of criteria which must be satisfied in order to qualify for a State pension contributory. These include that the person must be aged 66 or over, and that they have at least 520 paid contributions at class A, E, F, G, H, N or S, i.e., a minimum of 10 years of paid contributions.

Since 1961, when contributory pensions were first introduced, the ‘yearly average’ contributions test has been used in calculating the level of pension entitlement, where the total contributions paid or credited are divided by the number of years of the working life (from their entry into insurable employment up to the year prior to their reaching State pension age). Payment rates are banded, on the basis of this calculation.

“Developing the National Pensions System – Final Report of the National Pensions Board” published in 1993, recommended that the number of paid contributions required to qualify for a contributory pension should be increased to 520 and the necessary legislation to effect these recommendations was contained in Section 12 of the Social Welfare Act 1997 which provided for their implementation in two stages, with the paid contribution requirement being standardised at 260 from 2002, rising to 520 from April 2012.

As provided for in Budget 2012, from September 2012, new rate bands for State pension (contributory) were introduced for new pensioners as follows -

Yearly average PRSI contributions

Personal rate per week, €

48 or over

233.30

40-47

228.70

30-39

209.70

20-29

198.60

15-19

152.00

10-14

93.20

The bands in place before this change remained in place for existing pensioners (who qualified before 1 September 2012), and their rates of pension are now as follows -

Yearly average PRSI contributions

Personal rate per week, €

48 or over

233.30

20 - 47

228.70

15 - 19

175.00

10 - 14

116.70

The additional bands now in place more accurately reflect the social insurance history of a person and ensure that those who contribute more during a working life will, generally, benefit more in retirement than those with lesser contributions.

It should be noted that, where people cannot qualify for a full rate contributory pension as a result of an intermittent PRSI record, the social protection system provides alternative methods of supporting such people in old age. For example, if their spouse has a contributory pension, they may qualify for an Increase for a Qualified Adult amounting up to 90% of a full rate pension, which by default is paid directly to them. Alternatively, they may qualify for a means-tested State Pension (non-contributory), amounting up to 95% of the maximum contributory pension rate.

Rent Supplement Scheme Administration

Questions (55, 84)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

55. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the extent to which she continues to monitor the need for any further increase in rent support with particular reference to the needs of families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7556/16]

View answer

Bernard Durkan

Question:

84. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the extent to which her Department continues to monitor the situation in respect of rent supplement with a view to ensuring that everything possible can be done to maximise the impact on the housing situation and homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7717/16]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 84 together.

Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 57,600 people for which the Government has provided approximately €267 million for 2016. There were over 20,100 rent supplement tenancies awarded during 2015 and over 3,000 during the first three months of 2016 showing that significant numbers of individuals and families are being accommodated under the scheme.

The Department undertook a review of the rent limits in 2015 and found that the impact of increasing limits at a time of constrained supply in the private rented market will increase costs disproportionately for the Exchequer with little or no new housing available to recipients. The Department continues to closely monitor the situation and has implemented a national targeted policy approach that allows for flexibility where landlords seek rents in excess of the limits for both existing customers and new applicants to the rent supplement scheme. The circumstances of tenants are considered on a case-by-case basis and rents are being increased above prescribed limits, as appropriate. 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 underway to extend this arrangement to commuter areas over the coming weeks.

This flexible and targeted approach has assisted over 7,570 rent supplement households nationwide to retain or acquire rented accommodation through increased rental payments. A county breakdown of these cases is provided in the tabular statement for information.

Under the Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) scheme assistance may also be provided towards rent deposits or rent in advance. In 2015, the Department provided a total of 2,500 rent deposit payments at a cost of €1.4 million. From January to March this year, the Department has provided over 530 payments of rent deposits/rent in advance at a cost of approximately €330,000.

I believe this targeted approach and the recent legislative reforms announced to the private rental sector provide a level of stability for those who require rent supplement support in what has become a highly volatile rental market.

Total Increased Rental Payments & Active HAP Tenancies by County as at 18/04/2016

County

Awards under National Tenancy Sustainment Framework

Awards under protocol with Threshold

Total no. of increased payments by County

CARLOW

35

35

CAVAN

22

22

CLARE

60

60

CORK

349

73

422

DONEGAL

-

-

DUBLIN

3,003

1,958

4,961

GALWAY

155

155

KERRY

51

51

KILDARE

353

353

KILKENNY

127

127

LAOIS

112

112

LEITRIM

64

64

LIMERICK

7

7

LONGFORD

128

128

LOUTH

122

122

MAYO

3

3

MEATH

294

294

MONAGHAN

1

1

OFFALY

60

60

ROSCOMMON

24

24

SLIGO

-

-

TIPPERARY

165

165

WATERFORD

39

39

WESTMEATH

173

173

WEXFORD

15

15

WICKLOW

177

177

Overall Total

5,539

2,031

7,570

Rent Supplement Scheme Applications

Questions (56)

Pat Deering

Question:

56. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of an application under the rent allowance scheme by a person (details supplied) in County Carlow. [7563/16]

View answer

Written answers

The client concerned was requested to provide outstanding documentation on 15/4/16. This documentation has not, to date, been received by the Department. On receipt of same, the client's Rent Supplement application can be assessed.

Rent Supplement Scheme Applications

Questions (57)

Pat Deering

Question:

57. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of an application under the rent allowance scheme by a person (details supplied) in County Carlow. [7564/16]

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Written answers

The client concerned was requested to provide outstanding documentation on 7/4/16. This documentation has not, to date, been received by the Department. On receipt of same, the client's Rent Supplement application can be assessed.

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