Written Answers Nos. 298-314
298. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is satisfied with the level of data that is collected on the issues which come under his Department's remit; the steps he will take to work with the administration in Northern Ireland to collect data under his aegis on a North-South basis; and the budgets he will put in place to undertake this work (details supplied). [14447/16]
View answerI am satisfied that the Department collects and has access to the data that is required to perform its functions.
The Department works closely with and exchanges data, in accordance with the law, with administrations in other States for the purposes of assessing entitlement to, and making, welfare payments. As part of this process Department officials meet regularly with their counterparts in Northern Ireland and activities are co-ordinated as appropriate to support service delivery and control operations.
299. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is any form of funding available through his Department, apart from the back-to-education allowance, for a person who has secured a place on a masters course in September 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14531/16]
View answerThe Back to Education Allowance Scheme (BTEA) enables eligible persons to pursue approved education courses and to continue to receive income support for the duration of a course of study, subject to meeting certain conditions. Other than the Professional Masters in Education, which is a pre-requisite to taking up a teaching post, BTEA does not provide income support to those seeking to pursue a qualification at Masters Level. The BTEA is designed primarily to support second chance education.
The student grant payable by the Department of Education and Skills represents the primary support for persons pursuing education. This is administered by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills.
300. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for carer's allowance by a person (details supplied) and when the person can expect a decision on their case. [14533/16]
View answerI confirm that my department received an application for carer's allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 9 February 2016. Unfortunately, there are currently delays in the processing of new applications. Additional resources have been provided to the CA section in order to improve the waiting times for new applications and they are working hard to make this happen.
Frequently, delays are outside the control of the Department and are caused by the customer failing to fully complete the claim form or failing to attach the supporting documentation that is requested on the application form.
This application will be processed as quickly as possible and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome. In the meantime, the person concerned is in receipt of a weekly social welfare support.
302. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason long-term unemployed persons who are engaging at his request with a company (details supplied) and have not managed to obtain employment are precluded from taking part in the Tús - work placement initiative scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14591/16]
View answerMy Department operates a range of employment support measures, including Tús and JobPath, to assist the unemployed to re-enter the labour market. Tús was introduced in 2011 to provide work opportunities in the community for those who are unemployed for more than a year. JobPath is a new approach to employment activation to support long-term unemployed people and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain full time employment.
In general, it is not possible for clients to participate in two activation schemes at the same time and my Department does not facilitate or encourage jobseekers to leave one scheme early in order to take up a place on another scheme. This approach is particularly relevant in the case of JobPath whereby contracted providers are paid on the basis of outcomes. It is important that the service providers have the opportunity and the time to help the jobseeker secure and sustain full-time employment.
303. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a review of an overpayment can be undertaken in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14634/16]
View answerIt is the policy of the Department to seek recovery of overpayments.
The client concerned accrued an overpayment of rent supplement of €4,491.90 for the period 1/6/12 - 28/2/13 as her combined household income from one-parent family payment, FIS and maternity benefit, overlapped for a time during this period, which was not fully assessed as means towards her rent supplement. While the client has repaid a portion of this overpayment, there remains an outstanding balance of €3,451.87 which must be recouped by the Department.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
304. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if and when a basic social protection payment will be made in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14648/16]
View answerThe person concerned has been in receipt of basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance of €186.00 per week since 12 May 2016.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
305. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a rent allowance appeal by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14654/16]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 11 May 2016, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
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.
306. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) has been assessed with earnings on a family income supplement claim of €171 per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14656/16]
View answerAn application for family income supplement (FIS) was made by the person concerned on 14 April 2016.
The assessment of earnings was based on a payslip dated 16 March 2016 (week 11) which showed cumulative earnings and deduction details for the 2016 tax year to that date. The earnings were calculated at €171.00 per week.
A DO has reviewed the FIS application and has discovered that the potential FIS entitlement notified on the communication to the customer (dated 22 April 2016) was incorrect (understated). A revised communication has issued to the person in question with the correct figures.
As FIS cannot be claimed concurrently with jobseeker's allowance (JA) the letter also informs the person concerned that it is financially beneficial to cease claiming JA and instead to claim FIS and advises them to contact their local Intreo office to arrange this so that FIS may be awarded.
307. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost for 2017 of increasing by €40 the weekly payments received by recipients of an age-related lower rate of jobseeker's allowance and supplementary welfare allowance. [14666/16]
View answer309. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the qualified child increase by €5 for 2017. [14668/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 307 and 309 together.
The cost of increasing the rates of Jobseeker's Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance for those recipients under 26 years of age by €40 per week is €59 million in 2017 and a full year. This cost includes increasing the qualified adult rate to €124.80 per week.
The cost of increasing the rate of the Qualified Child Increase by €5 per week is €98.7 million in 2017 and a full year. This includes the costs of also increasing the Back to Work Family Dividend.
These costings above are provisional and will be subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients in 2017.
308. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated net cost of an additional 1,000 places on the community employment scheme for 2017. [14667/16]
View answerCommunity Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged with an opportunity to engage in part-time work and training within their communities on a temporary, fixed-term basis.
The CE budget allocation for 2016 is €376.5 million and it allows for 23,752 participants and 1,375 supervisory staff.
The estimated total costs of 1,000 additional CE places at 2016 rates, for a full year’s participation, would be approximately €14.9 million.
310. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of reducing the numbers of hours worked required to access family income support from 19 to 15. [14669/16]
View answerThe Family Income Supplement (FIS) is an in-work support for employees with families on low earnings, who otherwise might be at risk of financial poverty. The estimated expenditure for 2016 is expected to be €410 million.
To qualify for payment of FIS, a person must be engaged in full-time insurable employment which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight or 19 hours per week. Furthermore, the average family income must be below a specified amount which varies according to the number of qualified children in the family.
The “hours worked” eligibility criterion has been reduced significantly since the introduction of the scheme in 1984, from 30 hours per week to 19 hours per week in 1996. Further reducing the “hours worked” requirement would have potentially significant expenditure implications.
For low income workers with less than the minimum hours of employment for FIS and working on a casual basis up to and including 3 days per week, jobseeker's schemes provide in-work income support through daily disregards and tapered withdrawal of payments.
The current number of families who are working between 15-18 hours and are earning below the relevant FIS thresholds is currently unknown.
Reducing the numbers of hours worked required to access FIS from 19 to 15 could have a number of behavioural effects including: reduce incentive to increase part-time hours; result in recipients on the minimum 19 hours threshold reducing their hours of work; and reduction in the "hours worked" criteria might attract new recipients currently on higher wages above the FIS threshold, who might decide to reduce their hours in order to qualify.
Under EU regulations FIS is defined as a family benefit and is exportable in cases where the claimant is working in Ireland but where the children are living abroad. My Department has no way of predicting with any degree of accuracy the potential in-flow from this category.
Therefore, my Department has no way of accurately estimating the cost of reducing the numbers of hours worked required to access FIS from 19 to 15 hours.
311. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the expenditure on the community services programme in each of the past ten years; and the estimated full-year cost of increasing funding through the community services programme in order to cover the cost of the 50 cent increase to the minimum wage. [14670/16]
View answer312. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing funding through the community services programme in order to enable the sector to become a living-wage employer, that is, that a minimum wage of €11.50 per hour would apply. [14671/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 311 and 312 together.
The community services programme (CSP) is one of a number of programmes and schemes operated by my Department. It provides financial support to community companies that provide revenue generating services of a social inclusion nature. Many of these companies are also funded from other sources and generate revenue from the public use of their facilities and services. The CSP provides a contribution to the wage costs of the companies on the basis that the services are not fully self-financing or the cost of provision would be prohibitive on users. My Department does not set the wage rate but requires the payment of an appropriate rate consistent with local norms.
In 2015, 398 companies were directly supported by the CSP. Companies receive a contribution towards the wage costs of 1,701 employees.
Providing for an increase of €0.50 per hour to all companies for the current number of employees supported (1,701) would result in an additional cost of €1.7 million per annum. However it should be noted at the end of 2015 some 60% of the employees supported were being paid above the level of the minimum wage in keeping with the social inclusion and social benefit objectives of the programme. Pobal and the Department are currently examining submissions from existing funded companies to assist and support those who are not in a position to cover the increase in the minimum wage for 2016.
Providing for an increase to €11.50 per hour to all companies for the current number of employees supported (1,701) would result in an additional cost of €9.8 million per annum.
Information on the expenditure for CSP in each of the past 10 years 2006 to 2016 is set out in the following table:
CSP Expenditure 2006-2016
|
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016* |
|
€38m |
€43m |
€47m |
€50m |
€45m |
€45m |
€47m |
€42m |
€43m |
€42m |
€21m |
*at end of May 2016
313. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the implications of the proposed new working family payment scheme for the family income supplement scheme, the back-to-work family dividend and the rules governing the permissibility of work and earnings disregards of other working age payment schemes; if it is to replace any or all of these payments and if so, if the total number of recipients of an in-work welfare support will increase or decrease; if so, by how much; and if it is envisaged that the total social protection spend supplementing paid employment will increase or decrease, and if so, by how much. [14672/16]
View answer314. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the approximate timeframe within which he envisages introducing the Government's proposed working family payment scheme. [14673/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 313 and 314 together.
I recognise the important role played by the Family Income Supplement (FIS) in providing extra financial supports for 56,000 working families. The FIS scheme provides strong financial incentives for many families in availing of employment opportunities.
I have asked my officials to commence work on a proposed Working Family Payment which will seek to ensure that working families always have an incentive to transition from welfare to employment.
Considerable work and analysis needs to be done and it is therefore not possible to provide any further detail on the scheme at this stage.
