Written Answers Nos. 178-192
178. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of claims under the optical treatment benefit scheme in each of the years 2011 to 2015, in tabular form; the annual cost of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17802/16]
View answerThe total claims received and the cost of the optical benefit scheme in the relevant years are detailed in the following table.
|
Year |
Claims |
Cost |
|
2011 |
135,593 |
€3,292,836 |
|
2012 |
139,805 |
€3,386,861 |
|
2013 |
141,972 |
€3,447,380 |
|
2014 |
149,026 |
€3,610,334 |
|
2015 |
163,974 |
€3,977,233 |
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
179. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Social Protection the time it takes to receive a decision from the medical review and assessment section, for certain payments (details supplied) as of 14 June 2016 or the closest date on which data are available; the time it took to receive a decision from the medical review and assessment section for the payments as of January 2016; the time it took to receive a decision from the medical review and assessment section for the payments as of June 2015; if there has been an increase in the time it takes to receive a decision from the medical review and assessment section for the payments with regard to the 12-month period from June 2015 and June 2016 or closest date to June 2016 on which data are available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17812/16]
View answerThe main role of the Department’s Medical Assessor (MA) in Medical Review and Assessment Section is to assess a customer for medical eligibility, based on medical certification and reports provided by the customer’s medical practitioner and in some instances via in-person assessments. The MA provides a medical opinion to a Deciding Officer in the Department’s relevant scheme area to aid them making their overall final decision, which may also involve non-medical criteria (e.g. means and residency for Disability Allowance and numbers of PRSI contributions for Invalidity Pension). If a customer is found to be not eligible on their claim, they are entitled to request a review/appeal while submitting new medical evidence for assessment. Statistics are provided for the following schemes as requested:
- Disability Allowance,
- Illness Benefit,
- Invalidity Pension,
- Occupational Injury benefit and
- Partial Capacity Benefit.
No statistics are available for Blind Pension but it is normal practice for medical opinions to be returned to the scheme area within 2/3 days. As agreed with the Deputy, the statistics are broken down into 3 different groupings: January – May 2015, January – May 2016 and also January – December 2015.
|
January-May 2015 |
January-May 2016 |
January-December 2015 |
|
|
Scheme |
Average Waiting Time (Days) |
Average Waiting Time (Days) |
Average Waiting Time (Days) |
|
Disability Allowance |
33 |
41 |
20 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
56 |
76 |
46 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
57 |
53 |
72 |
|
Partial Capacity Benefit (IB) |
140 |
201 |
148 |
|
Partial Capacity Benefit (InvP) |
113 |
121 |
84 |
It will be noted that waiting times have increased somewhat in 2016. This is due to Medical Assessors’ availability and an increase in the overall number of applications. An MA recruitment campaign has just ended and it is expected to employ additional MAs in the near future and a further recruitment campaign will be held in the Autumn. In the meantime MA resources have been prioritised on customers on whose applications a payment may be dependant. Accordingly a marked improvement in waiting times should be noticeable in the coming months.
180. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of the anomalies in the Gateway scheme that exist for families in respect of the number of children; if he is examining a review of the refusal to permit families to apply for additional income assistance through family income supplement; if he is aware it financially disadvantages a person with more than two children to participate in the scheme; if this was envisaged at the roll-out of the scheme; if a review is possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17816/16]
View answerGateway is a Local Authority initiative which aims to provide short-term quality and suitable work opportunities to improve the employability and maintain the work readiness of those who have been unemployed for 24 months or more.
Participants on Gateway are entitled to claim for any dependent child/children who satisfy the eligibility criteria. Gateway employees are subject to normal income tax and PRSI deductions if their level of earnings brings them into the tax net. These conditions also apply to employees in the private and public sector and those engaged in other work placements initiatives such as Tús, community employment and the rural social scheme. Further information about revenue rules can be obtained from the Revenue Commissioners or local tax office.
Participants on employment schemes, who pay Class A, can establish entitlement to the full range of short term benefits including jobseeker’s benefit, illness benefit, and maternity benefit and to long term benefits including state pension (contributory).
To avail of family income supplement, the person must be engaged in full-time remunerative employment as an employee. This specifically excludes a number of employment schemes, including Gateway.
If a placement has a negative financial impact on a participant, it is open to the person to inform their Intreo Office and seek to be excused from participation on financial grounds. In such cases, the Department will work with the person to identify other activation and/or educational opportunities, which may be more appropriate to their circumstances.
With the ongoing welcome reductions in the live register, schemes such as Gateway will be kept under review to ensure that they remain fit for purpose and to ensure that the numbers on schemes and the nature of the schemes continue to be appropriate.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
181. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the innovations being made to engage those prior participants of the one-parent family payment scheme whose children are now older in preparation for their re-engagement with the workforce; the vocational training available to them through his Department's schemes; the sector-specific workforce areas that are engaged in providing vocational training, including at what levels; how these are funded; the reports available as to outcomes for these one-parent family payment scheme transition families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17821/16]
View answerAll former one-parent family payment recipients who transitioned to a jobseeker’s allowance or jobseeker’s transitional payment have access to my Department’s Intreo service. This is the first time that my Department is proactively engaging with lone parents.
My Department is now fully engaging with jobseeker’s transitional payment recipients, i.e., lone parents whose youngest child between 7-13 years of age. These customers are being identified and called for a one to one engagement with a case officer who assists them to produce a personal development plan. This plan guides them towards appropriate education, training and employment opportunities. As these engagements progress over time, it will be possible to analyse and report on the outcomes for these lone parents including training, education and employment, which will inform future policy developments in this area.
While the customer is on the jobseeker’s transitional payment access to these supports are potentially available for up to seven years. This is a much broader support than the 12 month engagement that normally applies for jobseekers from their one to one meeting. The aim of this broader support is to improve the individual’s employment prospects.
Former one-parent family payment recipients who moved to a jobseeker’s allowance (JA) payment i.e. those with a youngest child 14 year of age or older, gain access to the Intreo supports via the standard process for jobseekers commencing with a group engagement with a case officer.
Lone parents who are in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment have access to the wide and comprehensive range of education, training and employment programmes that are available. There is a wide multitude of programmes designed to cater for a diverse range of individual and specific needs. These include employment programmes such as Community Employment and TÚS, which are the responsibility of my Department. It also includes the broad range of vocational courses available through the Education Training Boards and higher level programmes, which can be supported up to Level 8, which are available through high level education bodies under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills.
182. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures he will put in place, following the recommendations of the report of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness launched on 17 June 2016, in respect of raising the rent supplement limits throughout the counties and specifically in respect of north County Kildare, which is outside the Dublin Region Homeless Executive's area but where rents are in excess of €1,400 per calendar month for a modest family home and where rents for general homes are in excess of €1,600 per calendar month; the innovations being made to assess applications on a case-by-case basis for new tenancies and pre-existing ones; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17822/16]
View answerSupports in relation to housing and the provision of financial supports, such as the rent supplement scheme currently supporting some 55,000 recipients at a cost of €267 million in 2016, are a key priority for Government. In advance of the launch of the report of the Housing and Homelessness Committee, my Department has been examining the rent limits in the context of the Government commitment to provide for an increase and it is my intention that revised rent limits will be brought to Government for agreement within the coming weeks.
The strategic policy direction of the Department is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of being a short-term income support scheme. Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), responsibility for the provision of rental assistance to those with a long-term housing need transfers to local authorities. HAP is currently operational in 19 local authority areas, including Kildare, with payments being made in respect of over 10,350 tenancies of which over 350 are in place in Kildare. Where HAP is in operation this Department will continue to provide rental support, under the rent supplement scheme, to those with a short term need, generally because of a temporary loss of employment.
At this time of constrained supply, the Department continues to implement a targeted, flexible, case-by-case approach where rents exceed limits. This ensures that people at risk of homelessness or loss of their tenancy are supported under the rent supplement scheme where increased rental payments are required. Currently, over 8,600 households in receipt of rent supplement are supported through this approach with some 430 households assisted in Kildare.
The Department, in conjunction with Threshold, operates a protocol in the Dublin and Cork areas where supply issues are particularly acute. Following engagement with the relevant agencies this protocol was recently extended to the commuter counties of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, and also to Galway City.
Any person experiencing increased rents or facing the threat of the loss of their tenancy under rent supplement are urged to contact the Department’s Community Welfare Service or the Threshold Tenancy Protection service without delay.
183. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the sick leave entitlements of an employee of an education and training board in the event of a workplace accident; if the education and training board employee's entitlements are restricted to 92 days on full pay and 91 days on half pay and with the one year rolling rule with a review over four years, that is, the dual look back; if the leave is ring-fenced as is the case in many other Government bodies and Departments, so as not to affect the employee's sick leave record or his or her future entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17830/16]
View answerThis is a matter for my colleague in Department of Education.
184. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when arrears of jobseeker's allowance will be paid in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17871/16]
View answerAs advised in the reply to the Deputy’s most recent question in this matter (ref: 16626-16), the person concerned received their jobseeker's allowance payment this week, including any arrears that were due from the date of their claim. Child dependant allowances were not payable to the claimant for the period they were out of the family home as these payments had been previously been paid to another customer of the department within the household.
If the person concerned wishes to make an application for payment for the period they were out of the family home, they will be required to provide clarification as to their residency and circumstances prior to the 23rd of May, in order to establish whether an entitlement to a jobseeker's payment existed for that period. If this requested clarification is provided we will be in a position to make a decision in respect of this earlier period.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
185. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if, given the medical evidence available in the case of a person (details supplied) a review and or appeal will take into account the up-to-date medical evidence available in respect of the person's spouse who is the subject of the person's application under the carer's allowance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17872/16]
View answerCarer’s allowance (CA) is in payment to the person concerned since 24 June 2010 in respect of one care recipient.
I confirm that my Department received an application for CA from the person concerned on 13 April 2016 in respect of a second care recipient. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have a disability whose effect is that they require full-time care and attention.
This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions or continuous supervision in order to avoid danger to him or herself and likely to require that level of care for at least twelve months.
All of the evidence submitted in support of this application was examined and the deciding officer decided that this evidence did not indicate that the requirement for full-time care was satisfied.
The person concerned was notified on 9 June 2016 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal. There is no record, to date, of a request from the person concerned for a review of this decision or of an appeal being made by the person concerned to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
186. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection to indicate, notwithstanding the replies to previous parliamentary questions on the matter, whether the proceeds of a family home arising from a family settlement which accrued to a person (details supplied) must be completely dissipated before the person can qualify for rent support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17873/16]
View answerAs part of the assessment of means for Rent Supplement, all capital savings and investments, including monies accrued through the sale of a person's family home, are subject to a means test. This means test is applied consistently to all applicants for Rent Supplement in accordance with the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, Section 196.
As detailed to the Deputy in previous replies to Parliamentary Questions, the client concerned was requested to provide the Department with details of all capital accrued through the sale of the family home, to include documentation that shows the full amount of this settlement, such as bank statements from the date of receipt of the monies to current date and clearly verify what amount of this capital remains.
The client concerned failed to provide this documentation despite numerous requests by the Department. Subsequently the Rent Supplement application was disallowed as the individual failed to provide sufficient information to allow an assessment of the case. The client concerned has been advised of their right to appeal this decision.
As highlighted in discussions between the Deputy and the Department of Social Protection, the Department has reviewed the case again and all information supplied to date. Unfortunately, having regard to the legislation together with the facts of the case, there is no discretion on the matter. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
187. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection to indicate, notwithstanding replies to previous parliamentary questions in the case, if he is aware of the hardship currently being suffered by a family due to the cessation of carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17877/16]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer has decided to hold an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned. As a matter of priority, the hearing will scheduled within the next 3 weeks and the person concerned will shortly be notified of the exact 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.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
188. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if and when rent support in line with current rent of €900 per month will be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied); if any increase will be backdated to 1 February 2016 from when the rent was increased from €690 to the current rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17881/16]
View answerThe client concerned has been requested to provide the Department with up to date documentation regarding the changes to her rate of rent payable. On receipt of same, the claim will be re-assessed with regard to entitlement.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
189. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if the disability allowance claim in the case of a person (details supplied) will be backdated to the date the person applied for invalidity pension; and why the disability allowance claim which was approved did not commence on the date of application, that is, November 2015. [17903/16]
View answerI confirm an application for disability allowance was received from the person in question on 2 March 2016 and was awarded from that date. My Department received no request from the applicant at that time to back-date the date of award of the allowance.
In view of the circumstances as outlined, the date of award of DA has now been reviewed and revised back to 25 November 2015.
Arrears of payment due will issue as soon as possible once any necessary adjustment is calculated and applied in respect of any overlapping payments or in respect of outstanding overpayments (if applicable).
190. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the outcome of an investigation into the employment of a person (details supplied). [17904/16]
View answerThe Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contribution record for the person concerned, for the period 20/03/2002 to 31/12/2008, was examined by a Social Welfare Inspector in September 2014. No discrepancies were found.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
191. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts being made to protect unaccompanied minors who arrive in refugee camps on the Greek islands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17645/16]
View answerThe situation of unaccompanied minors is a distressing aspect of the ongoing Migration crisis and there are concerns in this regard in many countries both in Europe and elsewhere. While there is a problem with the care of unaccompanied minors in parts of Greece, the Greek authorities are working with the UN High Commission for Refugees and UNICEF to provide appropriate facilities for unaccompanied minors. Since the EU-Turkey deal of March this year, new arrivals on the islands, including unaccompanied minors, are taken to the hotspots where their claims can be assessed. If they are found to be admissible under the terms of the EU-Turkey deal, they can be taken to centres on the mainland. Up to 500 migrants have already been deemed admissible and moved to the mainland. The Greek Government, working with the European Asylum Support Office, the UN High Commission for Refugees and other agencies, is currently conducting a mass pre-registration programme in the mainland refugee camps. They hope to pre-register all migrants in Greece by the end of July. Once the pre-registration has taken place, the government will know where it stands in relation to the profile of all migrants (age, family status, nationality, and special needs) and will be able to devise appropriate responses, including and especially relating to the care and protection of unaccompanied minors.
192. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts being made to ensure the money provided by Ireland to refugee camps is being used in a manner that will improve, in practical and tangible terms, the quality of life for refugees living in the camps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17646/16]
View answerWith 65 million people displaced from their homes worldwide, the plight of refugees is a priority for our humanitarian and development assistance. Through Irish Aid, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides humanitarian assistance for refugees forced to live in camps and those living in host communities, and supports their livelihoods through a range of channels. The United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has long been one of Ireland's key multilateral partners. I was very pleased that this year we were in a position to increase our core funding to UNHCR to €7 million, from €5.8 million in 2015. This reflects Ireland’s strong emphasis on the vital work of the agency, particularly in the context of the ongoing migration and refugee crisis.
In addition to the provision of financial support, we engage in strategic policy dialogue with UNHCR through our membership of its governing body, the Executive Committee, and through high level bilateral meetings. This enables us to monitor the work of UNHCR, focussing on strengthening the Results-Based Management approach to its operations, and in particular the systematic use of standards and indicators to measure and ensure the well-being of refugees under its protection.
We also provide targeted assistance to refugees living in camps through our partners on the ground, providing assistance to a number of refugee camps in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. For example, in addition to our core funding, we have provided €2 million to UNHCR since 2015 to implement its South Sudan regional response plan. We have also provided over €2 million since 2014 to our NGO partners for lifesaving emergency services to South Sudanese refugees in the Gambella camps in Ethiopia and the Adjumani camps in northern Uganda. In the Middle East, last year we provided €500,000 to UNICEF in Jordan for water and sanitation facilities in Azraq refugee camp and a further €800,000 to UNHCR specifically for their work with Syrian refugees in the country.
In addition, the Department, through its Rapid Response Initiative, has airlifted humanitarian relief supplies such as blankets and tents to refugee camps hosting South Sudanese, Syrian and Nigerian refugees fleeing violence and conflict.
Ireland is also a longstanding supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in delivering humanitarian and development assistance to some 5 million Palestine refugees. During my visit to the Middle East last week, I announced funding of €4.5 million for UNRWA for its work in delivering core services, especially education and health. As a member of UNRWA’s Advisory Commission, we work to ensure full support for the critical work of the Agency.
While the need exists, I am determined that we will continue our work through our UN and NGO partners in refugee camps and in communities hosting large refugee populations to improve living conditions and to ensure that basic needs are met. All these partners are subject to regular monitoring and review to ensure the effectiveness of this work.
