Tuesday, 28 Jun 2016

Illness Benefit Appeals

Questions (281)

James Lawless

Question:

281. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for a social protection appeal. [18206/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Payment of illness benefit to the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer following an examination by a Medical Assessor of the Department who expressed the opinion that she was capable of work.

An appeal was registered on 24 February 2016 and the Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that, in accordance with statutory requirements, the Department had been asked to provide the documentation in the case and the Deciding Officer’s comments on the grounds of the appeal. In that context, an assessment by another Medical Assessor was carried out. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 13 June 2016 and the case will now be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral appeal 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.

Social Insurance

Questions (282)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

282. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 94 of 7 July 2015, why officeholders who pay under the pay-related social insurance payment class of K do not receive any social insurance entitlements; and if he will reconsider his Department's position on this. [18210/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Since January 2011, public office holders pay PRSI at the Class K rate of 4% on their income as an office holder, provided that income exceeds €5,200 a year.

Public officeholders include the President, members of both Houses of the Oireachtas, members of the Judiciary, the Attorney General, the Comptroller and Auditor General, and city and county councillors.

All public office holders are liable to pay the contribution regardless of age. Payment of Class K PRSI does not establish any social insurance entitlements.

Prior to the introduction of the Class K charge, all public office holders were exempt from PRSI on their income as a public office holder. Then, as now, they could establish and protect their social insurance entitlements based on their non-office holder activities or through the payment of Voluntary Contributions.

The Class K PRSI charge for public office holders was introduced on the basis that public office holders were a group who unlike most self-employed and employees did not pay a 4% contribution and so has a lower marginal rate of income tax/USC and PRSI.

I am currently examining whether changes are required to the basis on which class K is charged for councillors. There are a number of possible approaches including removing the Class K charge from councillors, bringing them into cover under Class S or, alternatively, Class A or retaining the status quo. Any changes to the current Class K arrangements will need to take into account the social insurance and occupational pension position of office holders generally.

Before making any decision on this matter I will ensure that any relevant Ministers and representatives groups are consulted.

Question No. 283 answered with Question No. 247.

Carer's Allowance Applications

Questions (284)

Seán Haughey

Question:

284. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will issue payment to a person (details supplied) under the carer's allowance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18235/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 14 June 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.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Offices

Questions (285)

Seán Haughey

Question:

285. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Social Protection the efforts he is making to reduce the holding times for persons ringing various sections in his Department; if he is aware that claimants sometimes have to wait 25 minutes or more before they get to speak to a person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18236/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

In 2015, my Department answered some 8.3 million telephone calls across its network of Intreo Centres, branch offices and centralised scheme areas. In addition to the telephone service, my Department provides a range of contact channels for customers including face to face, e-mail, SMS (text), and online through our website www.welfare.ie.

My Department endeavours to provide the most responsive telephone service possible to its customers. To that effect, it has implemented a call management system across centralised scheme areas, which allows managers to monitor and manage call volumes. The system provides a flexible means of managing sudden peaks in customer demand and allows for the active management of calls by way of assigning, where feasible, more staff to the telephone lines at peak periods. The system’s report for May 2016 shows the average call waiting times to be just over two minutes, ranging from the shortest at ten seconds to the longest at eighteen minutes.

In addition, my Department has recently upgraded its IVR (Interactive Voice Technology) to improve call treatment and reduce the average time it takes for customers to reach the correct call queue to 30 seconds across all offices.

Intreo Centres, in addition to providing a telephone service, have introduced a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining claim processing in recent years. These initiatives, including a dedicated appointment service for jobseekers, aim to provide comprehensive information and advice at early claim stages, reducing the level of subsequent telephone queries.

My Department is focused on modernising its service delivery platform, making full use of new and emerging technologies to broaden the range of service delivery channels offered. The Department's new online self-service facility www.mywelfare.ie is designed to enable customers access personalised Department of Social Protection services at a time and place that suits them. A number of services have already been delivered on this new facility and more will be added on a phased basis.

In order to equip staff to deal effectively with customers, the Department provides training in customer service which includes communicating effectively with customers, effective telephone techniques, active listening and the importance of understanding and empathy. Training courses also include raising of awareness of disability, mental health and diversity issues relevant to staff and customers.

The Department has a formal comments and complaints procedure in place to allow customers give feedback on the quality of services they receive. If a customer is unhappy with the quality of service received, they can submit a complaint online at www.welfare.ie, by email to qcs@welfare.ie, by telephone to 1890 66 22 44, or in writing to Quality Customer Services, Social Welfare Services, College Road, Sligo. All such complaints will be dealt with promptly, fairly and impartially.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Rural Social Scheme

Questions (286)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

286. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the enhancement of the rural social scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18376/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The purpose of the rural social scheme (RSS) is to provide income support aimed at low-income farmers and fishermen in receipt of certain social welfare payments who are underemployed in their primary occupation. Persons are engaged for 19½ hours per week to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities. The scheme currently provides work opportunities for around 2,600 participants and 130 supervisory staff.

The funds allocated for the scheme in 2016 amount to €44.3m. This level of funding does not allow for recruitment above the numbers stated above.

With the ongoing welcome economic recovery, the eligibility criteria for RSS will be kept under review to ensure that it remains fit for purpose and to ensure that the numbers on the scheme continue to be appropriate.

Farm Assist Scheme

Questions (287)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

287. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the amendment of the farm assist scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18378/16]

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Written answers

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection

An application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on 15 October 2015. The original decision in the case was not to allow the application, as it was not considered that the person concerned met the qualifying criteria. Following a review of that decision, the person concerned has been notified that DCA has now been awarded in her case.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Family Income Supplement Applications

Questions (292)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

292. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied) under the family income supplement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18411/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The person concerned applied for Family Income Supplement (FIS) on 16 March 2016.

In order to qualify for FIS, the applicant cannot be in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) or be included as an Increased Qualified Adult (IQA) on their spouse/partners JA.

In this case, the person’s spouse/partner is claiming an IQA on their Social Welfare payment. A letter issued to the person concerned on 24 March 2016 which advised them to contact their local Intreo office as it would be more beneficial for them to claim FIS than the IQA on their spouse/partner JA.

A completed form was received in FIS section on 24 June from the person concerned requesting the removal of the IQA and this has been forwarded to the relevant Intreo office.

Once the IQA has been removed from the JA claim, the FIS application will be processed without delay.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Redundancy Payments

Questions (293)

Michael McGrath

Question:

293. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of claims under the redundancy payments scheme in each of the years 2011 to 2015 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18418/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The purpose of the redundancy payments scheme is to compensate employees for the loss of their jobs where the employer is unable to pay statutory redundancy due to financial difficulties or insolvency. Redundancy payments are based on the employee’s length of reckonable service and reckonable weekly remuneration. The scheme is funded by the Social Insurance Fund, which is made up of PRSI contributions from employers, employees and self-employed.

The table sets out the number of claims under the redundancy payments scheme between 2011 and 2015. The claim load has fallen from almost 50,000 in 2011 to just over 4,300 in 2015, a reduction of 90 per cent. Expenditure has also reduced from €312 million in 2011 to €35 million in 2015, a decrease of around 90 per cent.

The downward trend in claims and expenditure reflects the Government decision to abolish the rebate to employers (who could pay statutory redundancy) in 2013. It also highlights the decline in job losses following the return to economic growth.

Redundancy Payments Scheme Claims and Expenditure 2011 – 2015

Year	Claims processed	Expenditure
2011	49,762	€311.96m
2012	33,072	€301.76m
2013	14,088	€126.10m
2014	6,883	€ 64.6m
2015	4,333	€ 34.9m*

*Draft expenditure figure for 2015, pending completion of the SIF Accounts

Work Placement Programmes

Questions (294)

Frank O'Rourke

Question:

294. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a further list of the 50 applicants under the Tús work placement initiative in Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth in County Kildare, in addition to the list provided five weeks ago, so as to allow the supervisors to fill the vacancies for the host community groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18425/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

TÚS is an activation initiative for those who are unemployed and on the Live Register. It provides short-term quality and suitable working opportunities for people who are unemployed while at the same time carrying out beneficial work within communities.

Eligible clients are selected for inclusion in the initiative through a random selection process undertaken centrally within each Division and requested to respond to the TÚS work placement invitation. Thereafter a listing of potential candidates is supplied to the implementing body, usually the local partnership who invite them for interview. All requests for potential TÚS participants are processed promptly and within agreed timeframes. A request was received at the end of last week from Kildare County Partnership and is currently being processed.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Jobseeker's Benefit

Questions (295)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

295. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the average weekly earnings thresholds under the jobseeker's benefit scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18426/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The jobseeker's benefit scheme provides income support for people who lose work and who have the required number of social insurance contributions. The 2016 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure on jobseeker’s benefit of €369 million.

Since the extension of full social insurance cover to part-time workers from April 1991, a range of measures were introduced to the short-term illness and jobseeker’s benefit schemes in order to ensure that disincentives to employment were not created. In the absence of these measures, a situation would exist whereby many workers on low incomes would have access to weekly social welfare payments greatly in excess of their income from employment. For instance, while someone earning €31.17 a week or more would have been liable for PRSI Class A contributions, the maximum personal rate of illness and jobseeker’s benefit from January 1993 was €70.60 a week, i.e. the social welfare benefits available could have been more than twice the level of income from employment for some people.

To overcome the potential disincentives involved, new arrangements were introduced from January 1993 to relate the rate of benefit payable to the level of the claimant’s earnings. These measures were regularly updated to keep pace with changes in benefit levels. Adjustments in Budget 2009 sought to bring the income threshold and banding structure back into line with the level of benefits payable.

Jobseeker's Benefit rates are graduated according to an applicant’s earnings in the relevant tax year and reduced rates of jobseeker’s benefit are payable where the average reckonable weekly earnings are less than the prescribed amount. Under the current arrangements jobseeker’s benefit recipients with earnings of less than €300 per week in the relevant tax year - for claims in 2016, the relevant tax year is 2014 - get a personal rate ranging from €84.50 to €147.30, and reduced rates for qualified adults may also apply. Jobseeker’s benefit recipients with average earnings over €300 per week in the relevant tax year will receive a personal rate of €188 per week. Recipients of jobseeker’s benefit may also opt to transfer to jobseeker’s allowance.

Any changes to the average weekly earnings thresholds under the jobseeker’s benefit scheme would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.

Carer's Allowance Applications

Questions (296)

Michael Ring

Question:

296. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection when he will reach a decision on an application by a person (details supplied) under the carer's allowance scheme. [18444/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 8 April 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, both the person concerned and his spouse are in receipt of a weekly social welfare support.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

One-Parent Family Payment Data

Questions (297)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

297. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the net cost in 2016 of setting the eligible age at which the parent's youngest child is eligible at ten, 12 and 14 years of age under the one-parent family payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18481/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The information that the Deputy has requested is currently not available in my Department. Given the complex nature of the request, my Department will provide the information directly to the Deputy in due course. This will include the answer to the previous question submitted by the Deputy regarding increasing the age of the youngest child to 14 years for receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment.

One-Parent Family Payment Data

Questions (298)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

298. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the full year cost in 2016 of increasing the income disregard under the one-parent family payment scheme from its current threshold of €90 per week to €95, €100, €105, €110, 115, €120 and €125 per week, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18483/16]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The full cost of extending the current threshold of the income disregard under the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) from its current threshold of €90 a week to €95 a week; €100 a week; €105 a week; €110 a week; €115 a week; €120 a week; and €125 a week is outlined in tabular form. These figures are based on the current profile of OFP customers as of June 2016.

Increase income disregard to:	Estimated cost to the Exchequer in for full year	Estimated cost to the Exchequer for July-Dec 2016
€95 a week	€1,650,000	€825,000
€100 a week	€3,300,000	€1,650,000
€105 a week	€4,950,000	€2,475,000
€110 a week	€6,600,000	€3,300,000
€115 a week	€8,250,000	€4,125,000
€120 a week	€9,900,000	€4,950,000
€125 a week	€11,550,000	€5,775,000

Social Welfare Schemes Data

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 299, 301 to 303, inclusive, 305, 306, 309 and 310 together.

The costings sought by the Deputy are outlined in the format agreed with the Deputy’s office. The costs of higher or lower increases in the various rates of payment are proportionate to the costs shown for a given rate of increase. As also requested by the Deputy’s office, the costs do not include the costs of proportionate increases for qualified adults.

The cost of a €10 increase in the monthly rate of Child Benefit is estimated at €146.5 million in 2017.

The cost of a €10 increase in the weekly rate of the Living Alone Allowance is estimated at €102.4 million in 2017.

A €100 increase in the rate of the Carer's Support Grant is estimated at €8.9 million in 2017 with a €200 increase estimated at costing €17.8 million.

The remaining costings are listed in the two following tables:

Table 1: Indicative cost of each €10 increase in weekly personal rates for those of working age – this includes a €10 increase for jobseekers aged under 26 as well as for recipients of Disability Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Invalidity Pension and Blind Pension.

Scheme	Cost in 2017 €m
Social Insurance Schemes
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension	15.9
Deserted Wife's Benefit	2.2
Invalidity Pension	29.0
Guardian's Payment (Contributory)	0.7
Disablement Pension	3.3
Illness Benefit	26.9
Injury Benefit	0.6
Incapacity Supplement	0.5
Jobseeker's Benefit	16.2
Carer's Benefit	1.4
Health and Safety Benefit	0.0
Maternity & Adoptive Benefit	11.6
Total Social Insurance Schemes	108.3
Social Assistance Schemes
Blind Person's Pension	0.7
Widow/ers or Surviving Civil Partner's (Non-Con) Pension	0.8
Deserted Wife's Allowance	0.1
One-Parent Family Payment	21.5
Carer's Allowance	19.0
Half Rate Carer's Allowance	5.2
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)	0.2
Jobseeker's Allowance	104.7
Jobseeker's Allowance (€100 rate)	11.6
Jobseeker's Allowance (€144 rate)	2.3
Pre-Retirement Allowance	0.1
Disability Allowance	66.2
Farm Assist	4.2
Back to Education Allowance	5.7
Back to Work Enterprise Allowance	5.3
Community Employment Programme	12.8
TÚS - Community Work Placement Initiative	4.3
Rural Social Scheme	1.4
JobBridge - National Internship	1.2
Gateway	1.1
Supplementary Welfare Allowance	7.6
Total Social Assistance Schemes	276.1
OVERALL TOTAL	384.4

Table 2: Indicative cost of each €10 increase in weekly personal rates for those of pension age

Scheme	Cost in 2017 €m
State Pension Contributory	173.0
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension	43.1
Deserted Wife's Benefit	1.2
Death Benefit Pension	0.3
State Pension Non Contributory	49.5
Carer's Allowance	1.1
Half Rate Carer's Allowance	2.6
OVERALL TOTAL	270.8

The costs shown above are on a full year basis and assume that, where relevant, each increase is implemented from the beginning of January. It should be noted that these costings relate to 2017 and are subject to change over the coming months in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2017.