Written Answers Nos. 229-244
229. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if any further assistance will be provided by way of a further exceptional needs payment in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22996/16]
View answerThe person concerned applied for and was recently granted financial assistance towards the cost of funeral expenses. The designated officer has further reviewed this application and has determined that the person concerned has received his full entitlement to financial assistance based on his current circumstances.
I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
230. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details Supplied) for a carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23048/16]
View answerCarer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has a disability such that they require that level of care.
An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 26 May 2016.
The application has been referred by the deciding officer to a local social welfare investigative officer (SWI) on 17 June 2016 to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of CA are satisfied.
Once the SWI has reported, a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
231. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for a carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23050/16]
View answerI confirm that the Department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 11 May 2016.
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.
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 18 July 2016 of this decision, the reason for it and of his right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
232. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the degree to which the reduction in the live register can contribute to expediting the process for various social protection payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23069/16]
View answerThe Department is committed to ensuring that claims are processed as expeditiously as possible and that backlogs in claims are kept to a minimum. Each scheme area continuously monitors and reviews claim processing operations to ensure that customers are responded to as quickly as possible.
Processing times vary by scheme but this principally reflects the fact that the eligibility criteria such as means tests, family circumstances and medical status are more complex for some schemes than for others.
Claims processing in Intreo Centres also involves the scheduling of appointments for new jobseekers and customers are informed of the documentation required in advance of his/her appointment. This ensures that the claim itself can normally be processed without delay.
The overall reduction in the Live Register has enhanced the Department’s capacity to process claims in that overall numbers claiming jobseekers payments is reducing year-on-year. However, it should be noted that the number of people coming on - and off - the register is substantial and this movement of customers continues to require repeated administrative intervention at each entry point.
For example, the increase of 8,824 people on the unadjusted Live Register in June 2016 was made up of 34,886 people who came onto the register and 26,062 who left. Detailed analysis of the Live Register is available on the Central Statistics Office website www.cso.ie.
The staffing needs of the Department are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising. This is to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources.
233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the 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 he will make a statement on the matter. [23070/16]
View answerSupports in relation to housing and the provision of financial supports, including the rent supplement scheme, which is currently supporting some 54,000 recipients at a cost of €267 million in 2016, are a key priority for Government and remain under close review. Increased maximum rent limits under the rent supplement scheme were recently introduced with effect from Friday last, 1 July 2016. This measure fulfils the early implementation of the Programme for a Partnership Government commitment to increase rent limits in line with geographic variations in market rents.
In recognition of the ongoing difficulties in the rented market, my Department continues to implement a targeted, flexible, case-by-case approach where rents may exceed the maximum limits. This ensures that people at risk of homelessness through the loss of their tenancy continue to be supported under the rent supplement scheme. Over 8,800 persons at imminent risk of homelessness were supported through increased payments under the rent supplement scheme.
Financial support is also provided by my Department towards rent deposits under the Exceptional Needs Payments (ENP) scheme. This form of assistance is very important to those on low incomes who rely on the rented market to meet their housing needs. Up to the end June 2016, some 1,170 ENPs have been made towards rent deposits at a cost of over €730,000.
Increased stability for rent supplement households will be provided through a combination of increased rent limits, ongoing flexibility, financial supports under the ENP scheme, together with the advocacy supports provided under Threshold’s Tenancy Protection Service. These measures together with the recent reforms to the private rental sector notably that rent reviews can only take place if it has been 2 years or more since the previous review, should provide for increased certainty and security.
Any person experiencing increased rents or facing the threat of the loss of their tenancy are encouraged to contact the Community Welfare Service responsible for their rent supplement claim. Threshold’s Tenancy Protection Service is also available to people residing in Dublin, Cork, Galway and the commuter areas of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
234. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if any examination has been done as to the extent to which cessation of mortgage interest relief has negatively impacted upon particular families; the action which can be taken by way of support where loss of the family home is imminent through no fault of the family; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23071/16]
View answerThe administration of the mortgage interest relief scheme is a matter for the Revenue Commissioners and any changes to current arrangements is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance.
The most appropriate way in which families experiencing mortgage difficulties can be supported is through on-going engagement with their lender to explore sustainable solutions.
The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems, in particular those on low incomes and people living on social welfare payments. The Deputy may not be aware that in addition to its traditional core business MABS has been developed to provide additional services targeted at supporting mortgage holders in arrears with the establishment of a new Dedicated Mortgage Arrears (DMA) MABS service. There are now 28 specialist DMA advisors working across 24 locations countrywide, assisting borrowers to assess the options available to them, signposting them towards ISI where appropriate, or negotiating with lenders on their behalf. Contact details for the local MABS services are available on the MABS website at www.mabs.ie or by contacting the Helpline at 0761072000.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
235. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which his Department continues to provide youth unemployment alleviation measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23072/16]
View answerThe Government’s primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment is to create the right environment for a strong economic recovery through effective policies. In doing so it is hoped to promote competitiveness and productivity.
Reflecting the impact of government policy, and the overall improvement in the labour market, youth unemployment has fallen substantially to just over 15% in June 2016. This compares with a figure of almost 21% just one year ago, and with a peak level of over 31% in mid-2012.
Although the labour market situation is improving considerably as the recovery continues, the Government recognises the importance of a continued focus on measures to facilitate the young unemployed back into work. This is the rationale behind the Government’s Pathways to Work 2016-2020 strategy (published January 2016) and the Youth Guarantee plan (published January 2014).
The key objective of Ireland’s policy response to the EU Recommendation on a Youth Guarantee is to help newly unemployed young people find and secure sustainable jobs. In this regard there is monthly engagement by case officers with young people to assist them to prepare, review and, if appropriate, revise personal progression plans. Where young people do not find work relatively quickly, additional supports may be offered, both through reserved places on existing employment and training schemes and through youth-specific measures. Most such offers (over 70%) are in existing further education or training programmes. Others are in existing community-based employment programmes such as CE, Gateway and Tús. Overall, over 19,100 opportunities were taken up on the relevant programmes in 2015 (see Table 1 attached to this reply).
Pathways to Work 2016-2020 continues to prioritise these measures for the young unemployed and further commits to a number of additional measures. These include increasing the share of workplace-based interventions for youth unemployed; ensuring that monthly engagement, at a minimum, is consistently applied and maintained; restructuring the First Steps programme; and implementing the Defence Forces Skills for Life programme.
I am confident these measures, and continuing economic recovery, will support further reductions in youth unemployment to add to the substantial improvements that have already been seen over the last few years.
Table 1. Programme take-up on Youth Guarantee-related programmes
End of year 2015 information
|
Programme |
2015 information to date |
Note |
|
Youthreach |
1684 |
|
|
Community Training Centres |
1528 |
|
|
JobBridge |
2,296 |
|
|
Tús |
1,379 |
|
|
JobsPlus ( including JobsPlus Youth) |
676 |
|
|
Momentum |
1,066 |
|
|
BTEA (excl Momentum) |
2,900 |
|
|
BTWEA |
146 |
|
|
VTOS |
n/a |
Enrolment begins in September |
|
Former FÁS/SOLAS* |
6,629 |
Based on Specific Skills Training, Traineeship, Bridging & Local Training Initiative starters.. |
|
County Enterprise Board Youth Entrepreneurship Training and Mentoring supports. |
This programme has been superseded by Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur 2014/5 competition |
|
|
Micro Finance Ireland micro-loans for young people. |
n/a |
Age-specific breakdowns not yet available. |
|
International Work Experience and Training |
8 |
|
|
Gateway |
144 |
|
|
Community Employment |
715 |
|
|
Total |
19163 |
Excluding where figures are not available |
236. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if an oral hearing will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied) in respect of their appeal for a carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23121/16]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 11 May 2016. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the appeal in question will 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 hearing. Your request for an Oral Hearing will be brought to the attention of the Appeals Officer.
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 on social welfare entitlements.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
237. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Social Protection when making an appeal to the social protection appeals office, if a person has the legal right to speak with a medical advisor instead of an appeals officer if requested when there is a medical dimension to the appeal. [23122/16]
View answerAs agreed with my officials the Deputy will be contacted directly with a reply in due course.
238. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Social Protection when making an appeal to the social protection appeals office, if a person has the legal right to demand that the social protection appeals office does not use the private and confidential information as a case study on their website regardless of name removal. [23123/16]
View answerPursuant to Section 308(1) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, the Chief Appeals Officer is obliged to submit an annual report to me not later than six months after the end of each year on the activities of the Social Welfare Appeals Office for the preceding year. Copies of the report are laid before each House of the Oireachtas and the report is published on the Social Welfare Appeals Office website.
In preparing the report, I am advised that the Chief Appeals Officer selects a small number of case studies for inclusion in the report which in her view are indicative of the diverse range of issues which come to the attention of the Appeals Office on appeal in the course of the year.
In addition to fulfilling its primary function as an annual report to me, the case studies selected are intended to be helpful to people preparing for an appeal and any other interested parties. All case studies in the annual reports produced by the Social Welfare Appeals Office are edited so as to anonymise personal information.
No decision has yet been made with regard to the case studies to be included in the annual report for 2016. In this respect if the Deputy has a particular case in mind that he does not wish to have selected for inclusion in the 2016 report I would be happy to bring this to the attention of the Chief Appeals Officer.
239. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress that has been made on implementing the findings of the 2013 advisory group recommendations on extending social insurance support for the self-employed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23130/16]
View answerThe new partnership Government aims to create an additional 200,000 jobs by 2010, including 135,000 outside of Dublin. In particular, the role of entrepreneurs and the self-employed will be central to this ambition. They are a diverse group and include farmers, tradesmen, small business owners, professionals, freelancers and consultants, some work part time, others work every waking hour every day.
Core to the provision of a more supportive environment for the self-employed is the commitment in the new programme to introduce an improved PRSI scheme for them. In addition, we will also ensure that the Earned Income Tax Credit available to the self-employed will match that available to employees, over a number of budgets. This process commenced in Budget 2016 with the introduction of a €550 tax credit.
I want to ensure that appropriate sustainable supports are available to the self-employed in the event of certain contingencies arising. The self-employed already have access to State pension (contributory), widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory), guardians payment (contributory), maternity benefit and adoptive benefit on the same basis as employees. They will also gain access to the new paternity benefit which will be introduced later this year.
However, unlike the position with employees, they are not covered for certain contingencies such as long-term illnesses or disability. I have already indicated that extending social insurance coverage to the self-employed is a personal priority for me as Minister. I intend to extend, over a period of time, the range of benefits which the self–employed can access through social insurance. I want to start by providing access to benefits for long-term illness/incapacity and to treatment benefits. So, a self-employed person injured or incapacitated during the course of their work or on the way to or from it, will have a stronger safety net to protect them.
The former Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare published a report in 2013 which examined the options for extension of cover to the self-employed. The Group recommended that the rate of contribution for Class S self-employed should be increased and paid on a compulsory basis in order to pay for cover for long-term illnesses.
The Group concluded that “extension on a voluntary basis, through either an “opt in” or “opt out” basis, could lead to the selection of bad risks and would undermine the social solidarity and contributory principles that underline the social insurance system.”
My Department is currently examining the costs and financing an extension of benefits as well as the phasing in of access to the benefits. This examination includes a survey of a random sample of the self-employed population who rely on Class S social insurance benefits.
The survey is being carried out by my Department to get their views on priorities for increasing access to social insurance entitlements and the level of contribution the self-employed would be willing to make for more benefits.
The result from this survey will help inform and shape the development of future social insurance policy for the self-employed. Therefore, I encourage any self-employed individuals invited to participate to make every effort to do so.
240. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department will consider providing loans to social protection recipients for exceptional needs where repayments can be deducted from their weekly payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23132/16]
View answerUnder the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The ENP scheme is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance. The scheme does not provide an arrangement for repayment. The Government has provided €30.3 million for the ENP scheme in 2016.
The Deputy should be advised that a personal micro credit scheme providing for small scale loans by Credit Unions to borrowers who have difficulty accessing low cost credit has been piloted in 30 credit unions. The loans under the scheme range from €100 to a maximum of €2,000, and have a maximum interest rate of 12% per annum. Over 1,200 loans have been drawn down under the scheme to date, with an overall value of over €720,000. The average individual loan value drawn down is €500. The focus of the pilot scheme was social welfare recipients who availed of the loans from their Credit Union and were facilitated, with their consent, in the repayment of such loans through the Household Budgeting facility, operated by An Post. The deductions from their weekly social welfare payments are then transmitted on to the relevant Credit Union.
The Programme for a Partnership Government provides for the roll-out and extension of the personal microcredit scheme. Following an evaluation of the pilot, the Implementation Group, which is chaired by my Department and comprises all relevant stakeholders, is committed to achieving this aim.
Incremental progress is being made towards extending the geographical coverage of the loan scheme through efforts to recruit credit unions to participate in the scheme. Engagement is continuing with the Credit Union representative bodies and individual credit unions to encourage wider participation.
While the pilot scheme was targeted towards social welfare recipients with access to the Household Budgeting facility, the scheme has recently been extended to include all social welfare recipients, provided the loan repayments are made by direct debit or standing order. Efforts are also underway to examine ways the personal micro credit scheme can be made available to low-income individuals and families. The Implementation Group is working with the relevant stakeholders to find solutions within prudential lending guidelines.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
241. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied) under the carer's allowance scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23146/16]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 10 June 2016. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 27 June 2016 and the case will 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 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 on social welfare entitlements.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
242. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full combined cost of increasing maternity benefit by €20, €30, €40, and €50 per week; while extending maternity benefit by two, three, four and five weeks in tabular form [23153/16]
View answerMaternity Benefit is a payment made for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed pregnant women who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions in order to avoid the need for them to work pre and post-delivery of their baby. The original scheme was introduced in 1970 and was extended to include self-employed mothers with effect from June 1997.
It is currently estimated that next year my Department will spend approximately €252 million on Maternity Benefit in respect of an average of 20,500 recipients per week.
The table below estimates the additional cost, over and above the current estimated expenditure on Maternity Benefit in 2017. The additional costs include increasing the weekly rate of Maternity Benefit above the current weekly rate of €230 and simultaneously increasing the duration of Maternity Benefit above its current 26 week duration.
|
Increase the weekly rate of Maternity Benefit from €230 to: |
Additional 1 |
Additional 2 |
Additional 3 |
Additional 4 |
Additional 5 |
|
week in 2017 |
weeks in 2017 |
weeks in 2017 |
weeks in 2017 |
weeks in 2017 |
|
|
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
|
|
€240.00 |
21 |
31 |
41 |
51 |
61 |
|
€250.00 |
32 |
42 |
53 |
63 |
74 |
|
€260.00 |
43 |
54 |
65 |
76 |
87 |
|
€270.00 |
54 |
65 |
77 |
88 |
99 |
|
€280.00 |
65 |
77 |
88 |
100 |
112 |
Any changes to the rate or duration of Maternity Benefit could also have implications for Adoptive Benefit, Health and Safety Benefit and Paternity Benefit. Revised figures for these schemes are not included in the costings above.
These estimated costings are on a full year basis and assume that the increase is implemented from the beginning of January 2017. 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.
243. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of education, training and work experiences places on the various schemes and programmes which have been delivered under the European Union Youth Guarantee programme in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23154/16]
View answerThe Government’s primary strategy to tackle youth unemployment is to create the right environment for a strong economic recovery through effective policies. In doing so it is hoped to promote competitiveness and productivity.
Reflecting the impact of government policy, and the overall improvement in the labour market, youth unemployment has fallen substantially to just over 15% in June 2016. This compares with a figure of almost 21% just one year ago, and with a peak level of over 31% in mid-2012.
The key objective of Ireland’s policy response to the EU Recommendation on a Youth Guarantee is to help newly unemployed young people find and secure sustainable jobs. In this regard there is monthly engagement by case officers with young people to assist them to prepare, review and, if appropriate, revise personal progression plans. Where young people do not find work relatively quickly, additional supports may be offered, both through reserved places on existing employment and training schemes and through youth-specific measures. Most such offers (over 70%) are in existing further education or training programmes. Others are in existing community-based employment programmes such as CE, Gateway and Tús, or through the JobsPlus employment subsidy for private employment.
Places on most of these programmes are demand led. While it was anticipated that take-up on the relevant programmes in 2014 might be as high as 28,000, actual take-up was 23,000. As the economy has improved, inflows into these programmes have decreased further, reflecting the drop in youth unemployment. Overall, over 19,100 opportunities were taken up on the relevant programmes in 2015 (see details in Table 1 attached to this reply).
Pathways to Work 2016-2020 continues to prioritise these measures for the young unemployed and further commits to a number of additional measures. These include increasing the share of workplace-based interventions for youth unemployed; ensuring that monthly engagement, at a minimum, is consistently applied and maintained; restructuring the First Steps programme; and implementing the Defence Forces Skills for Life programme.
Table 1. Programme take-up on Youth Guarantee-related programmes
End of year 2015 information
|
Programme |
2015 information to date |
Note |
|
Youthreach |
1684 |
|
|
Community Training Centres |
1528 |
|
|
JobBridge |
2,296 |
|
|
Tús |
1,379 |
|
|
JobsPlus ( including JobsPlus Youth) |
676 |
|
|
Momentum |
1,066 |
|
|
BTEA (excl Momentum) |
2,900 |
|
|
BTWEA |
146 |
|
|
VTOS |
n/a |
Enrolment begins in September |
|
Former FÁS/SOLAS* |
6,629 |
Based on Specific Skills Training, Traineeship, Bridging & Local Training Initiative starters.. |
|
County Enterprise Board Youth Entrepreneurship Training and Mentoring supports. |
This programme has been superseded by Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur 2014/5 competition |
|
|
Micro Finance Ireland micro-loans for young people. |
n/a |
Age-specific breakdowns not yet available. |
|
International Work Experience and Training |
8 |
|
|
Gateway |
144 |
|
|
Community Employment |
715 |
|
|
Total |
19163 |
Excluding where figures are not available |
244. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of young persons under 25 years of age who have qualified for the JobsPlus scheme since the introduction of the revised criteria in January 2015 on a county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23155/16]
View answerThe information requested is currently being compiled and will be sent directly to the Deputy in the coming days.
