Written Answers Nos. 142-154
142. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of supplementary welfare allowance applications received for each of the years 2012 to date in 2016 in tabular form; the number of supplementary welfare allowance applications that were successful for the same period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31243/16]
View answerThe supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants. The main purpose of the scheme is to provide immediate and flexible assistance for those in need who do not qualify for payment under other State schemes. The Government has provided €79.7 million for basic SWA in 2016.
Statistics are not available on the number of SWA applications received or the outcome of those applications.
The following table provides details of the number of basic SWA recipients at year end for 2012-2015 and at the end of September 2016.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance recipients 2012 to 2016
|
Year |
Number of Recipients |
|
2012 |
32,358 |
|
2013 |
23,127 |
|
2014 |
19,798 |
|
2015 |
16,092 |
|
2016 (End Sept) |
16,392 |
Note: Direct provision allowance recipients are included under Basic SWA until 2014.
143. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the means test for the household benefits package with a view to excluding those on the youth social welfare payment of circa €100 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31248/16]
View answerThe household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €228 million this year on the household benefits package for over 421,000 customers.
The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. Widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of the household benefits package retain that entitlement. Therefore anyone aged under 70 years of age must be in receipt of a qualifying payment from the Department or satisfy a means test in order to qualify for HHB.
They must also satisfy the household composition test meaning they must live alone or only with certain excepted people, who are –
A qualified adult (a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is considered a qualified adult if a person is receiving an allowance for him/her with their payment, or would be receiving a payment for them but for the fact that they are in receipt of a payment in their own right)
Dependent children under the age of 18, or under the age of 22 if in full-time education (a certificate from the school/college must be supplied for those aged 18 or over)
A person who is so incapacitated as to require constant care and attention for at least 12 months (medical certification may be required)
A person(s) who would qualify for the allowance in his/her own right (for example, a person getting a State pension)
A person who is providing the claimant or someone in their household with constant care and attention, if they are so incapacitated as to require constant care and attention for at least 12 months (medical certification may be required).
Any decision to change the qualifying conditions for receipt of HHB would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme a recipient of a social welfare or health service executive payment who has exceptional essential heating costs due to ill health or infirmity and who cannot provide for such costs from within his or her own resources may qualify for a heating supplement. There is no standard rate for a heating supplement. Each case is examined on its merits and the Community Welfare Officer determines the amount to be paid taking account of the level of the expenses in question and the ability of the applicant to contribute towards his or her exceptional heating costs.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
144. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) cannot receive the fuel allowance; if he will grant the fuel allowance to the person based on the history; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31249/16]
View answerThe person concerned has been on a Community Employment (CE) scheme since 2012. She was not in receipt of Fuel Allowance while on her Jobseeker’s payment prior to going on CE.
The client concerned recently applied for a Fuel Allowance for the 2016/2017 fuel season. In accordance with the operational guidelines for the CE scheme, a client not in receipt of a Fuel Allowance prior to commencing on the CE scheme cannot accrue entitlement while on the scheme. Furthermore, where a couple have separated and wish to have their payment split, the primary customer has entitlement to the Fuel Allowance unless the primary customer requests the Department to pay it to their respective spouse. This did not happen in this instance.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
145. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied). [31271/16]
View answerMy Department informs me that it has been unable to determine whether there is an application from the person concerned as the PPS Number provided does not correspond with the name provided and there are no other details supplied to allow the correct number to be traced.
If your office contacts my department with the correct PPS Number and/or address details, I will be happy to give you an update on the case.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
146. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) will be assessed and granted immediately. [31273/16]
View answerAn application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 5 October 2016.
The application was awarded to the person concerned on 17 October 2016 and the first payment will issue to her nominated post office on 20 October 2016. Arrears for the period 6 October 2016 to 19 October 2016 have also issued.
The person concerned was notified on 17 October 2016 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
147. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision on an appeal for a carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 will be made. [31284/16]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeals by the person concerned were referred to an Appeals Officer on 3rd August 2016, who will make a summary decision on the appeals based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
148. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to an application for inclusion to the school meals programme should it be submitted by a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31333/16]
View answerThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to schools and organisations benefitting over 200,000 children at a total cost of €42 million in 2016. Budget 2017 announced an additional €5.7 million for school meals, increasing funding to €47.7 million which will benefit over 50,000 children.
The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. Priority for new applications for funding has been given to schools which are part of the Department of Education and Skills initiative for disadvantaged schools “Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools” (DEIS) in line with the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, Better Outcomes Brighter Futures. The additional funding provided in Budget 2017 provides some provision towards the extension of the scheme to breakfast clubs in non-DEIS schools from September 2017.
More than 50,000 children will benefit from increased funding to the School Meals programme, providing breakfasts and lunches, which will rise by €5.7 million to €47.7 million in 2017 announced in Budget 2017. Of these, some 35,000 extra school breakfasts will be provided in non-DEIS schools from the start of the new school year and will be expanded in future years.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
149. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection if payments from the UK, such as the UK equivalent to disability allowance, are assessed as means in the eligibility for rent allowance; if there has been a change in policy regarding the assessment of UK means in the past number of years; the reason behind any such change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31355/16]
View answerThe rent supplement scheme is supporting some 50,700 tenants at a cost of €267 million this year.
Rent supplement is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) appropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum contribution. This minimum contribution is established as €40 for couples and €30 for single persons and lone parent families. Many recipients pay more than their minimum contribution because recipients are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic SWA rate towards their accommodation costs.
The UK equivalent to disability living allowance remains fully assessable as part of an applicant’s household means in determining entitlement to rent supplement. There has been no recent change in policy with respect to assessment of this income. A person receiving disability allowance from this Department would also have the allowance assessed as means for the purposes of rent supplement.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
150. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review State pension contributory average number of contributions per year requirement in view of the difficulty it is posing for the self employed and returning emigrants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31358/16]
View answerThe State pension (contributory) is one of the State pension schemes, and its rate of payment is related to contributions made over years into the Social Insurance Fund. As such, those with a stronger attachment to the workforce, who have paid more into that fund, are more likely to be paid under that scheme. There are a number of criteria which must be satisfied in order to qualify for a State pension contributory. These include that the person must be aged 66 or over, and that they have at least 520 paid contributions, i.e., a minimum of 10 years of paid contributions. Since 1961, when contributory pensions were first introduced, the ‘yearly average’ contributions test has been used in calculating the level of pension entitlement, where the total contributions paid or credited are divided by the number of years of the working life (from their entry into insurable employment up to the year prior to their reaching State pension age).
Social insurance contributions (Class S PRSI) were introduced for self-employed people on 6th April 1988. These contributions provide cover for self-employed people for long-term benefits such as State pension (contributory) and widows/widowers pension (contributory). In addition to the qualifying conditions above, a person must have paid self-employment contributions in respect of at least one contribution year prior to reaching age 66, and all self-employment contributions payable must have been paid in full.
There is also a State pension (contributory) half-rate pension for self-employed people. The legislation providing for this partial pension came into effect from the 9th of April 1999 to provide a basic payment for groups who would not otherwise qualify for a contributory social welfare pension, and who did not satisfy the means test for the State pension (non-contributory). In this case, the measure was designed to benefit self-employed people who were already over 56 years of age when compulsory self-employed social insurance was introduced in 1988, who had not paid other contributions (such as voluntary contributions, or other contributions while in employment), and who could not therefore satisfy the condition of having entered insurance 10 years before pension age. The pension requires a minimum of 5 years contributions and is payable at 50% of the standard rate. The pension was seen as a reasonable response to the position of the self-employed who were in their late 50s when Class S contributions were introduced, and I believe most would agree that it represents good value for the contributions made .
It is worth noting that the most recently published Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund found that the self-employed achieve very good value for money from the fund.
EU Regulations provide for the inclusion of social insurance periods a person has incurred in another Member State(s), in a combined Irish/EU record, for the purposes of state pension contributory (SPC) eligibility. Taking the combined record into account, and subject to their satisfaction of the standard SPC eligibility conditions set out in domestic legislation, a claimant may qualify for a reduced-rate ‘pro-rata’ EU state pension (contributory) under EU Regulations. These arrangements apply to all countries covered by EU legislation, including EEA countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
All such applications are first assessed under Irish legislation, on the basis of the claimant’s Irish contributions record only, then separately under EU legislation, using the pro-rata calculation method. If the eligibility conditions are satisfied, the most financially beneficial pension entitlement is awarded.
There are also a series of Social Security Agreements which apply to other countries not covered by EU regulations, including the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Switzerland. These agreements protect the pension entitlements of Irish people who go to work in these countries and they protect workers from those countries who work in Ireland. They allow periods of Irish social insurance and depending on the legislation in the other country, periods of residence/contributions which are completed in the second country to be taken into account so that the worker may have his/her entitlement to a pension determined. They also include arrangements for posted workers who are sent on temporary work assignments from one country to the other by deciding which country's social security legislation will apply to the workers.
Where a person is unable to meet the qualifying conditions for a State pension (contributory), or is only eligible for a reduced rate of contributory pension, they may alternatively apply for State pension (non-contributory) amounting up to 95% of the maximum contributory pension rate which is subject to a means-test. Alternatively if their spouse has a contributory pension, they may qualify for an Increase for a Qualified Adult amounting up to 90% of a full rate pension, which by default is paid directly to them.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
151. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps he will take to expedite an application for carer’s allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); if a decision will be made without any further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31363/16]
View answerThe application for carer’s allowance was awarded to the person concerned on 18 October 2016 and the first payment will issue to her nominated bank account on 10 November 2016. Arrears of allowance due from 3 November 2015 to 9 November 2016 will issue shortly.
The person concerned was notified on 18 October 2016 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
152. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the cause for delay in payment of an entitlement in their own right in the case of a person (details supplied); if such policy is in accord with equality legislation; if the matter will be clarified forthwith; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31397/16]
View answerAccording to the records of the Department, the person concerned has not as yet submitted an application for a separate payment in respect of her spouse’s jobseeker’s allowance claim. She has been contacted today and requested to call to her local office in order to deal with this request as a matter of urgency.
A separate payment will be processed on receipt of a written request from the person concerned.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
153. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the entitlement to jobseeker's benefit or assistance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31398/16]
View answerAccording to the records of this Department no recent application for a jobseekers benefit or jobseekers allowance payment has been made by the person concerned. It is open to the person concerned to call to their local Department of Social Protection Branch Office to make an application for a jobseekers payment.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
154. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if and when carer's allowance will be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31402/16]
View answerMy Department informs me that there is no record of an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned.
Accordingly, I have arranged for an application form (CR1) to issue, which the person concerned should complete and return as soon as possible, in order that her entitlement to CA can be determined. If she has already submitted an application in the past few days, there is no need to resubmit a new application and my Department will be in touch in relation to the application in due course.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
