Written Answers Nos. 132-146
132. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the details of the imputed rate of interest used by his Department and in respect of eligibility to different means tested schemes that fall under its remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36696/16]
View answerIn assessing means for social assistance payments, account is taken of the income and the value of property of the claimant and his or her spouse/partner, where applicable. Social welfare legislation provides that the yearly value of property, including capital, owned but not personally used or enjoyed is assessable for means-testing purposes. Such property includes all monies held in financial institutions or otherwise, the market value of shares as well as houses and premises owned by a claimant which may or may not be put to commercial use. However, it does not include property such as the family home a person is personally using or enjoying i.e. residing in or, for example, a premises used by the claimant in carrying out a business.
The current market value of the relevant property is established (having regard to local property prices) as well as the amount of any outstanding mortgages on that property. The balance (market value less outstanding mortgage) is assessed by reference to a notional formula.
The current assessment method, involving a disregard of an initial amount of capital and an increasing notional weekly value for amounts in excess of the disregarded amount, applies for most welfare schemes.
The assessment formula is not designed to mirror or impute potential interest or annuity rates available to investors or potential rental income from a property and no account is taken of any such income in the overall means assessment. The formula reflects the policy of ensuring that those with property and capital of modest amounts of capital receive the greater share of available support while those with larger amounts avail of it to contribute, at least partially, towards meeting their needs. This approach is one of the key elements of a means-tested income support system.
This property/capital formula also applies where a person has other types of property (including capital such as monies held in financial institutions or otherwise or the market value of shares).
The assessment formula for most schemes, including jobseeker’s allowance, farm assist and one-parent family payment, provides for €20,000 of capital to be disregarded.
|
AMOUNT OF CAPITAL |
WEEKLY MEANS ASSESSED |
|
Up to €20,000 |
Nil |
|
€20,000 - €30,000 |
€1 per each €1,000 |
|
€30,000 - €40,000 |
€2 per each €1,000 |
|
Over €40,000 |
€4 per each €1,000 |
For the purposes of the State pension non-contributory and carer’s allowance the amounts above are doubled in the case of a couple. Social welfare legislation provides that €50,000 can be disregarded for disability allowance claimants, and €5,000 in the case of supplementary welfare allowance claimants.
Any changes to the current assessment arrangements would have to be considered in a Budgetary context.
133. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection when measures announced in budget 2017 in respect of farm assist will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36732/16]
View answerThe farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2016 Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure of €85 million on the farm assist scheme.
Budget 2017 introduces new measures in relation to the assessment of means for farm assist. These include that farm income will now be assessed at 70%, down from 100%, with an additional annual means disregard of €254 for each of the first two children and €381 for the third and subsequent children.
All existing farm assist recipients currently assessed with means will have their payments adjusted so that the new measures contained in Budget 2017 will come into effect from the 8th March implementation date with relevant payments changing on the 15th March. (Farm Assist is paid weekly in arrears). It is estimated that the measure will cost €8.5 million in 2017.
Farm Assist recipients will also benefit from the following measures announced in Budget 2017; the €5 per week increase in the weekly rates of payment; the 85% Christmas Bonus; and Farm Assist recipients are eligible to avail of the 500 additional places on the Rural Social Scheme.
134. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will reintroduce the specialised footwear grant; if he will place this scheme on a statutory and permanent basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36737/16]
View answerWhen the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme was introduced in 1977, replacing the public assistance scheme, it was proposed that the public assistance footwear scheme would continue within the general context of the SWA scheme. From 1977 to 1990 child clothing and footwear payments were made under the exceptional needs payment (ENP) scheme.
The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme was introduced in 1990, superseding the arrangements put in place in 1977. BSCFA is a non-statutory scheme which provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs of clothing and footwear when children start school each autumn. BSCFA payments have issued to over 150,000 families in 2016 at a cost of over €39 million.
I have no plans to reintroduce the specialised footwear grant. Under SWA, the Department may make a single 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. However, it is expected that weekly social welfare payments should cover normal footwear needs.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
135. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has considered the introduction of an auto enrolment pension scheme for workers across the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36750/16]
View answerAs Minister for Social Protection, I have previously indicated that the development of a new, universal, workplace retirement saving system for those workers without supplementary pensions will be a priority area of policy reform.
This development of such a system is consistent with the key recommendation contained in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Review of the Irish Pensions System, published in 2014, which concluded that the single greatest goal in Irish pension policy should be to increase pensions coverage through the introduction of a mandatory or quasi mandatory earnings related scheme and/or by improving financial incentives.
Latest CSO figures indicate that the rate of private pensions coverage decreased during the economic downturn from 51% in 2009 to a current rate of 47%. Clearly, a substantial portion of the population may suffer significant unwanted reductions in living standards in their retirement years unless they begin to save for that retirement.
Work is already underway on this reform. Last year, a group was established, chaired by the Department of Social Protection and made up of senior officials from a range of public bodies and international pension reform experts, to look at the elements of a Universal Retirement Savings System and to produce a roadmap for the Government to consider. The primary aim is to develop a system that provides for universal coverage and that also significantly improves adequacy of provision over time. Initial work has concentrated on whether the best model would be one which is mandatory for all workers without supplementary retirement savings coverage or one which would automatically enrol those without supplementary retirement savings coverage while allowing an opt-out.
Analysis of international systems has been undertaken which clearly demonstrates the importance of establishing consensus across political, business and civil society lines in delivering such a system. Whilst there is much to learn by looking at the strengths and weaknesses apparent in aspects of other countries’ pension systems, there is no blueprint for reform that Ireland can implement directly and any solution must be tailored to fit the Irish situation. To this end, consultations have been conducted and more are planned with consumers, representatives of employers, trade unions, the pensions industry and advocate/interest groups as well as a range of Irish and international experts in this field. Any decisions by Government will also be informed by the conclusions of the recent consultation process undertaken by the Pensions Authority aimed at developing measures to reform and simplify the wider pensions system.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
136. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a review of a disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36755/16]
View answerI can confirm that this lady is currently in receipt of disability allowance. My department received a request for a review from the person in question on 3 August 2016.
The person concerned was requested to supply supporting documentation required by the deciding officer in order to make a decision on her entitlement. As the information requested has not been supplied, the deciding officer has issued a reminder and we await her response.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
137. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for a disability allowance will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36772/16]
View answerI confirm that my department received an application for disability allowance from this man on 26 October 2016. On completion of the necessary investigations on all aspects of the claim a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
The processing time for individual disability allowance claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.
138. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision on a carer's allowance application will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36796/16]
View answerThe application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned was awarded on 9 November 2016 and the first payment issued to her nominated bank account on 17 November 2016 together with arrears of allowance from 27 October 2016.
The person concerned was notified of these details on 9 November 2016.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
139. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36797/16]
View answerI confirm that my department received an application for disability allowance from this man on 14 October 2016. On completion of the necessary investigations on all aspects of the claim a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
The processing time for individual disability allowance claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.
I trust this clarifies the matter for you.
141. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when full entitlement to an exceptional needs payment will be determined and made available to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36808/16]
View answerTwo payments of financial assistance towards funeral expenses were awarded and paid on 3 and 13 October 2016 respectively, amounting to €2,500. A review of this case has been undertaken on foot of this PQ and a further, final payment of €500 was issued to the next of kin on 22 November 2016. This is the maximum amount payable in respect of funeral expenses.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
142. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the full extent of basic social protection payment or other available to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36809/16]
View answerThe person has been advised to apply for a guardianship payment for her sister. A revised decision has been made to increase her Jobseekers Allowance to the full adult rate and to include a child dependant allowance. In the interim, the Basic SWA payment will be immediately increased to €115.80 per week.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
143. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of appropriate payment in the case of a person (details supplied); if a jobseeker's allowance or alternative payment will be restored at an early date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36810/16]
View answerThe person concerned is currently in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance. She was approved under the Part-time Education Option for a Healthcare Assistant course which included 200 hours of work experience which she completed from 05/10/16 to 15/11/16. Her JA payment was inadvertently suspended for that period, this decision has now been revised and arrears for the period will issue to the person concerned.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
144. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which assessment can be completed in respect of entitlement, and rent support by way of arrears arising therefrom, in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36811/16]
View answerThe person concerned has been in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance payment since June 2012. She is currently in receipt of their full entitlement to Jobseeker’s Allowance for a family of 2 adults and 2 dependent children. Prior to October 2016, the person concerned was receiving payment for 3 dependent children. In October 2016, one dependent child turned 18 and would only qualify for payment if still in full time education. In order to establish continuing entitlement a UP8A form was issued to person concerned on 23 September 2016. Upon receipt of the completed form the claim will be reassessed.
PQs 32583 and 18618-16 refers, the person concerned has to date not provided the Department with an up to date Rent Supplement application form confirming an increase to their rate of rent payable. A Rent Supplement application form has been forwarded to the person concerned and upon receipt of same the rate of Rent Supplement entitlement can be reassessed.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
145. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will arrange for review of an appeal of a decision to refuse an invalidity pension in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36813/16]
View answerInvalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
Further to my responses to previous questions in relation to this gentleman’s case, my department has confirmed that the refusal of IP to the gentleman in question on the grounds that he does not satisfy the PRSI contributions has been reviewed by a deciding officer (DO). The outcome of that review is that the decision is confirmed as correct and in accordance with the relevant legislation for the scheme.
My department further confirms that the gentleman in question has been advised that it is open to him to appeal this decision to the independent social welfare appeals office within 21 days. He should do this by writing to the Chief Appeals Officer and stating his wish to appeal and clearly outlining the grounds for his appeal.
In the meantime, disability allowance remains in payment to the person in question at a reduced rate based on his weekly means.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
146. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which an appropriate basic social protection payment will be available to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36815/16]
View answerThe person concerned had been in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance (JA) since 1 February 2016. On 29 September 2016, she was interviewed by a Social Welfare Inspector in the course of a review of her entitlement. It was established that her means from rental income and maintenance payments exceeded the appropriate JA rate and, therefore, her claim was disallowed.
The person concerned has now appealed this decision; the appeal was received by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 22 October 2016. The client will be advised of the decision on the appeal on completion.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
