Written Answers Nos. 106-125
106. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of State boards under the remit of his Department or its agencies in tabular form; the total number of members of each board; the number of women on each board; and the percentage of each board that is made up of women. [39344/16]
View answerDetails in relation to the membership of State Boards under the aegis of my Department are available on the Department’s website at the following link: www.environ.ie/corporate/transparency-data/appointments-state-boards/appointments-declg-state-boards.
In the case of certain appointments to State Boards, statutory selection procedures must be followed or nominations must be sought from independent nominating panels before appointments are made by the Minister or the Government, as appropriate. In addition, in the case of a number of boards, not all of the appointments to the body concerned are made by the Minister, and in some situations appointments are made by the Minister with the consent of another Minister.
107. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to extend the pyrite remediation scheme to homeowners classed on level 1 pyritic damage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39355/16]
View answerThe Report of the Pyrite Panel (June 2012) recommended a categorisation system as a means of prioritising pyrite remediation works in recognition of the expensive and intrusive nature of pyrite remediation and the unpredictability of pyritic heave. The independent Pyrite Panel was clear in its view that only dwellings with significant damage due to pyritic heave should be remediated and that it would be unreasonable to expect dwellings not exhibiting such damage to be remediated. Dwellings which have no significant damage but have reactive pyrite in the hardcore should be monitored and only remediated if they display significant damage due to pyritic heave. This remains the position with regard to dwellings which do not display significant pyritic damage.
The relevant provisions of Pyrite Resolution Act 2013 and the eligibility criteria of the pyrite remediation scheme are broadly reflective of the conclusions and recommendations of Panel’s report. The pyrite remediation scheme is a scheme of “last resort” and is limited in its application and scope. The scheme is applicable to dwellings which are subject to significant damage attributable to pyritic heave established in accordance with I.S. 398-1:2013 - Reactive pyrite in sub-floor hardcore material – Part 1: Testing and categorisation protocol. It is a condition of eligibility under the scheme that an application to the Board must be accompanied by a Building Condition Assessment with a Damage Condition Rating of 2. I have no proposals to amend this eligibility criterion.
There is no sunset provision in the Act. Where a dwelling, which has a Damage Condition Rating of 1 and is currently not eligible under the scheme, progresses to a Damage Condition Rating of 2, an application can be made at that point in time for inclusion in the pyrite remediation scheme.
108. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if there is a bar on recruitment for Dublin City Council, and in particular for apprentices; and if not, the reason Dublin City Council is not replacing staff that have left or is not hiring new staff. [39360/16]
View answerAs announced in Budget 2015, the moratorium and the Employment Control Framework for the Public Service have been lifted. My Department works closely with Dublin City Council in relation to the Council’s overall staffing requirements. However, under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, it is the Chief Executive of the Council who is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority. It is therefore, a matter for each individual Chief Executive to apply for sanction from my Department and, once approved, to recruit and assign staff to specific divisions within their organisation.
109. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of staff employed by him and each Minister of State including, parliamentary assistants, secretarial assistants, special advisers, press secretaries and other positions, in tabular form; the pay rate for each assistant and the total cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39553/16]
View answerI have appointed two Special Advisers in accordance the terms and conditions set out in the Instructions to Personnel Officers – Ministerial Appointments for the 32nd Dáil. The Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, has not appointed any Special Advisers. Details of Special Advisers appointed are available on the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform website at the following link: www.per.gov.ie/en/special-advisers-pay/.
Both the Minister of State, Deputy English, and I have each appointed a Personal Secretary and a Personal Assistant, who are employed by and receive a salary from the Houses of the Oireachtas in accordance with the relevant salary scale.
The Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, who has shared responsibilities between my Department and the Department of Health has made no political appointments in my Department.
This information is summarised in the table.
Minister Coveney
|
Grade |
Number |
|
Special Advisor |
2 |
|
Personal Assistant |
1 |
|
Personal Secretary |
1 |
Minister of State English
|
Grade |
Number |
|
Personal Assistant |
1 |
|
Personal Secretary |
1 |
In accordance with normal practice, the remaining staff in my Office and in the Offices of the Ministers of State are established civil or public servants.
110. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if any staff employed in the public and Civil Service are seconded to work with him or any Minister of State in their constituencies; and the number of same and cost to his department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39567/16]
View answerOne serving civil servant is seconded to work in my constituency office; a further two serving civil servants are seconded to the Minister of State, Deputy English’s constituency office. All three staff members are currently on the payroll of the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and are seconded from other Government Departments. The information in relation to costs is set out in the following table:
|
Minister Coveney |
Grade |
Salary Scale |
|
1 |
Staff Officer |
€34,771 - €46,171 |
|
Minister of State English |
Grade |
Salary Scale |
|
1 |
Executive Officer |
€29,314 – 45,616 |
|
1 |
Clerical Officer |
€ 23,177 – €37,341 |
111. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the aggregate amount of employers’ PRSI paid in relation to Civil Service workers in gross income ranges (details supplied) in his Department for each of the years 2007 to 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39681/16]
View answer112. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the aggregate amount of employees' PRSI paid in relation to Civil Service workers in gross income ranges (details supplied) in his Department for each of the years 2007 to 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39688/16]
View answer113. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the aggregate net pay of civil service workers in gross income ranges (details supplied) in his department for each of the years 2007 to 2015, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39696/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 111 to 113, inclusive, together.
My Department does not analyse payroll data in the manner in which the Deputy has requested and the volume of work required to provide a response would be disproportionate. If the Deputy asks a more specific question I will endeavour to provide him with the relevant material.
Details in relation to payroll in my Department is available in my Department’s appropriation accounts which can be accessed at http://audgen.gov.ie.
114. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a farm payment in respect of persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39238/16]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 30th November 2016
It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers have been received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 1st December 2016 and the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on 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.
115. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to restore the pre-retirement over 55s allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39166/16]
View answerSince the 4th July 2007, Pre-Retirement Allowance was abolished for new customers. However, customers who were already in receipt of Pre-Retirement Allowance on that date continue to receive payment as long as they satisfied the conditions for payment.
The overall concern in recent years has been to protect the value of weekly social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions, at approximately €7 billion, is the largest block of expenditure in my Department in the Estimate for 2016, representing approximately 35% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes, my Department’s spending on older people is increasing year on year. Maintaining the rate of the State pension and other payments is critical in protecting people from poverty.
Each year more people are reaching pension age and living longer in retirement. As a result of this demographic change, the number of State pension recipients is increasing by approximately 17,000 annually. This has significant implications for the future costs of State pension provision, which are currently increasing by close to €1 billion every 5 years. The purpose of changes to the State pension age is to make the pension system more sustainable in the context of increasing life expectancy.
The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 provided for the necessary amendments to increase the State pension age in line with the National Pensions Framework as set out in the EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland. State pension age is being increased in three separate stages. In 2014, the State pension age was standardised at 66 by the abolition of the State pension (transition). The pension age will be increased to 67 in 2021 and 68 in 2028. It is anticipated that this rate of increase in pension age will be no faster than the rate of increased longevity. It is also anticipated that the duration of a typical State pension may continue to increase, albeit at a slower pace than if these increases in pension age were not provided for.
Where individuals are out of employment prior to pension age they often seek the support of either the jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance schemes. Legislation provides that a person must satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking work in order to be entitled to jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance. Any person who fails to satisfy these conditions is not entitled to a jobseeker’s payment.
People in receipt of a jobseeker's payment must engage with the Department's activation measures and can face sanctions if they fail to do so. However, since January 2014, these criteria have been eased for people aged 62 and over. They are able to avail voluntarily of an array of supports from the Department if they wish to return to work, training or education but sanctions are not applied to this cohort, should they decide they do not wish to engage with the activation process.
Currently individuals who claim jobseeker’s benefit in their 65th year continue to be eligible for that payment until reaching pension age. While this is currently up to their 66th birthday, this approach will continue to extend their jobseeker’s payment continuing for another year when the pension age rises to 67, and indeed a further year when it rises to 68 in 2028. This eligibility is of course still subject to satisfying conditions such as the ‘genuinely seeking work’ condition.
Special arrangements have also been made so that this cohort of jobseekers register with their local office once a year and their payments can be paid directly into their bank accounts.
In light of these existing provisions there are no plans to reintroduce the Pre-Retirement Allowance scheme for new entrants.
116. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39177/16]
View answerAn application for carer's allowance was received from the person concerned on 28 September 2016.
The application is currently being examined by a deciding officer and once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
117. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39189/16]
View answerAn application for carer's allowance was received from the person concerned on 8 November 2016.
The application is currently being examined by a deciding officer and once processed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
118. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will set out the position in respect of entitlement to rent support in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39215/16]
View answerAs detailed to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question No 31509-16 and several related Parliamentary Questions this Rent Supplement was closed on 21st December 2015 as a result of information requested from the client not being submitted. It was also outlined to the Deputy that the client should make a new application for Rent Supplement if she wished to further their application.
The client needs to confirm all monies received as a result of her family law settlement, evidence of monies withdrawn and the remaining balance. Rent Supplement is a means tested payment and a decision cannot be made without this documentation.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
119. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if further exceptional needs payment can be offered in the case of persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39219/16]
View answerAn application for financial assistance was submitted by one of the persons concerned for floor covering and an exceptional needs payment was awarded and issued on 24 November 2016. There are no further applications pending in this case. It is open to the persons concerned to submit a further application for financial assistance should their circumstances warrant this. For convenience an application form has been sent to the person concerned.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
120. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the correct level of payment payable in the case of persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39222/16]
View answerThe person concerned is in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance in respect of himself, a qualified adult and 2 qualified children. Weekly means have been assessed based on spousal employment. The current weekly rate payable is based on the information available to the Department. If the person concerned wishes his Jobseeker’s Allowance to be reviewed he should supply the most recent payslip in respect of his spouse to the Maynooth branch office and a review will be carried out as soon as possible.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
121. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if travel costs are payable to jobseeker's allowance recipients during their attendance on a course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39224/16]
View answerIf travel costs are payable as part of a specific course, such costs would be paid by the relevant Educational Training Board. A jobseeker’s allowance claim is closed by my Department when a person commences a course.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
122. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Social Protection the criteria for a Norwegian citizen to attain a PPS number; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39297/16]
View answerThe requirements for the allocation of a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number are –
- acceptable evidence of identity, e.g., a current valid passport or, for nationals of a country of the European Economic Area such as Norway, a National ID card;
- evidence as to why a PPS Number is required (i.e., to carry out a transaction with a State body specified in legislation as permitted to use the PPS Number); and
- acceptable evidence of address (e.g., a utility bill in the person’s name).
Further information on the allocation of PPS Numbers is available on the Department’s website at www.welfare.ie.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
123. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of State boards under the remit of his Department or its agencies in tabular form; the total number of members of each board; the number of women on each board; and the percentage of each board that is made up of women. [39351/16]
View answerThere are 5 statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department. These are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council, the Pensions Ombudsman (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal.
The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table.
|
BOARD |
TOTAL NO. OF BOARD MEMBERS |
TOTAL NO. OF BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE WOMEN |
% OF BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE WOMEN (ROUNDED TO NEAREST %) |
|
Citizens Information Board |
15 |
6 |
40 % |
|
Pensions Authority |
3 |
2 |
67 % |
|
Pensions Council |
12 |
6 |
50 % |
|
Social Welfare Tribunal |
5 |
2 |
40 % |
124. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason there was a need to tender out employment programmes to private sector companies (details supplied) when his Department integrated 2,000 trained and experienced FÁS staff; the reason these skilled staff could not continue to work with the unemployed at no extra cost to the State; the amount JobPath has cost the State to date; the amount per year since its inception to 2016; the projected budget to be allocated to the JobPath programme in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39366/16]
View answerOn 1 January 2012, some 770 staff were redeployed from FÁS to my Department and of these about half were Employment Service Officers who provided and continue to provide a range of services to unemployed jobseekers throughout the country. However, even with these staff, additional capacity was still required to meaningfully engage with unemployed jobseekers and in particular with the long-term unemployed who require a significantly higher level of support.
The allocation of additional resources to the activation of long term unemployed jobseekers was the focus of an updated “Pathways to Work” policy statement published in July 2013. Having examined various resourcing and contracting options, and taking note of recommendations by the OECD among others, it was decided to procure additional capacity from providers with expertise and experience in the provision of employment supports or related services.
Two companies, Seetec and Turas Nua, have been contracted to deliver the service. These companies have established over 80 service locations around the country and employ nearly 600 staff. This additional capacity has increased my Department’s ability to provide supports to Jobseekers by augmenting and complementing the department’s own activation capacity as well as the capacity already provided by the Local Employment Service (LES) and Job Clubs.
The roll-out of JobPath commenced on a “soft-launch” basis in July 2015. To date, the additional JobPath capacity has enabled my Department to provide an intensive one-to-one employment support and advisory service to over 60,000 long-term unemployed jobseekers who would otherwise not have received such a service.
JobPath is a payment by results model and all initial costs are borne by the companies. The companies are paid registration fees and job sustainment fees. A registration fee may be claimed only when a jobseeker has developed a personal progression plan. Job sustainment fees are payable for each 13 week period of sustained employment, up to a maximum of 52 weeks (i.e. 4 payments). Payments to the JobPath companies amounted to €1.2m in 2015. It is estimated that payments will amount to c. €25m in 2016 and to €65m in 2017. The overall cost will be determined by the number of people who engage with the service and the number of jobseekers who successfully obtain and sustain employment.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
125. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the JobsIreland website has been down since July 2016; if his Department will address service issues as the site was the main tool which community employment schemes used to advertise and recruit from; his views on the fact that this has had and is having a negative impact on community employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39371/16]
View answerJobsireland.ie is a free online jobs site that enables employers to post job opportunities and jobseekers to search and apply for these opportunities online. The new service has been available since 28th July 2016, replacing an older site that enabled jobseekers to search for job opportunities based on job type and location, but did not facilitate employers to search for suitable jobseekers on the site – they had to rely on candidates finding and applying for a job from among the many thousands hosted on the system.
Accordingly, the Department commissioned the development and implementation of a new service that would enable both employers and jobseekers to search for each other using competencies and skillsets as well as the traditional job-type classifications. As part of the new service, candidate profiles will be automatically matched to job specifications posted by employers with both candidate and the employer notified when a suitable match is found. Candidates can also use the site to apply for the jobs advertised. The system will also integrate with the Department of Social Protection’s Intreo service and will include other new features such as allowing jobseekers to post CVs and video profiles if they wish.
To facilitate the transition to the new service it was necessary to take the service offline for a few days. The service is being implemented on phased basis which means, unfortunately, that there is some service disruption while work is ongoing. There have also been some teething problems with the first phase implementation, but the Department is working with the supplier to resolve these. A significant upgrade was implemented in November 2016. This has resolved many of the teething issues and there has been a noticeable improvement in performance. Further improvements and new functionality will be added over the coming weeks and months.
Video guides are available on the site to assist employers through the various stages of the vacancy creation and advertisement process, including one specifically directed at Community Employment sponsors. To date over 5000 Community Employment vacancies have been advertised on the new site.
Employers or any person experiencing difficulties with the website can contact the Department’s National Contact Centre on 1890 800 024 for assistance. Additional resources have been assigned to expedite queries.
