Written Answers Nos. 295-318
295. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the school canteen is closed in a school (details supplied) and that hot meals are no longer being served to the children after 40 years of unbroken service; the steps he will take to ensure that the hot meal service is resumed as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39595/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will be fully aware the school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to schools and organisations at a cost of €42 million in 2016. There are two schemes operated under the school meals programme. The first is the school meals local projects scheme through which funding is provided directly to participating schools and local and voluntary community groups who run their own school meals projects. The second scheme is the urban school meals scheme which is operated by local authorities and part-financed by my Department.
The school in question has participated in the school meals local projects scheme since 2002 providing a breakfast and a homework club up to and including the last academic year. For the current academic year the school applied to run a breakfast and a lunch club and their application has been approved. The application was received on 5 December 2016 and funding for the current academic year has been significantly increased over that in the previous year from some €11,500 to €43,000.
Department officials have been advised that the hot meals supplied previously by the school were supplied by Dublin City Council and was administered with the aid of community employment (CE) staff.
Schools are not permitted to sponsor CE schemes and CE participants cannot be employed by schools to work in areas that are directly related to the schools. In 2014, my Department became aware that CE participants were working in this school and subsequently advised the local sponsor of their obligations with regard to the placement of participants. It is understood that an agreement was reached between the sponsor and the school in 2014 to put an exit strategy in place whereby the participants would be left in the school for an appropriate period to afford the school the opportunity to put the necessary arrangements in place. In late October 2016, my Department was advised that the Sponsor Board of the CE scheme had decided to withdraw the final CE Participant from the School. This CE position cannot be re-instated.
It is a matter for the school to determine how the provision of this service continues to be resourced. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
296. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the documentation that a recipient of dietary supplement is required to provide when a review is being carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39601/16]
View answer298. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the dietary supplement was closed for new applicants; his plans to reinstate this supplementary allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39603/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 296 and 298 together.
Diet supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, is payable to qualifying persons, in receipt of the supplement prior to February 2014, who have been prescribed a special diet as a result of a specified medical condition. There are currently 3,400 in receipt of the diet supplement.
Following the outcome of a review of the costs of healthy eating and specialised diets by the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute commissioned by the Department during 2013, the scheme has been closed to new applicants from 1 February 2014. The research showed that the average costs of the diets supplemented under the scheme could be met from within one third of the current rate of personal social welfare payments. A decision was taken to allow existing recipients to continue to receive the diet supplement at the current rate of payment for as long as they continue to have an entitlement to the scheme or until their circumstances change. This measure ensured that nobody was immediately worse off by the closure of the scheme. I have no plans to re-instate this allowance.
The Deputy should be aware that in cases of particular hardship that may present, officials in my Department have the legislative power to award a payment under the SWA scheme in cases of exceptional need.
In reviewing a person’s continued entitlement to diet supplement, both medical and financial need must be established. This can be established by producing the appropriate medical evidence. However, if a permanent need for the diet was originally established no further medical evidence is required and the review is concerned with financial means only.
In relation to verification of financial means, documentation required on review of diet supplement can include bank statements, payslips, certified accounts, stocks, shares or any other document that shows proof of means.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
297. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the documentation that is outstanding from the review of a dietary supplement which has been suspended in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39602/16]
View answerAs part of an annual review of Diet Allowance payment, requests were issued to the person concerned to submit completed documentation on 8 February 2016 and 2 March 2016. Despite a further request on 7 April 2016 the requested documentation remained outstanding and the Diet Allowance payment was suspended on 21 July 2016.
On 9 December 2016 a letter together with the necessary forms was resent to the person concerned requesting the outstanding documentation. Upon receipt the review can be completed and a decision regarding payment of the Diet Allowance will be made.
I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
300. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Social Protection when payment of carer's allowance will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39616/16]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision.
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.
301. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 153 of 29 September 2016, the way in which figures on referrals to the local employment service provided for 2015 and 2016 were arrived at; the person who supplied these figures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39626/16]
View answerThe figures provided in the answer to the relevant parliamentary question were obtained from my department’s Activation Case Management (ACM) computer system. The ACM system replaced the former FAS Client Services System (CSS) on a phased basis during 2015. The figures provided represent the number of referred clients who were on the case-load of the Local Employment Services (LES) at the end of 2015 and at end August 2016. Due to the change-over in computer systems the cumulative number of referred clients is not available for 2015.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
302. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if carer's allowance will be approved in respect of a person (details supplied). [39627/16]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 27 July 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 11 November 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.
303. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied). [39628/16]
View answerI confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 8 September 2016.
The application was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance 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.
304. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an illness benefit appeal in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39630/16]
View answerThe person concerned was found to be capable of work on 10 May 2016 and appealed the decision. On review of this decision during the appeal process, the person concerned was found incapable of work 12 August 2016 and the appeal was therefore withdrawn. The person concerned will be aware that a number of other issues remain to be resolved in relation to her claim for Illness Benefit.
The person concerned also made an application for Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB). In accordance with the processing procedures for PCB claims, the application was referred to a medical assessor on 12 December 2016 to provide an opinion on the capacity of the person concerned to work. When this opinion is provided, it will feed into the overall entitlement of the person concerned under PCB scheme qualification conditions. Regard will also be had to the conclusion of the engagement with her regarding her previous Illness Benefit claim.
305. Deputy Pat Casey asked the Minister for Social Protection the progression figures by region of community employment, Tús and JobPath, in 2016; the budgets allocated for each of these schemes in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39632/16]
View answerJobPath is a relatively new approach whereby the Department has procured additional resources, under contract, to enable it to provide a high quality case-managed employment support service to people who are long-term unemployed. JobPath supplements the internal case management capacity of the Department’s Intreo service and the Local Employment Service. Over the past year, this additional capacity has enabled the Department to provide an intensive employment support and advisory service to over 60,000 long-term unemployed jobseekers who would otherwise not have received such a service. JobPath aims to place people into full-time sustainable employment. The period of engagement with the service for any individual is typically 52 weeks. During that time they receive intensive individual support to help them to overcome barriers to employment and, if a person is placed into a job, they will continue to receive support for at least three months and up to an additional twelve months while in employment. The JobPath service was rolled out on a phased basis from mid-2015. Data in respect of the first groups who have completed their engagement period is currently being compiled and is expected to be available shortly.
Community Employment (CE) and Tús are both employment programmes funded by my Department. Their main purpose is to help long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine. The budgets for 2016 for CE and Tús are €376.5m and €121.08m respectively.
The progression rate into employment (based on total exits from CE) was 34.6% in November 2016, while overall progression (including entry to further education) was 40.3% (see table 1). This is in the context of 8,619 participants exiting CE in the year up to November 2016.
Table 1: Progression from CE by Division - November 2016
|
Community Employment |
|||
|
Progression to Employment (%) |
Progression to Education (%) |
Total Progression (%) |
|
|
Cork Central |
33.7 |
8.7 |
42.4 |
|
Dublin Central |
33.1 |
5.3 |
38.4 |
|
Dublin North |
40.2 |
4.3 |
44.5 |
|
Dublin South |
37.6 |
9.9 |
47.5 |
|
Mid Leinster |
52.2 |
6.7 |
58.9 |
|
Midlands North |
47.8 |
4.7 |
52.5 |
|
Midlands South |
32.7 |
6.0 |
38.7 |
|
Mid West |
27.4 |
3.7 |
31.1 |
|
North East |
34.0 |
4.9 |
38.9 |
|
North West |
21.3 |
3.8 |
25.1 |
|
South East |
37.6 |
6.3 |
43.9 |
|
South West |
33.0 |
7.8 |
40.8 |
|
West |
28.2 |
4.2 |
32.4 |
|
National Total |
34.6 |
5.7 |
40.3 |
Source: CSM Extracts November 2016
The progression rate for Tús for 2016 will not be available until early in 2017.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
306. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) does not qualify for maximum rate pension despite having 1,690 reckonable paid and credited contributions; the reason it is calculated as a yearly average; and the way in which this person can qualify for maximum rate pension. [39663/16]
View answerIn social welfare legislation, the eligibility conditions for state pension (contributory) stipulate that an applicant must have entered insurable employment before attaining the age of 56 years, have at least 520 paid contribution weeks since entry into insurance, and:
- (for a maximum rate pension) have a yearly average of 48 paid and/or credited contributions from 1979, or from their date of entry into insurable employment, to the end of the last complete tax year preceding their 66th birthday, or
- (for a reduced rate pension) have a yearly average of at least 10 paid and/or credited contributions recorded from 1953, or from their date of entry into insurable employment (whichever is the later), to the end of the tax year preceding their 66th birthday.
According to the records of the Department, the person concerned has a total of 1,690 paid and credited contributions over a 49-year period from 1965 to December 2013. This gives her a yearly-average of 34 contributions and entitlement to a reduced rate of state pension (contributory). To qualify for a maximum rate pension, a minimum yearly average of 48 (that is at least 2,352 paid/credited contributions in this case) would be required.
It is open to the applicant to provide details relating to any gaps or omissions in her insurable employment history between 1978 and 1991. If sufficient information is furnished, an Inspector of the Department will be asked to investigate the matter. In some cases, an Inspector’s findings may result in a claimant’s insurance record being updated and their pension entitlement reviewed by a Deciding Officer.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
307. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will expedite an application for carer's allowance for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39713/16]
View answerI confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 20 April 2016.
The application was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are satisfied. I can confirm that the SWI has completed the investigation and has received all outstanding documentation requested. The SWI will submit the report on this case to the deciding officer as soon as possible so that a decision on the case may be made. The person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
Should you need further assistance with this query please do not hesitate to contact Philip in my office.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
308. Deputy Shane Cassells asked the Minister for Social Protection if the Christmas bonus will be extended to families that receive the family income supplement in view of the fact the Christmas period is a difficult and expensive time for low-income families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39714/16]
View answerOn Budget Day, I announced an 85% Christmas bonus, which was paid earlier this month to over 1.2 million beneficiaries of all the weekly schemes to which the bonus previously applied, such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and long-term jobseekers. Family Income Supplement (FIS) recipients were never eligible for the bonus in the past and similar arrangements apply this year.
As a result of Budget 2017, FIS recipients may benefit from the improvements to the USC rates introduced by my colleague, the Minister for Finance. FIS recipients with younger children may also benefit from the Single Affordable Childcare scheme introduced by my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
309. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection when the review of an invalidity pension application by a person (details supplied) will be complete in view of the fact that it has been ongoing for some time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39731/16]
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.
The department received a claim for IP for the gentleman concerned on 03 June 2016. He was refused IP on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. He was notified on the 26 June 2016 of this decision, the reasons for it and of his right of review or appeal.
The gentleman requested a review of this decision and submitted further medical evidence in support of his request. Following a recent review of all the information available a deciding officer has confirmed the original decision to disallow the claim on medical grounds. He was notified on 07 December 2016 of the outcome of the review and of his right to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office within 21 days.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
310. 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. [39750/16]
View answerThe gentleman referred to has been awarded invalidity pension with effect from the 10 November 2016. Payment will issue to his nominated bank account on the 05 January 2017. Any arrears due from 10 November 2016 to 04 January 2017 (less any overlapping social welfare payment and/or outstanding overpayment) will issue in due course. The gentleman in question was notified of this decision on the 12 December 2016.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
311. 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. [39751/16]
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.
A claim for IP was received from the lady concerned on the 08 November 2016. In order to establish medical eligibility two medical report forms have issued to her for completion. On receipt of the completed forms, the IP claim will be processed as quickly as possible and the lady concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
312. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal for disability allowance by a person (details supplied). [39752/16]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 14 September 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 case 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 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.
313. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of a secondary UK state pension as notified to his Department by the UK's Department for Work and Pensions in each of the years 2013 to 2016 to date; the number of persons here in receipt of a US social security pension, as notified by US authorities in each of the years 2013 to 2016 to date; and the number of persons in receipt of pensions from other EU or EEA states as notified to his Department in each of the years 2013 to 2016 to date, by country, in tabular form. [39775/16]
View answerThe information requested is not available as my Department is not notified of the number of recipients of a secondary pension from the United Kingdom by the Department for Work and Pensions; nor is it notified of the number of recipients of a pension from other EU/EEA states. As a result of the bilateral social security agreement with the United States, the US authorities provide an annual summary of all US benefits paid to residents in Ireland. However, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the number of beneficiaries of a US social security pension from this data. The following table shows the number of persons in receipt of US benefits as notified by the US authorities to my Department in December of each of the years 2013, 2014 and 2015:
|
Year |
Total number of beneficiaries of US Benefits paid to residents in Ireland |
|
2013 |
10,025 |
|
2014 |
10,127 |
|
2015 |
10,194 |
314. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of meetings his staff have held in each of the years 2013 to 2016 with staff of the Revenue Commissioners specifically to discuss the issue of non-disclosure of foreign pensions here. [39776/16]
View answerMy Department and the Revenue Commissioners have an ongoing relationship around the provision of services to the public and to secure the respective welfare and revenue systems against fraud. Arrangements between the two bodies, including the exchange of customer information and joint anti-fraud operations, are overseen by a High Level Group of officials drawn from both organisations which meets on average 4-5 times per year.
There have been no discussions on the issue of the non-disclosure of foreign pensions.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
315. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that are in receipt of pensions from other EU or EEA states as notified to his Department in each of the years 2013 to 2016 to date, by country, and who are also in receipt of a non-contributory pension from his Department, in tabular form. [39777/16]
View answerThe only data formally notified to the Department by another EU/EAA State on this matter is from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in the United Kingdom. Since 2014, DWP sends the Department a complete list each year of the people residing in the State who are in receipt of a British Retirement Pension. This list is then matched against the Department’s records to identify those who are in receipt of an Irish State pension non-contributory.
The following table sets out, for each year since 2014, the number of such cases notified to the Department and the total number of those still in receipt of State pension non-contributory at end-November 2016.
|
Year |
Cases notified |
Still in payment at end November, 2016 |
|
2016 |
10,250 |
10,119 |
|
2015 |
10,132 |
9,241 |
|
2014 |
9,382 |
7,838 |
316. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount of the funding allocated for the Cork County Council Traveller accommodation programme that has been drawn down in 2016; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of Traveller families are homeless in the area without any plans for them to be provided with housing at this time. [39783/16]
View answerThis is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government.
317. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a son cannot nominate his father to use their herd number, even though that herd number was passed from his father to him for the purposes of obtaining a placement on a rural social scheme, in view of the fact that other Departments are encouraging the older generation to pass on family farms to the younger generation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39793/16]
View answer318. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a son cannot nominate his herd number for his father to obtain a placement on a rural social scheme, in view of the fact that a wife can nominate her herd number for her husband and a sister can nominate her herd number for a brother; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39794/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 317 and 318 together.
The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative to provide part-time employment opportunities for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and are underemployed in their primary occupation. The work undertaken is primarily to support local service provision via community, voluntary and not-for-profit organisations, provided that this does not displace existing service provision or employment.
In order to retain eligibility for participation on the RSS, participants must continue to be actively farming/fishing and retain entitlement to the underlying qualifying DSP payment. An eligible farmer must also have a valid herd number. Participation is by voluntary self-selection and is dependent on the availability of vacancies in the relevant locality.
Eligible RSS participants are offered contracts of one year’s duration. Contracts are reviewed annually subject to participants continuing to satisfy the underlying criteria for the scheme and subject to local demands.
There are provisions under the scheme for an eligible applicant to use a herd number belonging to a spouse, parent or a sibling provided they satisfy the other conditions of the scheme, including being actively farming. There are no provisions under the scheme for a son to pass his herd number to his father for the purposes of participation on the scheme and there are no plans to change these rules and conditions. This is to ensure that access to limited places is available for those who need it most.
The Deputy will appreciate that there is significant demand for places on the RSS and only people who satisfy the conditions can be considered for participation.
As part of Budget 2017, I announced an additional 500 places on the RSS and I plan on allocating these early in the New Year.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
