Written Answers Nos. 207-217
207. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost in 2018 of increasing the back to school clothing and footwear allowance for each age category by €10, €20, €30, €40, €50, €60, €70, €80, €90 and €100, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10541/17]
View answerThe back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The BSCFA is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but to provide assistance towards these costs. The Government has provided €37.4 million for the scheme in 2017.
End of year records show that under the 2016 BSCFA scheme, payments were made to over 154,000 families in respect of some 283,000 children. The rate of payment was €100 in respect of children aged 4 to 11 and €200 for children over 12 years in second level education.
Using the total number of children covered by the scheme in 2016 as a basis, the additional cost to increase the BSCFA rates by the amounts listed per age group is set out in the following tabular statement. Changes to increase the rate of payment of any scheme administered by the Department would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Tabular Statement
Full -Year Additional Cost to Increase BSCFA rates by amounts listed:
|
Age 4-11 years (166,000 Children) |
Age over 12 years (117,000 Children) |
||
|
Increased Payment Amount |
Cost of Increase |
Increased Payment Amount |
Cost of Increase |
|
€10 |
€1.66 million |
€10 |
€1.17 million |
|
€20 |
€3.32 million |
€20 |
€2.34 million |
|
€30 |
€4.98 million |
€30 |
€3.51 million |
|
€40 |
€6.64 million |
€40 |
€4.68 million |
|
€50 |
€8.30 million |
€50 |
€5.85 million |
|
€60 |
€9.96 million |
€60 |
€7.02 million |
|
€70 |
€11.62 million |
€70 |
€8.19 million |
|
€80 |
€13.28 million |
€80 |
€9.36 million |
|
€90 |
€14.94 million |
€90 |
€10.53 million |
|
€100 |
€16.60 million |
€100 |
€11.70 million |
208. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost in 2018 of increasing the income disregard for those persons in receipt of the one-parent family payment by €5, €10, €15, €20 and €25, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10542/17]
View answerThe information that the Deputy has requested is currently not available in my Department. Given the complex nature of the request, my Department will provide the information directly to the Deputy in due course.
209. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost in 2018 of extending the wage subsidy scheme to those persons in receipt of partial capacity benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10543/17]
View answer214. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the total expenditure in 2016 on the reasonable accommodation fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10548/17]
View answer222. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons categorised as having a disability in employment here; the way this compares to the EU average; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10721/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 209, 214 and 222 together.
Through the Comprehensive Employment Strategy (CES), the Government is committed to increasing the share of people with disabilities working in the open labour market, given that employment plays a key role in helping to ensure economic independence and offering the best protection against poverty.
The most recently available census data (from 2011) showed that 33 per cent of people with disabilities of working age were in work, which is considerably lower than the equivalent percentage of 66 per cent for people without disabilities.
International data on employment of people with disabilities is available from the EU statistical agency, Eurostat, and these show that Irish employment rates are lower than the EU average. However, as different methodologies and definitions are used across countries, it is not possible to draw consistent comparisons between Ireland and other countries.
The reasons for lower employment rates are diverse and demand a wide-ranging response. The CES is designed to increase the numbers of people with disabilities in employment by addressing the barriers to employment and improve pathways to work. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) actively participated in the development of the strategy and takes a full part in its implementation. For instance, the DSP provides a wide range of work related supports for people with disabilities.
One of the principal supports is the EmployAbility service, which provides job coach support to people with disabilities in accessing jobs in the open labour market. Other supports include the provision of employment subsidies through the wage subsidy scheme (WSS), the reasonable accommodation fund, which provides workplace adaptation grants and specialist training courses that are specially designed for people with disabilities, and the partial capacity benefit, which is available to recipients of illness benefit for a minimum of 6 months or invalidity pension to assist them to return to the workplace. The combined cost of DSP employment supports for people with disabilities is estimated to be in the region of €55 million in 2017. It should be noted that the employment supports are of a voluntary nature and are tailored to individual circumstances and a person’s capacity to engage with education, training or job-search programmes.
In terms of expenditure on the reasonable accommodation fund, the cost of this programme in 2016 was just under €78,000.
With regard to extending the wage subsidy scheme to PCB participants, the cost is estimated to be €2.9 million on a full year basis. Given that under the scheme rules, a WSS payment can only be made where an individual is entering a new job or is in that job for less than 12 months, the costing here relates only to WSS being paid in respect of new PCB participants.
I hope this clarifies the issues for the Deputies.
215. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will reinstate a rent allowance payment to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10562/17]
View answerThe Department has not, to date, received an application for Rent Supplement from the client concerned. The client should forward an application, to be assessed for entitlement, to the Mid-Leinster Rents Unit, PO Box 11758, Dublin 24.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
216. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who qualified for and received a full State pension in each of the past five years, that is, had 48 average contributions; the number of persons who received a reduced rate in each of the past five years, that is, had less than 48 average contributions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10589/17]
View answerThe following table shows the number of persons who were awarded maximum rate state pension (contributory) based on a yearly average of 48 or more contributions, and the number awarded reduced rate based on a yearly average of less than 48, in each of the past five years.
|
Year |
No. of max rate awards |
No. of reduced rate awards |
Total |
|
2016 |
14,768 |
13,401 |
28,169 |
|
2015 |
14,456 |
12,915 |
27,371 |
|
2014 |
14,323 |
13,470 |
27,793 |
|
2013 |
14,303 |
13,076 |
27,379 |
|
2012 |
13,573 |
12,921 |
26,494 |
To be eligible for a state pension (contributory) at age 66, 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, from employment or self-employment;
- (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 the applicant’s date of entry into insurable employment (whichever is the later), to the end of the tax year preceding their 66th birthday.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
217. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if all the social insurance contributions paid by a person (details supplied) in two countries can be aggregated for consideration for State contributory pension purposes on the person reaching pension age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10600/17]
View answerAs Ireland does not have a bilateral social security agreement with the Republic of South Africa, it is not possible to take into account insurance periods completed in that country for pension eligibility purposes.
Ireland has bilateral agreements with Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Japan, the United Kingdom (covering Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man), The Republic of Korea and Quebec (which has a separate system from the rest of Canada). These agreements provide that in addition to the standard assessment of state pension (contributory) entitlement based on an applicant’s Irish social insurance contribution record, the person’s contribution record can be aggregated with the insurance contribution record following employment in another bilateral country in order to carry out a second assessment on pro-rata pension entitlement. In such cases, the most financially beneficial pension entitlement is awarded.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
