Written Answers Nos. 513-533
513. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection further to his recent meeting with district representatives, the progress that has been made in the relocation of a Department agency to Ballybay in addition to the retention of the 30-plus jobs that were lost to the town; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13454/17]
View answerThe Department of Social Protection delivers its services in County Monaghan through our network of offices including Branch Offices, Community Welfare Clinics, Activation Services, Social Welfare Inspectorate Services, Community Employment Services, Local Employment Services (LES) and the JobPath Programme. Provision of information and access to income supports is provided by the Departments Community Welfare Service, which holds a weekly clinic in Ballybay. In addition the Department funds the Local Employment Service and the EmployAbility Service, both of which have offices in Ballybay and provide valuable support to the people of Monaghan. The Department also provides funding for Community Employment Schemes in Ballybay and in nearby Bawn Latton.
The Department thus continues to provide a high standard of services to the people of county Monaghan and has successfully implemented many positive changes in recent years to enhance these services. Over the coming years our wide ranging programme of organisational development will continue to support our efforts to deliver and improve our services, support economic growth and promote employability in county Monaghan.
As discussed at the meeting with local Oireachtas Members and Councillors from the Ballybay-Clones Municipal District on Wednesday 5th October 2016, it is not proposed to open an Intreo Centre in Ballybay or to relocate one of the Department’s agencies there. I will however continue to be fully supportive of any initiatives that will boost employment opportunities – be they from the public or private sector - for people in the Ballybay area in the future.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
514. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of temporary staff that are being employed at each local and divisional office throughout the country, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13460/17]
View answer515. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of employing temporary staff at local and divisional offices throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13461/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 514 and 515 together.
There are currently 320 Temporary Clerical Officers (TCOs) employed in the Department.
Temporary clerical staff are recruited to cover absences of permanent staff on maternity leave, long term sick leave, other statutory leave and also to provide cover for some staff availing of the Shorter Working Year scheme. They are also recruited to alleviate work pressure in certain areas, and to assist in the roll-out of the Public Services Card project.
TCOs are paid on a weekly pay scale ranging from €419.29 to €715.62 for staff in the Single Pension Scheme or €432.45 to €680.62 for staff in the Unestablished Pension Scheme post 2004. Some of the costs involved in the recruitment of temporary staff can be offset, for example, where permanent staff avail of certain unpaid leave such as the shorter working year scheme or where staff on long-term sick leave are on a reduced salary.
The table shows the various locations where the TCOs are assigned.
TABLE 1 – LOCATION OF TEMPORARY CLERICAL OFFICERS
|
Location |
Number of TCOs |
Location |
Number of TCOs |
|
Dublin Offices |
|||
|
Balbriggan |
2 |
Clifden |
1 |
|
Ballyfermot |
1 |
Clonmel |
4 |
|
Ballymun |
1 |
Cork |
13 |
|
Bishops Square |
5 |
Donegal Town |
1 |
|
Blanchardstown |
3 |
Drogheda |
5 |
|
Clondalkin |
3 |
Dundalk |
10 |
|
Coolock |
4 |
Dunfanaghy |
1 |
|
Cork Street |
3 |
Dungloe |
1 |
|
D'Olier House |
2 |
Ennis |
4 |
|
Dun Laoghaire |
2 |
Galway |
6 |
|
Finglas |
4 |
Kilkenny |
4 |
|
Gandon House |
11 |
Killarney |
4 |
|
Kilbarrack |
2 |
Letterkenny |
12 |
|
Kings Inn St / Parnell St |
13 |
Limerick |
16 |
|
Navan Road |
2 |
Listowel |
1 |
|
Nth Cumberland St |
7 |
Longford |
26 |
|
Nutgrove |
3 |
Loughrea |
4 |
|
Store St |
11 |
Macroom |
1 |
|
Swords |
1 |
Monaghan Town |
3 |
|
Tallaght |
16 |
Navan |
3 |
|
Provincial Offices |
Newbridge |
8 |
|
|
Arklow |
3 |
Newcastlewest |
1 |
|
Athlone |
2 |
Roscommon |
5 |
|
Ballina |
1 |
Sligo |
18 |
|
Bantry |
2 |
Thurles |
2 |
|
Bray |
3 |
Tralee |
3 |
|
Buncrana |
5 |
Waterford |
8 |
|
Carlow |
2 |
Westport |
2 |
|
Carrick on Shannon |
22 |
Wexford |
6 |
|
Carrigaline |
2 |
Wicklow |
2 |
|
Castlebar |
1 |
Tullamore |
3 |
|
Cavan |
3 |
||
|
Total |
320 |
516. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for carer's benefit for a person (details supplied) will be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13462/17]
View answerCarer’s benefit (CARB) can be paid to a person for a maximum of 104 weeks for each care recipient. CARB was paid to the person concerned for 59 weeks from 17 December 2015 to 1 February 2017 for the full-time care and attention he provides for his wife.
He has applied to extend payment of CARB from 2 February 2017. Additional employment information was requested by letter on 31 January 2017 and by phone on 9 February from the person concerned. Once he supplies this information, the application will be processed and he will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Minister. If you require any further assistance with this query, don’t hesitate to contact Philip in my office.
517. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a disability allowance for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13463/17]
View answerI can confirm that my department received an application for disability allowance from this lady on 27 January 2017.
On 11 March 2017 the person concerned was requested to supply supporting documentation required by the deciding officer in order to make a decision on her eligibility. On receipt of this information a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
518. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently participating in the JobPath scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13477/17]
View answerThere are currently just under 70,000 jobseekers availing of the JobPath service.
As the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment.
The JobPath service is designed to augment and complement the Department’s existing employment service capacity. The additional capacity provided through the JobPath service has allowed the department to provide the type and intensity of services required by Jobseekers, particularly those most distant from the labour market.
519. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of complaints made against the two companies charged with operating the JobPath scheme; the nature of such complaints; the steps taken by his Department to address issues raised by participants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13478/17]
View answerThe overall reaction to JobPath has been very positive. To date 82,798 Jobseekers have been referred to the service, with 215 complaints received in total – one quarter of one per cent.
163 complaints have been responded to and are now closed. 52 are in progress.
The total number of complaints for Seetec is 81. The nature of these complaints is as follows: Customer Service 43; Clients reluctant to engage 27; Data Protection 4; Employer Recruitment Process 3; Travel Expenses 1; Transport Issues 1; Equal Status Act 1; and Irish Language 1.
The total number of complaints for Turas Nua is 134. The nature of these complaints is as follows: Customer Service 108; Policy 15; Legislation 5; Office Layout 4; and Data Protection 2.
Each JobPath provider has a Complaints Procedure which is advertised in every location. In the event the customer has exhausted that process but they remain dissatisfied with the response to their complaint, they may then request my department to carry out a review. Following the review and my department’s response, should the customer still remain dissatisfied, they can refer the matter to the Office of the Ombudsman.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
520. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if JobPath will form part of the review to be carried out by his Department of activation programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13479/17]
View answerIn 2015 My Department initiated a rolling multi-annual evaluations programme, using econometric and qualitative methods, of the Pathways to Work programme and process reforms. This includes large-scale annual customer satisfaction surveys. It draws upon an episodic administrative database, the Jobseekers’ Longitudinal Database (JLD), capturing jobseekers spells of unemployment and exits to employment, training and education, from 2004.
The two major evaluations currently under way using the JLD are the evaluation of the Intreo ‘one-stop-shop’ service for jobseekers, and of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA). Evaluation reports have already been published on the Back to Education Allowance scheme and on JobBridge. It is planned to carry out a full econometric review of JobPath later this year when participant numbers will have reached a level to support such an evaluation.
The Department has recently published the JobPath Performance Data Report for the period July – September 2015, the results of which have been very positive. The report is available on the Departments website at http://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/JobPath-performance-report-January-2017.pdf.
The Department intends to publish similar performance reports for each successive quarter as jobseekers complete their 12 month engagement period.
In addition to the above, the Department carries out regular on-site inspections to ensure that JobPath is delivered in accordance with contractual obligations. To date, 29 on-site inspections have been carried out at provider locations around the country.
The Department also commissions customer satisfaction research, which provides a qualitative evaluation of the standard of service delivery provided by the Jobpath providers.
To date one such survey has been conducted and the results are included in the published material referred to above.
521. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will expand the level of dental services available in view of the concerns of dental care professionals regarding the levels of oral health (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13485/17]
View answerAs announced in Budget 2017, I am pleased to confirm that access to the dental and optical benefit schemes will be extended to the self-employed from March and that certain treatments will be re-introduced to the Dental and Optical schemes later this year.
The dental scheme will have an annual scale and polish treatment and protracted periodontal treatment, where this is clinically required, re-introduced from October 2017. These treatments will be made available in addition to the current annual dental examination to all qualified persons, employed and self-employed. The re-introduction of these treatments addresses the concerns of dental care professionals and will make an important contribution to improving the oral health of the adult population.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. If you require any further assistance with this query please do not hesitate to contact Philip in my office.
522. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) will receive a reply to a lone parent application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13527/17]
View answerAn application for One Parent Family Payment (OFP) dated 23rd February 2017 was received from the person concerned on 9th March 2017. A letter dated 9th March 2017 issued to the client requesting copy of bank statement and details of maintenance payments.
On receipt of this information a decision will be made on the OFP application.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. If you require any further assistance with this query, please do not hesitate to contact Philip in my office.
523. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13549/17]
View answerI confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance from the person concerned on 1 March 2017. The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
524. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal on a decision on carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13557/17]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 6th March 2017. 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.
525. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of an application for a disability allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); when payment will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13569/17]
View answerI confirm that my department received an application for disability allowance from this lady on 6 February 2017. 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 the Deputy.
526. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost per annum of extending entitlement to child benefit to persons reaching their 19th birthday provided they are still in secondary education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13571/17]
View answerChild Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to around 627,000 families in respect of some 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure of over €2 billion in 2017.
The current estimated annual cost of extending the upper age limit for payment for those persons reaching their 19th birthday and in secondary school, based on figures from the Department of Education and Skills, is over €62 million. It is important to note that this costing will change based on the number of 18 year olds in second level education at a given point in time and will increase or decrease depending on student numbers.
Budget 2009 reduced the age for eligibility for Child Benefit from 19 years to less than 18 years. A value for money review of child income supports, published by the Department of Social Protection in 2010, found that the participation pattern of children in education supports the current age limit for Child Benefit.
Families on low incomes can avail of a number of provisions to social welfare schemes that support children in full-time education until the age of 22, including:
- qualified child increases (IQCs) with primary social welfare payments;
- family income supplement (FIS) for low-paid employees with children;
- the back to school clothing and footwear allowance for low income families (paid at the full-time second level education rate).
These schemes provide targeted assistance that is directly linked with household income and thereby supports low-income families with older children participating in full-time education.
Extending Child Benefit to students who are in full-time secondary education and who have reached 19 years of age if adopted would not be a targeted approach given the universality of Child Benefit. The adoption of such a proposal would have significant cost implications and would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.
527. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a jobseeker's allowance payment will issue in the case of a person (detail supplied) who is awaiting payment for nine weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13575/17]
View answerAn application for jobseeker’s allowance in respect of the person concerned has been awarded and the first payment is available for collection at his nominated post office on 21 March 2017.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
528. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a jobseeker's allowance payment will issue in the case of a person (details supplied), who is awaiting their payment for a number of weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13579/17]
View answerAn application for jobseeker’s allowance in respect of the person concerned has been awarded and the first payment will be available for collection at his nominated post office on 21 March 2017.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
529. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance appeal for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13620/17]
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 trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
530. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a domiciliary care allowance appeal for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13622/17]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 2 March 2017, who will make a summary decision on the appeal 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.
531. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Social Protection the budget allocated to Seetec Ireland in each of the past three years, in tabular form; the total money budgeted for allocation for 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13624/17]
View answerJobPath is a payment by results model and all initial costs are borne by the companies.
In 2015 payments to the JobPath companies amounted to €1.2m and in 2016, €25.2m.
It is not intended to publish the individual payments to the JobPath companies as these are commercially sensitive and to do so would place the State at a disadvantage both in terms of the contracts now in place and any future procurement that may be undertaken.
The budget for 2017 is €65m. The actual expenditure 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.
532. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Social Protection details of the number of service users referred by his Department to Seetec in each of the past three years in tabular form; the outcomes for each person, specifying the employment which was gained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13625/17]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment. The service is delivered by two companies, Seetec and Turas Nua.
To date, some 42,025 jobseekers have started their engagement period with Seetec. The figures per year are shown in the table.
|
Year |
No. of Service Users |
|
2015 |
2,794 |
|
2016 |
33,155 |
|
2017 |
6,076 |
|
Total |
42,025 |
The JobPath service was rolled out on a phased basis over the period mid-2015 to July 2016. The numbers referred initially were low but this has increased with over 82,000 customers who have commenced with the service by March 2017. It will take time to accumulate data on a sufficient number of clients who have completed their engagement period with the service for complete and robust outcome data to be available.
However for 2017, my Department is publishing a report on the performance of the service on a quarterly basis. The first report was published on the 17th January. This report provided outcome figures such as job starts and 13 week job sustainment fees in respect of the first 1,266 jobseekers referred to the service during the period July – September 2015. It is not intended to publish the outcomes for each contractor separately at this time, as these are commercially sensitive and to do so would place the State at a disadvantage both in terms of the contracts now in place and any future procurement that may be undertaken.
The initial data on the impact of the service is encouraging. Employment outcome data shows that compared to people who did not take part in the service, people who availed of the service were 23% more likely to have started a job (as of October 2016). The difference appears to be more marked for very long-term unemployed people, with those out of work for more than three years some 44% more likely to have found a job if they engaged with the service.
The first report is available on the department’s website at http://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/JobPath-performance-report-January-2017.pdf.
The published data contains a range of information which may assist the Deputy in gaining an overview of the performance of the service to date.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
533. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a domiciliary care allowance for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13632/17]
View answerAs previously outlined to the Deputy my department received an application for disability allowance from this lady on 22 August 2016.
On 28 February 2017 the person concerned was requested to supply supporting documentation required by the deciding officer in order to make a decision on her eligibility. On receipt of this information a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
