Written Answers Nos. 630 - 651
630. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of her plans for the future of the Tús scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6935/18]
View answerTús is one of a range of supports provided by my Department to cater for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market. It provides part-time temporary work in local communities, as a stepping-stone back to employment. However, it is important to note that these placements are not full-time sustainable jobs and are designed to break the cycle of unemployment and maintain work readiness, thereby improving a person’s opportunities of returning to the labour market or getting a job for the first time. The Deputy will appreciate that the welcome reduction in the unemployment rate is a factor in recruitment to all programmes. Long-term unemployment is expected to fall further this year in line with the continuing forecasted fall in overall unemployment.
Currently, participants can remain on Tús for one year and I have no plans to change this. However, changes were introduced recently to the selection criteria for Tús which should broaden the availability of Tús to a greater number of people on the live register. This includes an increase in the percentage of assisted referrals from 20% to 30%, as well as permitting someone who has had a break of up to 30 days on the Live Register in the past 12 months to be considered eligible for Tús selection.
The Department keeps all aspects of its activation programmes under review to ensure the best outcomes for participants and communities. The Government is very mindful of the large number of work programme places involved in service delivery and other valuable services around the country.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
631. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied). [6937/18]
View answerThe person concerned made a claim for Illness Benefit from 27 December 2017 but did not satisfy the qualifying conditions for receipt of the benefit at that time as he had insufficient PRSI contributions in the governing contribution year which was 2015.
However, he did have sufficient PRSI contributions in the 2016 year and this means he qualifies for payment from 1 January 2018 subject to the serving of the required waiting days. Illness Benefit is not paid for the first six days of any claim. All arrears due have now been paid to the person concerned.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
632. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6944/18]
View answerThe person concerned appealed a decision by my Department to raise an overpayment in her case. The appeal was heard by the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office and the person concerned was successful in her appeal. My Department is working to give effect to the decision of the Appeals Office and expects to be in a position to contact the person concerned with full details shortly.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
633. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to a vote taken in Dáil Éireann on 30 March 2017 which called upon the Citizens Information Board to desist from the dismantling and replacement of the networks of independent Citizens Information Services and the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS; if her attention has been further drawn to a report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection issued on 1 June 2017 which recommended a similar action; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the board is persisting with the strategy of which both Dáil Éireann and the joint committee disapproves; and her understanding and the understanding communicated by her Department to the board of the role of Dáil Éireann in matters of public administration, particularly in circumstances in which funds voted by Dáil Éireann are involved. [6960/18]
View answerThe Citizens Information Board (CIB) is a statutory body established by the Oireachtas. In addition to its own statutory responsibilities in relation to information and advocacy service provision, it has statutory responsibility for the countrywide networks of Citizens Information Services (CIS) and the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS). CIB has been allocated €57.410 million to fund its activities and that of its service delivery partners for 2018.
In November 2014, the Board of the Citizens Information Board decided to restructure the local CIS and MABS networks. In October 2016, the Board decided that the new structure should be regionally based. In February 2017, the Board adopted a recommendation that the current structure of ninety three individual local companies would be changed to a sixteen regional company model, comprising eight CIS and eight MABS companies.
The changes are being made at local company board level only. The valuable work carried out by employees and volunteers working in CIS services and employees of MABS services will continue as heretofore. The staff and boards throughout the CIS and MABS networks have been assured by CIB that there will be no change to the terms and conditions of staff, no diminution of services for those who use them and no closure of service delivery points.
I am aware that there has been opposition to the Board’s decision by a small number of objectors as these have been raised in the Dáil and at meetings of the Joint Oireachtas Committee (JOC) on Employment Affairs and Social Protection in the wake of the decision. I am also aware of the Cost Benefit Analysis on the new regional company model which was provided by CIB to the JOC on 21 September 2017 and which indicates strong support for the decision of the Board to proceed to implement the new governance arrangements.
The governance structure of the CIS and MABS network is a matter for the Board of CIB. As a statutory body, the Board has the sole right to make decisions on its day to day operations as it sees fit. The Board is clear that this change is necessary so that CIB, and the delivery services it funds, adequately meet the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and the compliance requirements of the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, given the significant level of taxpayers money involved.
The aim of this change by the Board of CIB is to improve the effectiveness of the control environment, financial management and governance of CIS and MABS networks, which are 100% State-funded. It is also about consolidating managerial and administrative efforts, focussing on front line service delivery to citizens, improving the consistency and quality of service delivery and, where possible, extending services for those who rely on them.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
634. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application for illness benefit by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6963/18]
View answerIllness Benefit (IB) is a payment for people who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. One of the PRSI conditions is that a person must have a minimum of 39 reckonable contributions paid or credited in the governing contribution year. Claims made in 2017 are governed by the 2015 tax year and only PRSI Classes A, E, H, and P are reckonable for IB purposes.
The person concerned made a claim for IB and this claim was registered in my Department on 13 November 2017. The person concerned was written to on 8 February 2018 requesting further details with regard to permission to take up employment in this country. On receipt of this information, the claim can be considered further.
However, the Deputy should note that according to my Departments records, the person concerned has no reckonable PRSI contributions and just 2 credits for the 2015 year. If the person concerned feels that they should have more contributions in 2015 they should submit information on their employment and the matter will be investigated further. It is possible that the person concerned may qualify for IB in 2018, based on their contributions in 2016, once the question of permission to take up employment has been satisfied.
If the person concerned is unable to meet their needs or the needs of their household, they may be entitled to Supplementary Welfare Allowance which is a means-tested payment. They should contact their local Intreo Centre in this regard.
The PRSI contribution conditions governing entitlement to IB are statutory and cannot be either waived or modified in any particular case.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
635. Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason persons on JobPath cannot transfer to either community employment schemes or rural social schemes in rural areas, even in cases in which there is a clear willingness to work on such schemes on the part of the JobPath participants (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6969/18]
View answerThe aim of the JobPath service is to assist participants in finding sustainable full-time paid employment. Community Employment (CE) schemes, provides part-time employment and training opportunities in local communities for people in receipt of a Social Welfare payment, including long-term unemployment payments as a stepping stone back to employment. It is important to note that Community Employment, does not, nor is it intended to, provide full-time sustainable employment.
Jobseekers can only participate with one activation scheme or service at a time; this is to allow the scheme and service providers time to work with the participants and also to ensure that the best use is made of the available places.
In relation to the Rural Social Scheme (RSS), it provides opportunities for low income farmers and fishermen who are currently in receipt of specified social welfare payments and actively engaged with the farming or fishing industry to work to provide certain services of benefit to rural communities.
The current selection process for the JobPath service excludes those jobseekers categorised as self-employed including those actively farming or fishing, with the result that most jobseekers eligible for RSS are not referred to the JobPath service. However in a small number of cases where self-employment had not been identified jobseekers were referred. If self-employment is subsequently verified by the Department, it is then open to the person to opt to leave the JobPath service.
Customers on the Jobpath service receive intensive individual support and assistance to help them to overcome barriers to employment. A Jobseeker who is currently engaged with the JobPath service is eligible to apply for a placement with RSS once the relevant qualifying conditions are satisfied and a suitable opportunity is available to the client.
At the end of the 52 weeks with the JobPath service, if a client has not been successful in finding suitable employment, they will have the facility available to them, subject to assessment and suitability, to apply for and access Community Employment and other activations supports provided by my Department.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
636. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding an application for disability allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Wexford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6993/18]
View answerFollowing the submission of further medical evidence by the person concerned, their case has been reviewed and they have been awarded disability allowance with effect from 23 August 2017. The first payment will be made on 14 February 2018.
Arrears of payment due will issue as soon as possible once any necessary adjustment is calculated and applied in respect of any overlapping payments.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy
637. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the decision to refuse an application for exceptional needs payment by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7001/18]
View answerDeterminations made by Designated Persons in relation to claims made under Section 201 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation Act) 2005, i.e. Exceptional Needs Payments can be reviewed by a SWA Reviewing Officer under Section 323 of that Act.
As the Deputy has requested that a review be conducted, the relevant review officer has been notified of your request and they will now commence the review process. Once the review has been completed, the outcome of the review will be communicated to the person concerned and the Deputy.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
638. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated number of existing workers who would see a change in their contracts as a result of the new section 18(2) of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. [7041/18]
View answerSection 14 of the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017, which was published in December, proposes the replacement of the existing section 18 in the Organisation of Working Time Act with a new section. One of the purposes of the proposed new section 18 is to prohibit zero hour contracts in most circumstances.
The University of Limerick (UL) in its study on the prevalence of zero hour contracts and low hour contracts among Irish employers found that zero hour contracts as defined within current Irish employment rights legislation are not extensively used in Ireland. It found low working hours can arise in different forms in employment contracts, such as regular part-time contracts with fixed hours or a contract with “If and when” hours only or a hybrid of the two.
While I am not in a position to estimate the number of existing workers that would see a change in their contracts as a result of the new section 18, I am confident that this and the other measures proposed in the Bill will significantly improve the employment protections for employees on less secure employment arrangements. The Bill is scheduled for Second Stage in the Dáil this week and I look forward to working with colleagues on all sides of both Houses of the Oireachtas in progressing the Bill as expeditiously as possible.
639. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to expand the free travel scheme to recipients of domiciliary care; the estimated cost of this expansion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7054/18]
View answerThe current free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by almost 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately 902,000 customers with direct eligibility to free travel with an annual allocation of €90 million. The scheme is available to all people aged over 66 living permanently in the State. To qualify for the scheme, applicants who are under age 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment. These are invalidity pension, blind pension, disability allowance, carer’s allowance or an equivalent social security payment from a country covered by EC Regulations or one with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement.
Domiciliary care allowance is a monthly payment of €309.50 to the carer of a child with a disability. The allowance may be used for the additional costs involved in caring for the child and this may include additional transport costs.
There are currently 35,759 recipients of domiciliary care allowance. Of that number, 17,938 are also in receipt of carers allowance and therefore would already have a free travel pass. To provide the remaining 17,821 with a free travel pass might be expected to cost in the region of €1.8 million a year.
Any decision to extend the free travel scheme to all children that are in receipt of a domiciliary care allowance would require additional funding for the free travel scheme and would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection may award a travel supplement in any case where the circumstances of the case so warrant. The supplement is intended to assist with ongoing or recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary. Every decision is based on consideration of the circumstances of the case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the person concerned.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
640. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when payment will be restored in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7066/18]
View answerAccording to the records of my Department, a jobseeker allowance claim was disallowed for the person concerned from 19 July 2017. The disallowance arose due to the person concerned having means in excess, which was assessed from her partner’s self-employment. The person concerned appealed the decision and the file is currently with the Social Welfare Appeals Office. With regard to the Working Family Payment (WFP), formally known as Family Income Supplement (FIS), my Department’s records show that no WFP claim has been registered by the person concerned.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
641. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the appeal against disallowance of payment in the case of a person (details supplied) will be decided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7067/18]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 16 January 2018. 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 Employment Affairs and Social Protection. These papers have been received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 24 January 2018 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 Employment Affairs and 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.
642. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 591 to 593, inclusive, of 30 January 2018, the person who made the decision to restructure the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS, and Citizens Information Service, CIS; when this decision was taken; if it was a departmental directive or a decision by the board of CIB; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7093/18]
View answerThe Citizens Information Board (CIB) is a statutory body established by the Oireachtas. In addition to its own statutory responsibilities in relation to information and advocacy service provision, it has statutory responsibility for the countrywide networks of Citizens Information Services (CIS) and the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS).
The decision to restructure the governance arrangements of the CIS and MABS companies from 93 individual service delivery companies to an eight region model, having one CIS and one MABS company in each, was taken by the statutory Board of the Citizens Information Board.
As a statutory body, the Board has the sole right to make decisions on its day to day operations as it sees fit. The Board’s decision followed a lengthy period of consultation and detailed consideration of the options and views put forward at all stages. I am satisfied that the membership of the Board of CIB, which comprises experienced and competent individuals representative of a broad spectrum of interests and which includes representatives of the Citizens Information Service and Money Advice and Budgeting Service, made this decision in the best interests of the citizens of Ireland, whom the Board serves.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
643. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7167/18]
View answerThe Department received notification of an appeal against the decision to disallow domiciliary care allowance (DCA) in this case on 14/09/2017. As part of the appeal process the DCA claim was reviewed by a deciding officer who determined that a revised decision was not warranted. The lady concerned was notified of this decision on 5 December 2017. The application has been forwarded to the Social Welfare Appeals Office for further consideration.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
644. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding an application for disability allowance by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7171/18]
View answerFollowing the submission of further medical evidence by the person concerned, the case has been reviewed and disability allowance awarded with effect from 23 August 2017. The first payment will be made on 14 February 2018.
Arrears of payment due will issue as soon as possible once any necessary adjustment is calculated and applied in respect of any overlapping payments.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
646. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason persons who work part time for three or four days a week are being forced to participate in JobPath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7183/18]
View answerAll Jobseekers on the live register must be capable of; available for and actively seeking full time employment, they must engage with the Department’s activation services.
JobPath is one of my Department’s employment activation services which supports people who are long-term unemployed, including those underemployed and working part time to secure and sustain full-time paid employment. All jobseekers over one year on the Live Register are eligible for selection for the JobPath service and clients are chosen by means of a random selection process.
JobPath provides an intensive personal service which focuses on the skills and experience of each person. In the case of clients already in part-time employment this may focus on any options or opportunities to increase the level of employment in their current role, or look at prospects in other areas, which may also involve some training, but could provide a more sustainable income and a move away from a jobseekers payment. It is important therefore that these jobseekers continue to engage with their JobPath provider.
Customers referred to JobPath who are also working part-time will have all activities including meetings with their personal advisor scheduled around their work commitments and the JobPath contractors are required to be flexible in the provision of the service in that respect.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
647. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 330 to 332, inclusive, of 1 February 2018, if her attention has been drawn to the conclusions of the recent actuarial review of the Social Insurance Fund in regard to using a 30-year basis for full pension entitlement (details supplied), in particular the conclusion that under a 30-year basis, a significant number of persons will be negatively impacted in view of the proposal to use a 40-year basis in the interim total contributions approach. [7241/18]
View answer648. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the guarantees or provision she plans to make for the first generation of pensioners under the total contributions approach from 2020 onwards in order that persons will not be faced with significant cuts to their pension expectations with no time to adjust their planning; and if her attention has been drawn to a conclusion in the national framework plan (details supplied). [7242/18]
View answer649. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the home care credits in the total contributions approach will be allocated in the same way that unemployment credits are, namely, that in the same contribution year a person can have a mix of paid contributions and home care credits. [7243/18]
View answer650. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to change a core principle of the State contributory pension by introducing means testing in view of the fact that she has referred to other sources of income in discussions on the impact of pension rate changes on affected pensioners. [7244/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 647 to 650, inclusive, together.
A policy to introduce the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pensions calculation was adopted by Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010, as was the decision to base the entitlements of all new pensioners on this approach from around 2020. The move to such a system has been signalled, therefore, for a significant period of time.
As was understood at that time, and as underlined in the sentence the Deputy refers to from the Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance Fund, some people are paid a higher rate under the Yearly Average system, and some will be paid a higher rate under the Total Contributions Approach. If everyone was paid the same amount under the new system as they were under the old one, there would be little point in such a reform, and if everyone was paid either the same or more, it would add to the sustainability challenges already faced by the State pension system. However, past and future trends show that these challenges are going to place ever-increasing burdens in the coming years on workers who fund State pensions through the PRSI system. The proposed new TCA system strikes a balance between recognising periods outside the paid workforce while emphasising the need to maximise the paid element in the contribution conditions for pensions.
In 1997, expenditure on state pensions was IR£1.35 billion. However, by 2017 the cost of state pensions had increased to €7.27 billion. After adjusting for inflation, the cost had nearly trebled in real terms over a period of just 20 years, despite reforms made in that time. As the Actuarial Review the Deputy refers to pointed out, despite increases in the State pension age legislated for in 2021 and 2028, the ratio of workers to pensioners is projected to decline from 4.9 in 2015, to 2.9 in 2035, and to 2.0 by 2055.
While 2055 may seem far away to some, most of today’s workers will be in receipt of the State pension at that point, and I would hope that some current pensioners may still be in payment, and so we all have a stake in ensuring the system is sustainable to that date and beyond.
The TCA model proposed for post-2020 pensioners has yet to be decided upon, as the Government proposal will not be finalised until after a public consultation later this year. There are a number of factors, not just the number of years required for a full pension, which influence outcomes, and I will consider very carefully the priorities identified by stakeholders in that consultation process. Again, although the model and associated legislation hasn’t been finalised, it is my intention that it will be possible for Home-Caring credits to be allocated in the same year as paid contributions, where appropriate.
The TCA model being made available for post-2012 pensioners (up to 2019) is based on 40 years, but has very significant Home-caring provisions, much more beneficial than those in the 2010 proposals, that make it more advantageous for most of those disadvantaged by the Yearly Average approach. Take, for example, a pensioner with 18 years PRSI contributions, and who also spent 18 years in the home raising their children before 1994. Under the Yearly Average system, that person might have received a 75% pension before 2012, or a 65% pension if they retired post-2012. Under the 30-year model proposed under the National Pensions Framework and announced in 2010, they would qualify for a 60% pension. However, under the TCA model being made available to post-2012 pensioners, despite it being based on a 40-year model, they could qualify for a 90% pension, as a result of the recognition given to her home-caring periods.
There are others who would not benefit, and who would attract a higher payment under the current approach. For example, under the Yearly Average approach, someone who has already built up substantial state and private pensions in another country before moving to Ireland in their mid-50s, can built up a maximum rate pension in Ireland also, with just 10 years of contributions. This is clearly inequitable compared to the previous example, and while such people will continue to have access to the means-tested State pension (non-contributory) if they need it, which can be paid at up to 95% of the maximum contributory rate, their SPC entitlement will be lower under TCA than it would be at present.
It is through making savings from elimination of such anomalies that it is possible to improve benefits for those who, to date, have had insufficient recognition of their contributions in and out of the home.
I want to clarify, in response to one of the Deputies specific questions that there has not been any change to the State pension (contributory) in terms of means testing. As before, where someone has a SPC entitlement, they will be entitled to at least that amount, regardless of their means. They will also continue to have access to the alternative of the State pension (non-contributory), which is means tested, if that SPC entitlement is lower, and they will be paid whichever is the higher amount. This is not a change.
The importance of this safety net is crucial, and the level it is set at clearly informs policy regarding other schemes such as contributory pensions. However I have seen it misleadingly claimed in recent months that some pensioners are expected to live on €155 weekly, or less, even where they have no other means aside from the State pension. Such claims cause anxiety for many approaching pension age, and it is important for those with very few contributions, and with minimum additional means, to be assured that they will have an adequate pension in old age. Data from CSO and Eurostat show that the state pension system has been very successful in this regard, and demonstrate that a person of pension age in Ireland is considerably less likely to be in poverty than those of working age, who currently fund the system through their PRSI contributions and their taxes.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
651. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a fuel allowance payment will be reinstated for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7277/18]
View answerFuel allowance is a means tested payment, payable to people who either live alone or only with certain other qualified people.
This gentleman was awarded Disability Allowance from 02 September 2015. He has been in receipt of the fuel allowance since 30 September 2015 and continues to qualify for this allowance. He was in receipt of an Increase for Living Alone up to 06 February 2018; this increase is no longer payable as he no longer lives alone.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
