Written Answers Nos. 615-632
615. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the way in which a self-employed person can pay PRSI reckonable contributions for their State pension, contributory, up to the date the person turns 66 years of age in that year, as is available to a PAYE worker (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41973/18]
View answerAs Revenue does not have the facility to collect a part of a year’s PRSI liability in respect of the individual’s 66th year, payment can be facilitated by the Department’s Client Eligibility Services, Department of Employment Affairs & Social Protection, Government Buildings, Cork Road, Waterford.
In general PRSI is charged on income, including income from self-employment, where the individual is over 16 years and under pensionable age, currently 66 years. Self-employed persons, who earn €5,000 or more in a contribution year, are liable for PRSI at the Class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. The payment of Class S contributions entitles self-employed workers to a range of benefits including State pension (contributory).
The regulations governing the award of Class S social insurance prescribe that where a self-employed person is assessed as being liable for a compulsory insurance charge, the person is granted a full annual complement of 52 ‘Class-S’ contributions for that tax year once the liability is discharged (irrespective of whether their self-employment was pursued throughout the year, or if it was just for a portion of the year). Therefore, in a self-employed person’s initial year of assessment of having an insurance liability, on payment of the due amount, the person will be recorded as having paid 52 weekly contributions for that year.
Where the self-employed discharge their combined Income Tax, USC and PRSI liability through Revenue’s self-assessed system of collection, a single payment is made in respect of their combined liability for all complete tax years up to and including the year in which the self-employed worker reaches their 65th year.
Such additional (66th year) S Class contributions may be used, where necessary, to satisfy the ‘minimum 520 paid contributions’ condition for State pension (contributory) eligibility, but cannot be used in the yearly-averaging assessment of pension rate entitlement, for which the cut-off point in totalling contributions is the end date of the immediately preceding (full) tax year. This is exactly the same ‘66th year’ approach that is facilitated in the case of standard employees (rather than self-employed) who may require some additional contributions to satisfy the “520 contribution” condition.
I hope this information is helpful to the Deputy.
616. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the case of a person (details supplied) will be addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41995/18]
View answerThe gentleman referred to has been awarded invalidity pension with effect from the 14 December 2017. Payment will issue to his nominated bank account on the 11 October 2018. Any arrears due from 14 December 2017 to 10 October 2018 (less any overlapping social welfare payment) will issue in due course. The gentleman in question was notified of this decision on the 08 October 2018.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
617. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an appeal for a carer's allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Kildare. [42005/18]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case in the coming weeks. The person concerned will be notified of the arrangements for the hearing in due course.
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.
618. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the decision to refuse an application for a carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42006/18]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 31 August 2018.
My department takes the view that full-time care and attention does not necessarily mean 24 hours in each day. Full-time care and attention can be considered to apply where there is an on-going and daily commitment by the carer and which also generally results in the carer not being able to support him/herself through normal full-time employment.
The evidence submitted in support of this application was examined and the deciding officer decided that although the person concerned is providing a certain level of care the time involved is not considered to be full time.
The person concerned was notified on 2 Oct 2018 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal.
A review 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.
619. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a payment in respect of an illness benefit claim will issue to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42010/18]
View answerWhile the customer concerned has submitted medical certs from her GP, she has not yet submitted an IB1 claim form. As a result, an IB1 claim form has been posted to the customer's home address with a return freepost envelope.
Once received, the claim will be processed and any/all arrears owing will be paid to her as soon as possible.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
620. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if persons on working family payments will receive a full Christmas bonus payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42011/18]
View answerI was pleased to announce on Budget Day that the Christmas Bonus payment to long-term social welfare recipients will be fully restored to a 100% payment in December this year, and will be paid to all schemes that were eligible for the Bonus in previous years. Working Family Payment recipients were never eligible for the Bonus in the past and similar arrangements apply this year.
As a result of Budget 2019, Working Family Payment recipients may benefit from the introduction, in March 2019, of a new maintenance payments disregard of €95.23 per week (€4,952 per year) in respect of housing costs, with the balance of any maintenance assessed at 50%. For existing Working Family Payment recipients where this impacts, this can mean an increase in their weekly payments of up to €58 per week.
Working Family Payment recipients will also benefit from the improvements to taxation and USC rates introduced by my colleague, the Minister for Finance.
621. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of an application for a carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42016/18]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
I confirm that my department received an application for CA from the person concerned on the 9 August 2018.
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.
622. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application for a carer's allowance by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42036/18]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
I confirm that my department received an application for CA from the person concerned on the 24 August 2018.
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.
623. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application for a partial capacity benefit by a person (details supplied). [42053/18]
View answerThe Department received an application for Partial Capacity Benefit from the customer concerned on Tuesday 9th October.
The claim will be processed in line with usual procedures and we have been in contact with the customer to advise him of this.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
624. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a carer's allowance appeal by a person (details supplied) will be expedited. [42141/18]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision.
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 trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
625. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a decision has been made on the review of further medical evidence submitted in support of an invalidity pension application in respect of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42183/18]
View answerThe department received a claim for invalidity pension (IP) from the gentleman concerned on the 28 March 2018. His claim for IP was disallowed on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. He was notified on the 27 June 2018 of this decision, the reasons for it and of his rights of review and appeal.
A review was requested and further medical evidence was submitted. Following a review of all the information available it was decided that there was no change to the original decision. He was notified on 12 October 2018 of the outcome of the review.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
626. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application for illness benefit by a person (details supplied); when payment will issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42188/18]
View answerWhen the customer concerned initially applied for Illness Benefit, he did not satisfy the eligibility criteria to award a claim.
The customer subsequently returned additional information which has been applied to the application and his eligibility has been established. The customer will receive a payment next week.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
627. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider including persons on community employment schemes with young families for the working family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42190/18]
View answerCommunity Employment (CE) is the largest employment programme administered by the Department and is a valuable resource for both jobseekers and communities. This scheme aims to enhance the employability and mobility of disadvantaged and unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. In addition, it helps long-term unemployed people to re-enter the active workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to a regular work routine.
Working Family Payment (WFP) provides an income support for employees on low earnings with families. This is a weekly tax-free payment for families, including one-parent families, at work on low pay.
In general a person must be engaged in full-time remunerative employment as an employee, have at least one qualified child, who normally resides with them or is part of a family wholly or mainly supported by them and the weekly family Income is less than a set limit for their family size.
A person on a Work Scheme such as CE is not considered to be in full-time employment and is therefore excluded from claiming WFP while participating on the programme.
628. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures she is taking to clear the backlog in processing times for illness benefit applications; the actions she is undertaking to have general practitioners move over to the new application forms to prevent the backlog; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42214/18]
View answerIn August last, my Department introduced a new claim form and medical certificate to replace the previous forms used for certification of the Department’s Illness and Injury Benefit schemes. This change is part of a programme of modernisation in the Department which is aimed at improving the certification process and at making claim and payment procedures more efficient for everyone involved – GPs, patients and the Department.
The Department has a contract with GPs on the DEASP panel in respect of medical certification for Illness and Injury Benefit and we wrote to just under 3,500 contracting GPs in July setting out the changes. We will continue to communicate with all panel holders as the new process beds in.
In addition, the Department consulted with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) - a longstanding representative body with a broad range of GPs in its membership. The Department will continue to consult with the IMO under the Framework Agreement on a range of issues, including e-certification, closed certification and changes to forms.
The IMO is the representative GP body which is affiliated with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and has been for many years. The Department will continue to hold substantive discussions with the IMO and I would hope they will conclude over the coming weeks.
The Department wants to reassure all customers that they will be paid the correct amount of Illness Benefit up to the end of their certified illness, as certified by their GP. No customer will lose out on their payments. Any customer with an urgent financial need can apply to the Department's Community Welfare Service to receive an interim payment. Customers in these circumstances should get in touch with their local Intreo Centre.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy
629. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will address a matter regarding the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42243/18]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
The person concerned has been in receipt of a half-rate CA since 25 September 2014 as her husband has been claiming an increase for a qualified adult on his jobseeker's allowance in respect of her. On 11 September 2018 she requested a review of her CA entitlement as her husband has returned to work and ceased to claim jobseeker's allowance.
As his means from employment may affect that entitlement, a full means review is being carried out. As part of the review, financial documents were requested from the person concerned on 17 September 2018.
Once the review is complete the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
630. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to undertake research on the costs associated with disability as announced during her briefing on budget 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42252/18]
View answerAs part of the Pre-Budget consultation process that I and my Department held with stakeholders, the issue of cost of disability was raised. The Deputy will be aware that consideration of the issue was also recommended in a recent report by the combined Joint Oireachtas Committees on Education, Health and Social Protection.
During the Pre-Budget Forum I acknowledged that while there may be extra cost to having a disability, the Government would need to consider further research before arriving at the most appropriate response.
As part of Budget 2019 I announced my intention to commission this research – a first step to comprehensively understanding this complex issue. I expect that this research, when complete, will provide a roadmap to inform policy direction in the future – from a whole-of-Government perspective – in relation to the adequate provision of support to meet the needs of people with disabilities. The Government recognises that those with a disability face additional financial costs. This research will help us to quantify those costs and start to provide for them in future Budgets.
There are considerable issues to be addressed in both defining and measuring the cost of disability. These include defining the scope of the research, deciding on the best approach and engaging in any procurement work. It is my intention to engage with other relevant Departments to address this before procuring independent external research. I have asked my officials to consider and assess the scope, governance and potential timelines for this research.
631. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will address a matter in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42281/18]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
CA can be payable for a maximum of 13 weeks after admission where either the carer or care recipient is undergoing medical or other treatment of a temporary nature in an institution such as a hospital, convalescent, nursing or care home.
Since January 2017, when a care recipient enters permanent residential care, CA can continue in payment to the carer for 12 weeks.
As care recipient of the person concerned was admitted to hospital on 11 July 2018, her entitlement to CA will cease on 10 October 2018.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
632. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a fuel allowance payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42283/18]
View answerFuel allowance is a means tested payment, payable to people who either live alone or only with certain other qualified people. Only one fuel allowance can be paid to any one household at any one time.
Two fuel payments issued to this gentleman since the commencement of the 2018/2019 fuel season on 03 October 2018. Based on the information provided to the department, he no longer qualifies for the allowance with effect from 17 October 2018 as it is already in payment to a member of his household.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
