Written Answers Nos. 255-281
255. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which he has been in a position to offer financial support to the various eligible bodies and organisations throughout County Kildare which fall under the remit of his Department with particular reference to addressing isolation issues in both urban and rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46432/18]
View answerAddressing the issue of isolation in rural and urban areas requires a combination of policy initiatives and actions to improve both economic development and to address gaps in meeting the social needs in these areas.
Many of these initiatives form part of the Government's published Action Plan for Rural Development and Framework Policy for Local and Community Development which include a range of measures which will contribute significantly to addressing isolation and social inclusion in communities, and as Minister for Rural and Community Development I will continue to advocate for a cross government approach to ensuring the rural and community voice is heard in relation to matters of policy.
My Department is committed to the successful delivery of the following programmes which provided financial and other supports to organisations in County Kildare in 2018 and I look forward to further supporting rural and urban communities in the county moving forward.
These include:
- The new five-year Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, or SICAP, which commenced at the start of 2018, is our country’s primary social inclusion intervention. This is a €190m national programme that is delivered locally, to help those in the greatest need. The funding allocation to County Kildare for 2018 was €1,061,036.
- The Community Enhancement Programme, which I launched earlier in 2018, has provided funding of €468,671 to projects in Kildare, including more than €26,000 to Men's Sheds groups, which provide a safe space where men can gather and participate in their communities, develop social networks and potentially gain new skills and access information.
- The LEADER Local Action Group in Kildare has been allocated €3,946,200 to invest in the economic and social development of County Kildare over the period of the programme to 2020. In 2018, €650,426 was approved for 18 LEADER projects in Kildare. The LAG received funding of €203,780 in 2018 for individual projects and the administration costs of the LAG itself.
- The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is another initiative under the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development and is part of a package of national and local support measures to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. I recently announced details of 224 projects that were approved for €21.3 million of funding under the 2018 Town and Village Renewal Scheme, including eight projects totalling €520,000 for Kildare.
- €35,000 provided to Kildare County Council towards the funding of a local broadband officer, increasing to €42,000 in 2019.
- The Seniors Alert Scheme, which facilitates valuable community-based support for vulnerable older people. A total of 1,139 installations have been approved for elderly persons in Kildare since September 2015.
In addition, many of the actions in the Action Plan for Rural Development, which are delivered by Departments across government, will help those who feel isolated or vulnerable, including:
- Investment of €46 million in Garda fleet to ensure that Gardaí are mobile, visible and responsive to prevent and tackle crime.
- Maintaining the network of senior helplines in operation throughout the country, which offer a listening service for older people to help address issues such as loneliness and isolation in rural areas.
- Continued support and prioritisation of community crime prevention through schemes such as Neighbourhood Watch and Text Alert.
- Continued improvements in the Rural Transport Programme, including the provision of new routes.
256. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of applications received from groups and bodies throughout north County Kildare for funding or support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46433/18]
View answerMy Department provides a wide range of supports to communities in rural Ireland.
The table below provides the details my Department currently has on the number of applications received from groups and bodies in County Kildare for funding or support in 2018.
Where North Kildare-specific information is not available at this time, County Kildare totals are provided.
|
2018 Programme/Scheme |
Number applications received from groups and bodies throughout north County Kildare |
Number applications received from groups and bodies in Kildare |
Approved Applications |
Funding amount approved € |
|
Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme* (SICAP) |
N/A |
n/a |
n/a |
€1,061,036 |
|
Community Enhancement Programme (including Men’s Shed Fund) |
** |
** |
** |
€468,671 |
|
Local Improvement Scheme*** |
N/A |
12 |
12 |
€329,591 |
|
Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme |
N/A |
2 |
1 unsuccessful 1 awaiting assessment |
N/A |
|
Town and Village Renewal Scheme |
N/A |
8 |
8 |
€520,000 |
|
Community Services Programme |
3 |
3 |
2 (1 under appraisal) |
€76,132 per approved group |
|
Seniors Alert Scheme (participants) |
N/A |
403 (1 Jan - 31 Aug 18) |
403 |
N/A |
|
LEADER |
N/A |
18 for all of County Kildare |
18 approved by Kildare Local Action Group |
€650,426 |
*Please note that SICAP funding was allocated to one body in Kildare through a competitive procurement process that covers the five years from 2018 to 2022. The company can make some small grants to groups within its area.
** Please note that this funding is made available directly to the Local Authority/Local Community Development Committees who administer applications from local community groups. This process is still ongoing and final details will not be available until early 2019.
*** Figures for the Local Improvement Scheme refer to the number of projects put forward by the Local Authority.
My Department also provided funding to Kildare County Council in support of its Public Library Services, its Public Participation Network (PPN) and towards the provision of a local broadband officer as follows:
|
Programme 2018 |
Funding |
|
Libraries ICT Funding |
€547,262 |
|
Library Leasing Grant – Kildare County Council |
€33,750 |
|
Library Capital Programme Athy Library |
€41,250 |
|
LCDC Additional Staff Resources – Kildare County Council |
€37,914 |
|
Kildare Broadband Officer |
€35,000 |
|
Kildare Public Participation Network (PPN) |
€50,000 allocated in 2018. €30,000 paid to-date. |
259. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which he expects to be able to draw on the Dormant Accounts Fund to assist various bodies, groups or agencies in urban and rural areas engaged in the provision of community support services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46436/18]
View answerThe legislation governing the Dormant Accounts Fund provides a framework for the disbursement of funds for measures targeted at socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged people, and people with a disability.
The principles underlying the allocation of funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund, and the strategic objectives to be pursued by measures, are set out in three-year Disbursement Schemes. The most recent Disbursement Scheme, covering the period 2017-2019 inclusive, was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in May 2017.
Annual Action Plans are then put in place, based on the principles set out in the Disbursement Scheme. As part of this process Government Departments are asked to identify proposals for measures consistent with the requirements of the legislation. The Annual Action Plan then details those measures which are approved for funding from the Dormant Accounts Fund. The most recent Annual Action Plan was published in July 2018.
Any measures put forward by a Department must be provided for in the voted allocation of the Department. The expenditure incurred in implementing an approved measure is then reimbursed from the Dormant Accounts Fund. Each Department remains accountable for the administration of the programmes and schemes run under their remit using Dormant Accounts funding.
A number of measures under the remit of my own Department support groups working with communities. In particular there is a €2 million Social Enterprise measure, administered by Pobal, which provides for capital investment in social enterprises across Ireland. The Social Innovation Fund Ireland is also funded through the Dormant Accounts allocation of my Department, and this supports non-profits, charities and social enterprises in Ireland.
260. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the extent to which he expects to be in a position to support community development throughout the country in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46437/18]
View answerMy Department's mission is to promote rural and community development and to support vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities throughout Ireland and this involves providing a mixture of financial and policy supports that promote economic and social development within communities.
Our Statement of Strategy, published earlier this year, lays out the ways in which we aim to facilitate this objective, through:
- creating conditions to support increased economic opportunities and local employment in all areas of the country
- delivering schemes and programmes that support the revitalisation of towns and villages
- improving access to services and social networks that ensure a high quality of life
- enabling communities disadvantaged by location or social issues to reach their full potential
- supporting communities to have a voice to shape their own future
Our Communities, the Framework Policy for Local and Community Development, sets a high-level vision for the State’s support for local development and community development and will underpin all relevant policies, programmes and interventions for local and community development. My Department is developing an implementation plan for the framework policy in partnership with key State and community stakeholders and I expect this plan to be published in the early part of 2019.
My Department provides direct supports to community-led projects through our range of schemes and programmes, which include the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme, Community Services Programme, Town and Village Renewal Scheme, CLÁR Programme, Community Enhancement Programme and LEADER Programme.
Funding provided through volunteering supports, libraries development and the new Rural Regeneration and Development Fund will also bring positive benefits to local communities. Details of these and other programmes are available on my Department's website.
In addition, my Department is committed to supporting local communities to develop, empowering them to identify their needs and aspirations and providing them with the opportunities, skills and confidence to influence, shape and participate in decision-making processes which affect them.
Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) have been established in all 31 local authority areas to develop, coordinate and implement a more joined-up approach to local and community development funding at a local level. The primary means through which this is achieved is the Local Economic and Community Plan. To this end, the LCDC brings together a mix of public and private interests to take a strategic view of local development and community development activity at local level.
An LCDC review process began in late 2017, overseen by a multi stakeholder steering group. The review included a broad consultation process that will help to inform the preliminary findings and recommendations. A report on the review is being drafted by my Department with guidance and input from the Steering Group. I expect to have a draft for my consideration very shortly and would hope to publish the final report early in 2019.
261. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the actions being taken to reduce the number of jobless houses; and the latest data on same. [46375/18]
View answerThe Government has set itself two headline targets for 2020: reducing the proportion of households that are jobless to 13% or less (from 18% in 2015), and reducing the share of the 18-59 population resident in such households to less than 8% (from 12% in 2015).
Although the share of the population living in Jobless Households has fallen from a high of 23% in 2012 to 11.8% in 2017, already exceeding the target set for 2020, Government remains concerned about aspects of household joblessness that go beyond the standard measures of unemployment and receipt of jobseekers' payments.
Relevant groups, not normally considered to be unemployed, include economically inactive lone parents, people with disabilities, and the adult dependants of unemployed people, all of whom might benefit from closer attachment to the labour market.
A range of policy reforms has been taken affecting these groups, and further reforms were considered in consultation with representative bodies for those involved. These policy developments are set out in the Pathways to Work Action Plan for Jobless Households which I published on 25 September 2017.
Development of the Plan fulfils a commitment in the Programme for Government and in the overall Pathways to Work 2016-2020 strategy. It also responds to concerns about the level of household joblessness raised in Country-Specific Recommendations to Ireland by the EU.
The Action Plan for Jobless Households is an example of one of the many measures that Government is implementing, with a view to assisting people and families to become work ready and gain sustainable employment. The Plan aims to extend activation services to people who are not working, but are not defined as unemployed by traditional measures. It focuses in particular on improving employment rates of households with children - both the traditional 'nuclear' family and the lone parent family. Specific steps have also been taken to promote engagement with the employment services for groups such as lone parents and people with disabilities. The Plan proposes a number of approaches in support of increased participation by currently inactive groups. The main points include:
- Continued implementation of reforms to lone parents' welfare payments, which introduced (partial) labour-market conditionality for those whose youngest children are aged 7 or more.
- Reforms to remove disincentives to labour market participation associated with housing supports for welfare recipients.
- Taking steps to support increased labour force participation among recipients of disability payments.
- Introducing a package of financial reforms to welfare schemes to support working families, as they make the transition to employment.
- Exploring the possibility of a family-focused approach to employment services for couples with children where neither member of the couple is working.
A number of specific measures are being taken on foot of the Plan since its publication.
- In relation to housing supports, the roll-out of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) was finalised during 2017. Almost 18,000 additional households transitioned to the new payment during 2017, bringing the total number to over 30,000.
- The earnings of people with families, when transitioning from welfare to employment, will be improved further by measures announced in the 2019 Budget. These include increases to the minimum wage, increased earnings thresholds on the Working Family Payment, increases to the income disregard for lone parents and increases to the qualified child allowance.
In relation to disability supports, the national consultation process for "early engagement" and for reconfiguration of qualifying age for Domiciliary Care Allowance and Disability Allowance payments was conducted in July and is currently being considered for decision on next steps. A number of actions in the Make Work Pay Report, specific to my Department, have already been implemented, including:
- Ensuring people with a long-term disability payment who have moved off the payment to employment, retain their Free Travel Pass for a period of five years;
- A "fast-track" reinstatement of Disability allowance, or Invalidity Pension for people where employment does not work out;
- The launch of a new, easy-to-use "benefit to work calculator", to calculate the net benefit and financial implication of work.
A preliminary approach to promoting access to the labour market for the adult dependents of jobseeker claimants focusing on jobless households is being piloted during 2018, with the project being initiated at the end of June in two pilot locations, Clondalkin and Dundalk. The Pilot focussed on trying to engage the adult dependant, educating them in relation to the supports and programmes that are available locally and free of cost to them. In addition the pilot aimed to inform the adult dependent that a dedicated case officer is available to them to assist them in availing of education supports and programmes. There will also be a continued focus on continuing to engage with the main claimant in the household through case managed activation supports. The findings of these initial pilots will inform the roll-out of additional projects in a further 8 locations across the country. These pilots are at an early stage of implementation and it is expected that pilots will be in place in all 10 divisions within the next four to six weeks.
My Department will continue to monitor performance against reform actions and milestones outlined in the Action Plan for Jobless Households. The Plan will be reviewed in 2020, in line with a planned review of the Pathways to Work strategy. Implementation of the policy measures outlined in the Action Plan for Jobless Households should see the level of joblessness fall more rapidly than is already anticipated over the next few years.
262. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for an occupational injury benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46150/18]
View answerThe Occupational Injury Benefit claim for the person concerned was disallowed.
The reason for this decision is based on the statement from the person concerned, advising that he first noticed his incapacity before Christmas 2017. His incident at work did not occur until the February 8th 2018.
Occupational Injury Benefit is only allowed in cases where the incapacity is solely due to a work place accident or develops due to the nature of the work.
Also, the person concerned does not have sufficient contributions for the award of an Illness Benefit payment.
If the customer does have an urgent financial need, he should contact the Community Welfare Service through his local Intreo Centre.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
263. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for the renewal of a working family payment claim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46158/18]
View answerWorking Family Payment (WFP ) is a weekly tax-free payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children.
WFP is payable for a 52 week period from award date and a person must reapply at the end of this period to have their payment renewed.
The person concerned was last awarded WFP with effect from 05 October 2017 to 03 October 2018. A renewal application form (WFP2) issued to them on 07 August 2018 but this form was not returned to the Department.
The person concerned started a new job in June 2018. A new application for WFP was received from them on 03 November 2018.
They have been awarded WFP with effect from 21 June 2018 to 19 June 2019.
The first weekly payment and all arrears owing will issue to their nominated bank account on 08 November 2018.
The person concerned was notified on 06 November 2018 of this decision and of the right of review and appeal.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
264. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when correspondence will issue to pensioners who have the State pension (contributory) to inform them of proposed changes; and if this will be expedited within the original timeframe [46170/18]
View answerOn 23 January last, the Government agreed to allow pensioners, born on or after the 1st September 1946, affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands, to have their state pension (contributory) entitlement calculated under an interim “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA). The changes also provide for up to 20 years of home caring periods in the calculation of that entitlement, for those who took time out of the workplace for parenting children under age 12, or individuals who needed increased levels of care.
The changes apply to those who reached pension age on or after 1 September 2012 who were awarded less than maximum rate, on post Budget 2012 rate bands. The changes do not apply to anyone already entitled to maximum rate state pension (contributory).
Currently there are approximately 79,000 pensioners in this category and my Department is now in the process of issuing Information Letters to them.
Work on examination of the social insurance records of the pensioners concerned commenced in September. As social insurance records are unique to individual pensioners, this manual examination phase is expected to continue to the end of the year. To date, over sixty temporary staff members have been recruited to work on this phase. Further recruitment will take place in January 2019 when the first pension reviews are expected to get under way and it is anticipated that the first review outcomes will be notified to pensioners during Quarter 1 2019.
Payment of increases, where awarded, will be made immediately after an individual's review is completed. If a pensioner does not qualify for an increased rate, they will continue to receive their existing rate of entitlement.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
265. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of delays in processing new and existing illness benefit claims; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46173/18]
View answerOverall payment levels of Illness Benefit (IB) are now at their normal level. For information, in any one week, circa 50,000 customers are entitled to an IB payment. Last week, circa 54,000 customer payments were made, approximately 4,000 payments in excess of the normal level, and this includes some customers due arrears. For any customers with arrears outstanding, the Department would like to assure them that they will receive their back payments as soon as possible.
The Department can confirm that a normal level of payments will issue to IB customers this week. It is, however, important to note that there will always be some people who do not get paid in any given week. This is due to issues such as delays in receipt of claims and certificates, incorrectly completed certificates, human error, inconsistencies between the information submitted and the information already on file, the existence of another welfare payment for the main claimant or their dependants on the claim, all of which can lead to payments being suspended or delayed. This was always the case.
However, the Department acknowledges that the majority of the delays over the past few weeks were due to system and processing issues rather than normal levels of exceptions and would like to again apologise to the customers affected.
In August, the IB scheme migrated from an old legacy IT system approaching its end-of-life to a more up-to-date system already successfully used for many of the Department’s other payments. As part of this process, IB payments transitioned from a payment in arrears to a real-time payment model. This model was designed to provide quicker access to payments for customers and also to greatly reduce the manual processing work involved in administering IB claims. Unfortunately, although the majority of customers continued to receive payments, there were a number of unanticipated difficulties and some IB customers’ payments were adversely affected with delays and missed payments.
The Department would like to sincerely apologise for the difficulties and frustration experienced by customers who did not receive the correct IB payment or who experienced delays in their payments. The Department has been working hard over the past few weeks, and is continuing to work, to resolve any outstanding issues - allocating additional staff to IB claim work and developing a number of IT modifications to identify and rectify payment issues.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
266. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a decision will be made on an application by a person (details supplied) for an illness benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46194/18]
View answerThe Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned is both certified and paid up to 7th November 2018.
If the customer remains ill and unfit for work, a further medical certificate should be submitted to the Department as soon as possible in order for further payments to issue.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
267. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when changes will be made to introduce a home caring credit; when eligible recipients will be contacted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46201/18]
View answerOn 23 January last, the Government agreed to allow pensioners, born on or after the 1st September 1946, affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands, to have their state pension (contributory) entitlement calculated under an interim “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA). The changes also provide for up to 20 years of home caring periods in the calculation of that entitlement, for those who took time out of the workplace for parenting children under age 12, or individuals who needed increased levels of care.
The changes apply to those who reached pension age on or after 1 September 2012 who were awarded less than maximum rate, on post Budget 2012 rate bands. The changes do not apply to anyone already entitled to maximum rate state pension (contributory).
Currently there are approximately 79,000 pensioners in this category and my Department is now in the process of issuing Information Letters to them.
Work on examination of the social insurance records of the pensioners concerned commenced in September. As social insurance records are unique to individual pensioners, this manual examination phase is expected to continue to the end of the year. To date, over sixty temporary staff members have been recruited to work on this phase. Further recruitment will take place in January 2019 when the first pension reviews are expected to get under way and it is anticipated that the first review outcomes will be notified to pensioners during Quarter 1 2019.
Payment of increases, where awarded, will be made immediately after an individual's review is completed. If a pensioner does not qualify for an increased rate, they will continue to receive their existing rate of entitlement.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
268. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when an application by a person (details supplied) for an invalidity pension will be processed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46204/18]
View answerThe person concerned has been awarded invalidity pension with effect from 13 September 2018 and payment will issue to his nominated bank account on 22 November 2018.
Any arrears due from 13 September 2018 to 21 November 2018 (less any overlapping social welfare payment) will issue in due course.
The person concerned was notified of this decision on 07 November 2018.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
269. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when an illness benefit application will be processed in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46210/18]
View answerThe Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned is paid up until 7th November 2018. She is certified up to 22nd November 2018 so weekly payments will continue to issue up to that date.
If the customer remains ill and unfit for work, a further medical certificate should be submitted to the Department on or before 23rd November in order for further payments to issue.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
270. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for illness benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46218/18]
View answerThe Illness Benefit (IB) claim for the person concerned is both medically certified and paid up 22nd October 2018.
If the person remains ill and unfit for work, she should submit further medical certificates to the Department as soon as possible to ensure that payments may continue to issue to her.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
271. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for illness benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46219/18]
View answerThe Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned is now certified and paid to 6th November 2018.
If the customer remains ill and unfit for work, a further medical certificate should be submitted to the Department as soon as possible in order for further payments to issue.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
272. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an application for carer's benefit by a person (details supplied) in County Sligo will be expedited; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46220/18]
View answerCarer's benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care and attention.
I confirm that my department received an application for CARB from the person concerned on the 3 September 2018.
The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
In the meantime, if the means of the person concerned are insufficient to meet his needs he should apply for a means-tested supplementary welfare allowance from his local community welfare service.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
273. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the lengthy problems faced by teachers who receive temporary contracts and are considered to have benefitted from permanent contracts and require a lot of paperwork to receive the jobseeker's allowance during the mid-term break; if the process for same will be reviewed for these teachers in view of the circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46245/18]
View answerThe jobseeker’s allowance scheme provides income support for people who have lost work and are unable to find alternative full-time employment. The 2018 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure this year on the jobseeker’s schemes of €2.17 billion.
The qualifying conditions for receipt of jobseeker’s allowance require a person to be unemployed, available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. In general, there is no delay in processing jobseeker allowance claims in Intreo Centres if the relevant claim application forms and supporting documentation are completed in a timely manner.
The timescale for determining entitlement to jobseekers allowance is dependent, among other things, on the availability of the required information, such as confirmation of the nature of the employment contract a teacher has in place with their school or college. Some aspects of the application process are therefore inevitably more time-consuming and some delays can occur.
The provision of a prompt and efficient service is a major objective for the Department’s staff in Intreo centres, subject to the necessity to ensure that each case is fully examined and dealt with in a consistent and fair manner.
If the Deputy has concerns in respect of a particular case he should bring it to the attention of the Department.
274. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of a disability allowance for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46318/18]
View answerI confirm that my department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from this gentleman on 6 September 2018.
On 31 October 2018 they were asked to supply supporting documentation required by the deciding officer in order to make a decision on his eligibility. On receipt of all the requested information a decision will be made and he will be notified of the outcome.
The processing time for individual DA 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.
275. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of a domiciliary care appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46330/18]
View answerAn application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 30th July 2018. Additional information, which was requested by the Deciding Officer in support of the claim, was received on the 31st October 2018 and referred to the Department's Medical Assessor for their medical opinion. When this opinion is received, the application will be further examined by a Deciding Officer, who will make a decision on the claim and notify the person concerned of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
276. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a person transfers from invalidity pension to partial capacity in order to take up casual employment, the flexibilities there are in terms of payment of weeks in which few or no working hours have been secured. [46360/18]
View answerPartial Capacity Benefit (PCB) is a social welfare scheme which allows a person to return to work or self-employment (if they have reduced capacity to work) and continue to receive a payment from the Department.
PCB does not currently have the flexibility to uplift payments in a week where little or no work has been available to the customer. However, the scheme is entirely voluntary and a customer is entitled to withdraw their PCB claim at any time and return to their previous entitlement under the Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension Schemes.
If the Deputy has a particular case in mind, he should bring it to my Department's attention and my officials will investigate it further.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
277. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of participants in nationally accredited internships; the number in the public and private sectors; and the regulatory framework concerning persons in internship schemes and the national minimum wage. [46377/18]
View answerThe accreditation of educational standards is not a matter for my Department. According to the Department of Education and Skills there are no “nationally accredited internships”. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) validates Further Education and Higher Education programmes in the public and private sectors, some of which have been validated with work-based learning components. Other awarding bodies also validate/accredit programmes with work-based learning elements. QQI does not have data on the number of learners on programmes incorporating internships.
With regard to the regulatory framework from an employment perspective, there is no exemption in law from the obligation to pay the national minimum hourly rate of pay, other than the specified exemptions, such as the employment of close family relatives and the engagement of registered industrial apprentices. Therefore, national minimum wage rates apply to work experience placements, work trials, internships and any other employment practice involving unpaid work or working for room and board, regardless of the duration of the engagement.
Interns are also covered by the Health Safety and Welfare Acts 2005 – 2014, which provides for safe working conditions as well as the Employment Equality Acts 1998 -2015, which provides against discrimination or harassment.
Ireland has a comprehensive body of employment, equality and industrial relations legislation with which the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is mandated to secure compliance. Ireland’s body of employment rights legislation protects all employees who are legally employed on an employer-employee basis, regardless of what title is given to them. Therefore, once it is clear that a person is working under a contract of employment within the meaning of the relevant Act, that person has the same protection under employment law as other employees.
Any person with questions or complaints regarding their rights under employment legislation should contact Workplace Relations Commission Customer Service on lo-call 1890 808090 or at www.workplacerelations.ie.
278. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason persons in receipt of illness benefit must pay a €10 charge to their general practitioner to have a medical certificate completed in order to claim their illness benefit; if the matter will be reviewed in circumstances in which they are medical card holders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46406/18]
View answerThe Department would like to be clear that, as before, patients do not need to pay a fee to receive claim forms or medical certificates (IB1 and MED1 forms) from their GP, as the Department pays the doctor an agreed fee to provide them.
Should any person seeking to make a claim for Illness Benefit or another scheme experience a difficulty in getting a claim form or a medical certificate from their GP, we would ask them to notify the Department directly.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
279. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the case of a person (details supplied) can be clarified at an early date in order to avoid hardship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46409/18]
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 on 12th November 2018. The person concerned has been notified of the arrangements for the 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 trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
280. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an application for a household benefits package by a person (details supplied) will be re-examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46412/18]
View answerThe free television licence forms part of the household benefits package, together with the electricity or gas allowance. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment and who are living alone or only with an excepted person. There is of course a universal entitlement to the free licence where a person is aged 70 and over.
An excepted person for the purpose of qualifying for the household benefits package includes:
- a qualified adult
- a dependent child aged under 18 years (or up to 22 years if in full time education)
- a person who would qualify for the household benefits package in their own right
- a person providing full time care and attention.
The original application in this case was disallowed in December 2016 as the utility bill provided by the person concerned referred to a different address and showed a different name as the registered consumer. Following further correspondence and representations on the person's behalf, and in an effort to assist and facilitate the person concerned, a Social Welfare Inspector called to the person's address on 8th August 2018, to investigate and determine the household composition. The inspector confirmed that the person concerned resides at the address provided in a shared accommodation arrangement with another person. Following this investigation, the person concerned was asked to provide confirmation that the person residing with him is an 'excepted person' for the purposes of household benefits eligibility.
The person's entitlement to the household benefits package, including his entitlement to the free television licence, will be reviewed on receipt of the additional information sought.
I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
281. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 205 of 11 October 2018, the extent to which the entitlement may be affected in 2019 when further changes to the pension system come into force in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46413/18]
View answerOn 23 January last, the Government agreed to allow pensioners, born on or after the 1st September 1946, affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands, to have their state pension (contributory) entitlement calculated under an interim “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA). The changes also provide for up to 20 years of home caring periods in the calculation of that entitlement, for those who took time out of the workplace for parenting children under age 12, or individuals who needed increased levels of care.
The changes apply to those who reached pension age on or after 1 September 2012 who were awarded less than maximum rate, on post Budget 2012 rate bands. The changes do not apply to anyone already entitled to maximum rate state pension (contributory).
Currently there are approximately 79,000 pensioners in this category. My Department is now in the process of issuing Information Letters to over 70,000 of these pensioners who are resident in Ireland. The remaining over 8,000 pensioners resident outside Ireland are expected to receive Information Letters in December.
The Information Letter will inform pensioners that my Department will contact them directly with the outcome of their individual pension review, or a request for further information regarding gaps in their social insurance record if required to complete their review. It is not necessary for anyone to contact the Department on the matter.
Work on examination of the social insurance records of the pensioners concerned commenced in September. As social insurance records are unique to individual pensioners, this manual examination phase is expected to continue to the end of the year. To date, over sixty temporary staff members have been recruited to work on this phase. Further recruitment will take place in January 2019, when the first pension reviews are expected to get under way following enactment of the enabling legislation. In line with this, it is anticipated that the first review outcomes will be notified to pensioners during Quarter 1 2019.
Payment of increases, where awarded, will be made immediately after an individual's review is completed. Given the numbers involved, it will take my Department a number of months to work through all the reviews. In all cases, where the outcome of the review results in an increase in state pension (contributory) entitlement, the increase will be backdated to 30 March 2018 or the date of a person's 66th birthday if later, and arrears will be paid.
Personal pension entitlements will not be reduced as a result of this review. If a pensioner does not qualify for an increased rate, they will continue to receive their existing rate of entitlement.
On completion, the person concerned will be notified directly of their pension review outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
