Brendan Griffin
Question:533. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his views on a matter in respect of a CLÁR grant (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46479/18]
View answerCLÁR Programme
Questions (533)
Written answers
The CLÁR programme provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in disadvantaged rural areas that have experienced significant levels of depopulation.
The 2018 CLÁR programme provided funding under the following measures:
Measure 1: Support for Schools/Community Safety Measures
Measure 2: Play Areas/Multi-Use Games Areas
Measure 3: First Response Support Measure
Measure 4: Mobility and Cancer Care Transport Measure
The project referred to by the Deputy was awarded funding under Measure 2 of the CLÁR programme for a school play area. An email issued on 16th May 2018 to all the relevant County Councils clarifying that in order to be eligible under the scheme this year, the Play Areas/MUGAs on school grounds must be available to the general community outside of normal school hours and during school holidays.
On 17th May 2018, my Department received a reply from the relevant County Council stating that the play area for the project referred to by the Deputy was available for use by the wider community. Eligibility under the scheme remains dependent on this requirement being met, and there have been no derogations given in relation to the requirement.
If the school is not now in a position to open the play area to the public outside of normal school hours, it will not qualify for funding under the scheme criteria. A derogation cannot be considered in this case.
Ministerial Meetings
Questions (534)
Micheál Martin
Question:534. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the policy on the need for note taking when Ministers and-or Ministers of State meet business and other leaders; the way in which this policy is outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46497/18]
View answerWritten answers
In general, when such meetings relate to any business areas of my Department, the Minister of State and I are accompanied to those meetings by officials from my Department, as appropriate. The officials take notes and provide appropriate minutes of the meetings.
Rural Regeneration and Development Fund
Questions (535)
Brendan Smith
Question:535. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the position regarding applications for grant aid for projects (details supplied); when projects under these schemes will be finalised and approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46791/18]
View answerWritten answers
The first call for applications for the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund closed at the end of September with almost 300 applications received. The assessment of applications for the Fund is being overseen by a Project Advisory Board, comprised of representatives from key Government Departments and external experts. Assessment of Category 1 applications is currently underway with funding of €55 million allocated in Budget 2019 for this round. Successful applicants for the first round of funding will be notified following an announcement by the Minister due by the end of November.
The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme is part of the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development and provides funding for the development of new outdoor recreational infrastructure or the necessary maintenance, enhancement or promotion of existing outdoor recreation infrastructure in Ireland.
On 28th May last, I launched the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme for 2018, under three separate measures:
- Measure 1: Small maintenance/promotion of existing infrastructure (maximum grant €20,000)
- Measure 2: Medium scale repair/upgrade and development of new small/medium infrastructure (maximum grant €200,000), and
- Measure 3: Repair/upgrade and development of larger more strategic projects (grant of between €200,001 and €500,000).
I recently announced the allocation of €1.8 million in respect of 128 projects under Measure 1.
I expect to announce successful projects under Measure 3 shortly, and will subsequently announce successful projects under Measure 2.
Local Improvement Scheme Expenditure
Questions (536)
Michael Fitzmaurice
Question:536. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the timescale for the spending of local improvement scheme, LIS, funding can be postponed to March 2019 in order to allow county councils to allocate funding in view of the fact that he has not yet issued direction to councils (details supplied) in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46948/18]
View answerWritten answers
The Local Improvement Scheme, or LIS, is a programme for improvement works on small private or non-public roads in predominantly rural areas. The scheme is funded by my Department and administered through the Local Authorities.
I announced details of the 2018 Local Improvement Scheme on 27th February last when I allocated an initial sum of €10.8 million to Local Authorities across the country. At the time, I asked Local Authorities to provide a secondary list of roads which could be completed before the end of the year if further funding became available under the LIS.
On 26th October, I allocated an additional €10 million in funding to Local Authorities under the scheme, based on their secondary lists of priority roads.
A letter issued to all relevant Local Authorities on 2nd November 2018, advising them of their allocations and that works should be commenced immediately with a view to having all works substantially completed by the end of the year. Details regarding payment draw-down arrangements will follow shortly, but this should not in any way delay the commencement of the works.
In 2017, I also allocated LIS funding in two separate tranches. The second round of LIS funding last year was notified to Local Authorities on 16th November 2017 and the Authorities were able to substantially complete the LIS works by the end of the year. I have no reason to believe, therefore, that the Local Authorities will not be in a position to substantially complete their 2018 works before the end of this year.
Departmental Staff Data
Questions (537)
Michael Moynihan
Question:537. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the number of senior positions held by both men and women, respectively, in his Department. [47006/18]
View answerWritten answers
The number of senior positions held by both men and women, respectively in the Department of Rural and Community Development, as at 9th November, 2018, are set out in the table below:
|
Grade/Title |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
Secretary General |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
Assistant Secretary |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Principal Officer |
6 |
4 |
10 |
|
Assistant Principal |
16 |
15 |
31 |
|
Total Senior Positions |
24 |
21 |
45 |
Social Welfare Schemes
Questions (538, 545)
Pat Deering
Question:538. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the perceived inequality that prohibits persons who are not in receipt of a social protection payment from applying for community employment schemes or back to education courses will be addressed. [46464/18]
View answerPat Deering
Question:545. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the inequality that prohibits persons who are not in receipt of a social welfare payment from applying for community employment schemes or back to education courses will be addressed. [46534/18]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 538 and 545 together.
The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is a second-chance education opportunity scheme designed to remove barriers to participate in second and third level education by enabling those who fulfil the eligibility criteria to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course.
Community Employment (CE) is an active labour market programme with the emphasis on progression into employment and/or further education and training. It is designed to break the cycle of unemployment and maintain work readiness, thereby improving a person’s opportunities of returning to the open labour market.
In order to qualify for either BTEA or CE, a number of conditions including age and being in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a specific period must be met.
My Department also provides a range of services to unemployed persons who are not in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. These include advice on job-search activities, the use of online job search tools in Intreo Centres nationally, upskilling opportunities through Educational Training Boards (ETBs), Springboard and Skillnet courses. Persons signing for credits for six months or more can also participate on ETB-run VTOS courses, subject to availability. In the case of VTOS courses, participants do not receive a training allowance but may receive travel and lunch allowances.
My Department and the Government is committed to supporting as many people as possible to participate more fully in employment and to become more self-sufficient by providing supports that address barriers they may encounter in finding and sustaining employment.
As the Deputy will be aware, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments.
Accordingly, the employment services and schemes provided by my Department are focused, in the first instance, on this cohort of unemployed people who are in receipt of a qualifying payment and I have no plans to change the existing criteria.
If the Deputy has a particular case in mind perhaps he would contact my Department with details.
I hope this clarifies the matter.
Illness Benefit Applications
Questions (539)
Pearse Doherty
Question:539. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when an application for illness benefit by a person (details supplied) will be processed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46469/18]
View answerWritten answers
The Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned is certified and paid up until 13th November 2018.
If she 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.
Illness Benefit Payments
Questions (540)
Pearse Doherty
Question:540. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) is receiving reduced and varying rates of illness benefit payments over the past number of weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46472/18]
View answerWritten answers
The Occupational Injury Benefit claim for the person concerned is both certified and paid up to 14th November 2018.
If he remains ill and unfit for work, a further medical certificate should be submitted to the Department as soon as possible to enable further payments to continue to issue.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Fuel Allowance Payments
Questions (541)
Brendan Griffin
Question:541. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her views on a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46480/18]
View answerWritten answers
The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 28 weeks per year (a total of €630 per annum) from October to April, to over 368,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2018. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.
It has been and remains the case that any decision to extend the eligibility criteria for fuel allowance scheme, to include people on short term payment schemes, would require considerable extra funding for the scheme and would have to be considered in overall budgetary negotiations.
I would again highlight payments available under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Payments include a heating supplement payment, a recipient of a social welfare or health service executive payment who has exceptional essential heating costs due to ill health or infirmity and who cannot provide for such costs from within his or her own resources may qualify for this payment. There is no standard rate for a heating supplement. Each case is examined on its merits and the Community Welfare Officer determines the amount to be paid taking account of the level of the expenses in question and the ability of the applicant to contribute towards his or her exceptional heating costs.
An exceptional needs payment may also be made under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. This payment can be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources and this may include exceptional heating costs.
If the Deputy or anyone else is aware of someone who does not qualify for Fuel Allowance as a result of short-term unemployment, but whose financial position is that they require such assistance, he should advise that person to contact their Community Welfare Officer.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Ministerial Meetings
Questions (542)
Micheál Martin
Question:542. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the policy on the need for note taking when Ministers and-or Ministers of State meet business and other leaders; the way in which this policy is outlined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46490/18]
View answerWritten answers
The requirement for note taking is dependent on the nature, subject and brevity or otherwise of any of my meetings. Where a formal meeting on a specific issue is convened, it is the normal practice for a note of the principal issues raised to be taken and any action points arising from the meeting. This practice is understood and applied by my Department.
Illness Benefit Payments
Questions (543)
James Lawless
Question:543. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when an illness benefit payment in the case of a person (details supplied) will be normalised; the status of changes to the system that have resulted in delayed or irregular payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46508/18]
View answerWritten answers
The Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned is paid up to 15th November 2018 and she is certified up until 2nd December 2018. Normalised IB payments should now resume up until the certified date.
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.
Legislative Programme
Questions (544)
John Brady
Question:544. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017 will be progressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46528/18]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017 was published in May 2017. It contained a number of measures to amend the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, a number of specific measures relating to defined benefit pension schemes and amendments to the Civil Registration Act 2004.
In July 2018, Government approval was obtained to draft additional provisions to be included in the Bill at Committee Stage, including provisions relating to defined benefit pension schemes. A key priority for the Government is to provide additional protections for scheme members' pension benefits. However, it is essential that any new measures recognise the current pension landscape in Ireland so that a balanced, proportionate approach is developed and that unintended negative consequences do not arise.
The defined benefit pensions provisions are very technical and involved complex policy issues. In order to achieve a resilient solution it has been necessary to consult with and obtain numerous legal advices from the Office of the Attorney General on various aspects of this policy. When these matters have been resolved and amendments approved by Government, an early date for Committee Stage will be requested.
In the meantime two largely technical elements of that were published as part of the 2017 Bill are now being brought forward as part of the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2018. These provisions provide for the implementation of administrative efficiencies. The first is a measure is to allow positive decisions i.e. decisions to award a social welfare benefit or payment to a claimant, to be made by an automated information system. The second is a measure to dispense with the practice of asking General Practitioners to distinguish between employment of a rehabilitative nature and work more generally for the purposed of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and certain supplements under Supplementary Welfare Allowance.
There is also a technical amendment to the Civil Registration Act 2004 which was to be part of the 2017 Bill. This is now being brought forward as part of the 2018 Bill. This is a technical provision concerning the terms of office of an tÁrd-Chláraitheoir (Registrar General) and an tÁrd Chláraitheoir-Cunta (Deputy Registrar General).
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
Question No. 545 answered with Question No. 538.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (546)
Catherine Murphy
Question:546. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 522 of 3 July 2018, if her attention has been drawn to inconsistencies regarding the way in which appeal outcomes are worded and-or communicated to appellants; her views in respect of the social protection payment of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46538/18]
View answerWritten answers
I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, in light of the appellant’s contentions, the appeal file is being recalled from the Department. An Appeals Officer will consider the matter and the appellant will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible.
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.
Jobseeker's Benefit
Questions (547)
Willie O'Dea
Question:547. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason expenditure on jobseeker's benefit is expected to rise in 2019 when compared to 2018 as outlined in the budget 2019 expenditure report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46546/18]
View answerWritten answers
The 2019 Budget Estimate for Jobseekers Benefit is €346.5m. This is an increase of €14.8m on the 2018 REV estimate which is €331.7m. This is due to a number of factors including the 2019 rate increase announced in the Budget, the carryover cost of the previous year's rate increase and the cost of extending Jobseeker's Benefit to the self-employed in late 2019.
There has been a significant decline in Jobseekers Benefit expenditure from a peak of over €2.4 billion in 2009.
Invalidity Pension Applications
Questions (548)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:548. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application for an invalidity pension by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46549/18]
View answerWritten answers
Invalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
The department received a claim for IP from the lady referred to on 25 June 2018. Her claim was disallowed on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. She was notified on the 07 November 2018 of this decision, the reasons for it and of her right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Community Employment Schemes Data
Questions (549)
John Brassil
Question:549. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of vacancies on employment schemes nationally in view of the reliance on these schemes to carry out essential work and repairs (details supplied); the steps she will take to address concerns of scheme providers that expect to face much greater difficulties in hiring participants for schemes due to a return to full employment; if she has given consideration to changing the rules of schemes to allow greater flexibility including longer participation times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46561/18]
View answerWritten answers
Work schemes such as Tús and Community Employment (CE) are positive initiatives that enable the long-term unemployed to make a contribution to their communities whilst up-skilling themselves for prospective future employment. These schemes help to break the cycle of unemployment and improve a person’s chances of returning to the labour market. The rural social scheme (RSS) provides farmers and fishermen with income support while they also make a contribution to their communities.
The CE scheme has a budget to support approximately 21,900 participant places in 2018 and 21,500 places in 2019. At the end of October, there was a total of 21,243 participants on the scheme. This leaves a total of 657 budgeted vacancies this year.
CE schemes are typically sponsored by groups (known as sponsors) wishing to benefit the local community. My Department agrees participant numbers annually with each CE sponsor organisation who are responsible for the recruitment of participants and for identifying suitable work placements. CE sponsors can promote their scheme vacancies within their local communities.
At a local level, various methods of promoting CE have been arranged between my Department and local schemes, including targeting potentially eligible jobseekers to attend a CE Job-fair, where details of CE vacancies and employment opportunities are provided.
In addition, CE sponsors can advertise their vacancies free of charge on the Department's JobsIreland website, www.jobsireland.ie. The process of posting vacancies is relatively straightforward and a tailored video is available online to assist sponsors.
The Deputy will appreciate that the welcome increase in the number of people at work and the continued reduction in Live Register numbers is a factor in recruitment to all work programmes. While participation on CE and Tús is a stepping stone back to employment, these positions are not full-time sustainable jobs.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that I have implemented a number of changes to the terms and conditions of participation on CE. The main purpose of these changes is to broaden the availability to a greater number of people on the Live Register and to standardise other conditions around the length of time a person can participate on a programme.
The general qualifying age for CE for those on the Live Register was reduced from 25 to 21 years. It is now easier for previous participants, who have exhausted their CE entitlement, to re-qualify as participation prior to the year 2007 is disregarded. There is an overall limit of 6 years participation from 2007 (7 years if on a disability payment). While participants between 21 and 55 years on CE are entitled to one year on the programme, this can be extended by up to 2 more years if they are engaged in a recognised training or education award that is helping them progress towards employment. All CE participants age 55 and over can avail of 3 consecutive years on a CE scheme. Since 1st June, I am also facilitating persons to take up a placement on CE or Tús while also attending their JobPath provider.
Participants over age 62 are allowed to participate on a continuous basis up to the State Pension age on the CE Service Support Stream (SSS), subject to availability of places on the SSS, satisfactory performance on the scheme and to annual approval by the Department. The places allocated for these participants within each individual CE scheme are subject to limitation criteria.
There are no plans to change the standard duration of participation on work schemes and it is considered that the existing durations are adequate to meet the programmes objectives.
Any IB or sponsor organisation who has any recruitment concerns should contact their nearest Intreo Centre who will provide assistance.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.