Written Answers Nos. 726-750
726. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of a disability allowance appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15020/20]
View answerAn application for disability allowance (DA) from the person concerned was disallowed on medical grounds and because they failed to supply information which was requested by this Department. Notification of this decision and the reason(s) for it issued to the person on 3 June 2020.
A further review of this decision was carried out on 7 July 2020. The original decision was confirmed and the customer was notified of this.
The person in question has lodged an appeal with the independent social welfare appeals office (SWAO). All the relevant papers requested by that office were submitted by the Department on 8 July 2020. The SWAO will be in touch with the person in due course in relation to the progress of the appeal.
The person concerned is currently in receipt of basic supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) and on 3 July 2020 was issued with a cheque for arrears of allowance due from 28 May 2020.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
729. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if workers who are receiving 30% of their wages and are on the temporary wage subsidy scheme are entitled to apply for the short-time working payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15142/20]
View answerThe Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, administered by the Revenue Commissioners is available to employers who keep employees on the payroll throughout the COVID 19 pandemic, so that employers can retain links with employees for when business picks up after the crisis.
The short time work support is a social insurance contribution based income support available to full time employees who have had the number of their days of employment reduced on a temporary and systematic basis due to a reduction in business, including following the effects of the Pandemic. If the employer has had to reduce working days due to the pandemic then the employee may be entitled to apply for short time work support provided that the employer does not receive the Temporary Wage Subsidy in respect of the days that the person is not working. However, each claim must be decided on a case by case basis taking into account the information provided by the employee and employer. A jobseeker’s casual payment may be appropriate if the conditions for short term work support are not met.
I trust this clarifies the position.
730. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if Covid-19 payments will be considered as eligible payments to proceed to back to education allowance. [15146/20]
View answerThe back to education allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and others in receipt of certain social welfare payments that pursue courses of education at second or third level. The main focus of the BTEA is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and improve their prospects of gaining employment.
It is expected that, during the course of the roadmap to recovery, as many people as possible in receipt of the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment will return to employment prior to the commencement of the 2020/21 academic year. At the point of commencement of a new course of education a person in receipt of this payment will be required to establish an entitlement to a jobseekers payment to qualify for the BTEA.
A potential BTEA customer will not be adversely affected by time spent in receipt of the Covid-19 pandemic unemployment payment when it comes to calculating the qualifying period for BTEA.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
732. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the provisions under the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 to provide for registration of deaths of Irish citizens who die abroad will be commenced; the reason for the six-year delay on this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15177/20]
View answerThe establishment of a record of deaths abroad is legislated for under section 13 of the Civil Registration Amendment Act 2014, which inserts a new part 5A into the Civil Registration Act 2004 to provide for this.
Implementation of Part 5A, and other provisions of the 2014 Act, have been delayed for a considerable time due to ongoing industrial relations discussions between staff of the Civil Registration Service, who are employees of the Health Service Executive, and HSE management, who are responsible for operating the civil registration service locally. I am satisfied that sufficient progress has been made on resolving the issues in question. I am informed by the General Register Office that the administrative processes necessary for establishing the record of deaths abroad are in place and, accordingly, I can advise the Deputy that it is my intention to commence Part 5A on 1 September 2020.
733. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to provide pensions for community employment supervisors as recommended by the Workplace Relations Commission some years ago; the reason for the delay in resolving this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15183/20]
View answerAs you are aware, Community Employment (CE) supervisors and assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years, through their union representatives, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme.
CE sponsoring authorities are the legal employers of their CE supervisors, CE assistant supervisors and CE participants, the Department’s role continues to be that of CE funder.
The Labour Court recommendation was the subject of an extensive discussion at the Community Sector High-level Forum, chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER). Its role was to examine certain issues pertaining to the Community Employment sector and in particular the subject of pensions, having regard to both the costs and precedent in the context of the wider community and voluntary sector. The High-level Forum included representatives from public service management and union officials.
A detailed scoping exercise was undertaken in 2017 with input from the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) on the potential costs of providing Exchequer support for the establishment of such a pension scheme for employees across the Community and Voluntary sector in Ireland. The potential cost to the State was estimated at between €188 million and €347 million per annum depending on the numbers involved.
Officials from my Department met with the unions thereafter to establish a process for related discussions and to agree on the terms of reference. During the meetings that followed, the parties undertook a detailed analysis of a number of potential solutions tabled, mindful of the broader environment in which any solution found would need to operate.
Related discussions also took place between officials from my Department and their counterparts in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER).
735. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the criteria and level of payout for family carers might be revised in view of the hours such persons work and the billions of euro per year these persons save the State. [15210/20]
View answerThe Government acknowledges the crucial role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy.
The main income supports to carers provided by my Department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on these payments to carers in 2020 is expected to exceed €1.3 billion.
The Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a means tested social assistance payment awarded to those carers who are caring for certain people who require full-time care and attention. The primary objective of the payment is to provide an income support to carers whose earning capacity is substantially reduced as a consequence of their caring responsibilities and in so doing to support the ongoing care of the person in respect of whom care is being provided. In doing this it also contributes to recognising the valuable role of carers and helping to maintain people with caring needs in their own homes and communities.
The means test for Carer's Allowance is one of the most generous means tests in the social welfare system, most notably with regard to spouse’s earnings. The amount of weekly earnings disregarded is €332.50 per week for a single person and €665 per week for a couple. This means that a couple with two children can earn in the region of €37,500 and qualify for the maximum rate of Carer's Allowance. A half-rate carer's allowance is also payable with other social welfare payments e.g. pensions and disability payments. Where carers are providing care to more than one person, an increase of 50% is applicable. Carers may also (subject to certain conditions) qualify for the:
- Household Benefits Package
- Free Travel Scheme
The conditions attached to payments of Carer’s Allowance are consistent with the overall conditions that apply to social assistance payments generally. This system of social assistance supports provides payments based on an income need with the means test playing the critical role in determining whether or not an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency – be that illness, disability, unemployment or caring. Carer's Allowance acts as an income support for those who cannot earn an income in the open labour market due to their caring responsibilities. The continued application of the means test not only ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need but that resources are targeted to those with greatest need.
Furthermore, as part of Budget measures 2020 the number of hours that a carer can engage in employment (or education or training) outside the home was increased from 15 hours to 18.5 hours.
Other available supports to family carers (that are not means-tested) include:-
Carer’s Support Grant: The Carer’s Support Grant is paid automatically to people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance. Other people who are not in receipt of a social welfare payment but who are providing full time care and attention are also eligible and can apply for a grant. The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment of €1,700 a year for each care recipient paid in a single lump sum with no requirement to satisfy a means test. Some 114,000 carers received the annual Carer's Support Grant on Thursday 4 June, 2020. The estimated expenditure on the Carer’s Support Grant this year is €237.32 million.
Domiciliary Care Allowance: Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment for a child aged under 16 with a severe disability, who requires ongoing care and attention, substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. It is not means tested. The Domiciliary Care Allowance rate is €309.50 per month. There is no restriction on the number of children for whom a person may claim Domiciliary Care Allowance. In other words, a person caring for more than one child who qualifies for Domiciliary Care Allowance may claim the monthly allowance for each child.
I can assure the Deputy that I am very aware of the commitment and the key role carers play in society and I will keep the range of supports available to family carers under review. While I will seek to improve the supports available for carers, any changes must be considered in an overall budgetary context.
736. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when oral hearings as part of social welfare appeals will resume; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15235/20]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that as a result of the current Covid-19 restrictions and in order to safeguard the health and safety of both appellants and staff the Social Welfare Appeals Office has not held any oral appeal hearings since 13 March 2020. No such hearings can be scheduled until further notice. The matter is being kept under review.
Appeals are currently being determined on a summary basis. It may be possible for Appeals Officers to gather additional information or seek clarifications on any matter relating to an appeal (for example by telephone or email) which might otherwise have been ascertained in the course of an oral hearing. The Appeals Office is also exploring the use of video technology for appeal hearings. Among the issues being considered are what is the most appropriate technological solution and the types of appeal cases that would be potentially suitable for this approach.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs & Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
738. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15247/20]
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.
Two applications for CA were received from the person concerned on 22 April 2020 in respect of both his parents.
Additional information in relation to the person’s application was requested by a deciding officer on 11 June 2020.
The accountant of the person concerned contacted the Department on 1 July 2020 requesting more time to return the requested information.
Once the information is received the application will be processed without delay and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
740. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when social welfare payments will revert back to weekly payments as opposed to fortnightly payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15262/20]
View answerMy Department introduced a series of measures to maintain social welfare payments while assisting with social distancing measures designed to combat the spread of the Coronavirus.
Fortnightly payments were introduced to minimise the need for people to attend and queue in banks or post offices to collect payments, so helping people restrict their movements to essential activities only. These were introduced on a ‘payment in advance’ basis so people did not have to wait two weeks for a payment.
Some payments, such as Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit and Parent's Benefit, which are paid exclusively into a customer’s bank account by Electronic Fund Transfer, have reverted to a weekly payment pattern. The situation in relation to the reversion of other schemes - which are paid in post offices as well as by EFT - back to weekly payments is being kept under regular review.
741. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a deduction is being made from the disability allowance payment of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15286/20]
View answerFollowing a successful appeal to the independent social welfare appeals office (SWAO), the person concerned was awarded a reduced amount of disability allowance (DA) with effect from 30 January 2019.
DA is a means-tested payment. Means were assessed from the employment of the person concerned. On 4 September 2019 following a review, this lady was awarded an increased rate of DA as her earnings had decreased and arrears of allowance due issued to her.
A further review was carried out on 1 November 2019 and the person concerned was notified that her rate of DA remained unchanged. She was also notified of her right to seek a review of this decision or appeal directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
The person concerned received child benefit for her daughter for a period when the child no longer resided with her. As a result, she was not entitled to payment for the period in question and a revised decision was made disallowing child benefit from August to October 2006.
This resulted in an overpayment of €450. The person concerned was notified of the decision and the overpayment amount in November 2006. This debt is no longer owing to the department and was fully recovered prior to the commencement of DA.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
742. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if it is possible to facilitate families without Internet access to apply for back to school grants on hard copy applications. [15292/20]
View answer749. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if concerns will be addressed relating to equity of access to the back to school allowance (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15405/20]
View answer768. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will facilitate a paper application form for the back to school allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15573/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 742, 749 and 768 together.
The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year.
The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid.
Similar to previous years, the majority of customers are awarded BSCFA automatically and notification of these awards have issued to these customers.
Form 6 July, if customers have not received an award letter from BSCFA, the customer will need to apply for the allowance online on www.mywelfare.ie. If customers are experiencing issues applying online, they can contact the BSCFA section on 071 9193318 or 0818 11 11 13, where an officer can assist the customer to apply online or will issue an application form for the customer to complete.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
743. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if persons (details supplied) are entitled to fuel allowance or other benefits. [15314/20]
View answerFuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.
The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or with other qualifying persons. The fuel allowance means test is linked to the maximum rate of the state pension (contributory). The applicant and their spouse can have a combined weekly household income of €100.00 above the maximum rates for State pension (contributory) and Increase for qualified adult and still be eligible for a fuel allowance.
The person concerned applied for this allowance on 15 July 2019. At that time their spouse was in receipt of a non-qualifying payment and the fuel allowance application was disallowed. The person was notified in writing of this decision on 23 July 2019 and advised if there were any changes in their circumstances to submit a new application.
I have arranged for a fuel application form to issue to the person concerned. On receipt of the completed application their eligibility for this allowance will be re-examined and they will be notified in writing of the decision.
The person concerned is also in receipt of the Household Benefits Package which entitles them to an electricity allowance and free television licence.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
744. 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. [15345/20]
View answerI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision on 21 May 2020. Under social welfare legislation the decision of an Appeals Officer is generally final and conclusive. However, it may be reviewed by an Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or new facts which were not available to the Appeals Officer at the time of the making of their decision.
I am advised that the person concerned has submitted additional evidence and that the Appeals Officer has agreed to review the case. The person concerned will be contacted when the review of the appeal decision has been finalised.
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.
745. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15346/20]
View answerAn application for Domiciliary Care Allowance was received from the person concerned on the 28th November 2019. The application was not allowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 23rd March 2020 setting out the decision of the deciding officer to refuse the allowance.
An appeal was registered by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 22nd April 2020. As part of the appeals process the application was re-examined by a deciding officer and the person concerned was notified on the 4th June 2020 that the review was unsuccessful. An appeal submission was prepared and forwarded to the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 2nd July 2020. The Social Welfare Appeals Office will contact the person directly about the outcome of the appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
746. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15347/20]
View answerAn application for Domiciliary Care Allowance was received from the person concerned on the 28th August 2019. The application was not allowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 6th November 2019 setting out the decision of the deciding officer to refuse the allowance.
A request for a review of the decision was received on the 26th November 2019 and an appeal was subsequently registered by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 6th December 2019. As part of the appeals process the application was re-examined by a deciding officer and the person concerned was notified on the 31st January 2020 that the review was unsuccessful. An appeal submission was prepared and forwarded to the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 3rd February 2020. The Social Welfare Appeals Office will contact the person directly about the outcome of the appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
747. 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. [15349/20]
View answerThe person concerned submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 17th October 2019. Their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds as it was not found that this gentleman was substantially restricted in taking up employment. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 11 December 2019.
An appeal was lodged with the independent social welfare appeals office (SWAO). On 19 May 2020 the SWAO notified us that the original decision was upheld and the appeal was disallowed. The person concerned was notified directly by the SWAO regarding their appeal.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
750. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment each week since the scheme was introduced by age of the recipients; the number of students in receipt of the payment; her plans for the continued payment of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15410/20]
View answerThe COVID 19 pandemic unemployment payment was introduced as a time-limited emergency measure to meet the surge in unemployment which resulted from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. The payment has been extended by the Government to August 10th and there is now a two-level payment structure which links the payment to gross prior earnings.
As we gradually move through the phases of reopening our society and the economy, we need to assess the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and see how it fits into cross-Government plans to keep Ireland healthy and get the country working again. Any future decisions will be based on our commitment that everyone who needs help will get the most appropriate assistance and also according to the evidence we receive from the reopening of the economy. Arrangements for supports paid after 10th August will be considered by Government as part of its broad-based approach to management of the emergency across all sectors of the economy and society.
To Wednesday July 8th just under 6% of current PUP recipients have certified themselves as a full-time student either at second-level or third-level for the academic year 2019/2020.
Age breakdowns are published by my Department each Monday at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f4c60c-covid-19-statistics/ and by the Central Statistics Office each Friday at https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/labourmarket/liveregister/detailedcovid-19incomesupportandliveregistertables/, and are also provided in the following table.
|
Week Ending |
<25 |
25-34 |
35-44 |
45-54 |
55-59 |
60+ |
Total |
|
28-Mar-20 |
11006 |
17740 |
14881 |
9759 |
3148 |
2203 |
58737 |
|
04-Apr-20 |
62656 |
72191 |
67399 |
48848 |
17549 |
14486 |
283129 |
|
11-Apr-20 |
102785 |
120783 |
125200 |
94158 |
35235 |
29094 |
507255 |
|
18-Apr-20 |
109895 |
127914 |
133810 |
102928 |
39238 |
32854 |
546639 |
|
25-Apr-20 |
116515 |
135635 |
141722 |
110449 |
42587 |
36409 |
583317 |
|
02-May-20 |
117995 |
136489 |
143055 |
112182 |
43597 |
37658 |
590976 |
|
09-May-20 |
120474 |
138917 |
145352 |
114264 |
44504 |
38596 |
602107 |
|
16-May-20 |
118570 |
135234 |
141730 |
111948 |
43907 |
38249 |
589638 |
|
23-May-20 |
118295 |
133873 |
140018 |
110745 |
43598 |
38115 |
584644 |
|
30-May-20 |
117537 |
132650 |
138478 |
109637 |
43259 |
37849 |
579410 |
|
06-Jun-20 |
113348 |
124455 |
127644 |
101539 |
40171 |
35585 |
542742 |
|
13-Jun-20 |
109809 |
118894 |
120320 |
96300 |
38199 |
34110 |
517632 |
|
20-Jun-20 |
106878 |
114685 |
115062 |
92474 |
36654 |
32997 |
498750 |
|
27-Jun-20 |
100725 |
107830 |
107071 |
85568 |
33924 |
30760 |
465878 |
|
04-Jul-20 |
95676 |
101783 |
100437 |
80339 |
31925 |
28773 |
438933 |
|
11-Jul-20 |
90210 |
95431 |
93953 |
75695 |
30227 |
27343 |
412859 |
