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Wednesday, 30 Sep 2020

Written Answers Nos. 162-181

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Questions (162)

John McGuinness

Question:

162. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is financial assistance for businesses that due to Covid-19 have had to close permanently and now face high costs of minimum notice for employees who in ordinary circumstances would have worked out their notice but Covid-19 restrictions prevented this from happening; if the issue is under consideration; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27474/20]

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Written answers

Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the difficult time that many businesses are currently facing. Many sectors and industries have been badly affected during the emergency period and my sincere thoughts are with all employers and employees in these situations at this time.

 In situations where an employer has to make an employee redundant, the employer is obliged to comply with the existing provisions outlined in the Redundancy Payments Act 1967. Under section 17 of that Act an employer who proposes to dismiss an employee by reason of redundancy must give that employee notice of the redundancy at least 2 weeks before the date of dismissal. Employees may also be entitled to longer periods of notice under Section 4 of the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973, depending on their length of service.

Furthermore Section 5 and Schedule 2 of the 1973 Act provide that if an employee is made redundant and they are not required to work out the notice or there is no work available, they are entitled to payment in lieu of notice.

If the employer is unable to make the redundancy payment, an application may be made to the Department for payment under the Redundancy Payments Scheme. In such cases a debt is raised against the employer and an agreed repayment plan can be put in place.  The purpose of the Insolvency Payments Scheme is to protect certain outstanding pay-related entitlements due to employees in the event of the insolvency of their employer. Payment in lieu of minimum notice due under the Act of 1973 is one of the entitlements covered under this scheme. The scheme, which operates under the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Act 1984 also covers entitlements including wages, holiday pay, sick pay, certain pension contributions and various other statutory awards made by the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court and the Circuit Court.

Further information on the Insolvency Payments Scheme can be found at gov.ie.

Carer's Allowance

Questions (163)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

163. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) will be reviewed in view of the fact that both their parents require full-time care and attention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27476/20]

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Written answers

Carer'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.

An application for CA was received from the person concerned in respect of both his parents on

15 June 2020.

It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have such disability that they require full-time care and attention.

This is defined as requiring, from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions or continual supervision in order to avoid danger to him or herself and likely to require that level of care for at least twelve months. 

The evidence submitted in support of these applications was examined and the deciding officer decided that this evidence did not indicate that the requirement for full-time care was satisfied in respect of both care recipients.

The person concerned was notified on 30 July 2020 of these decisions, the reason for them and of his right of review and appeal.

To date no request for review or appeal has been received from the person concerned.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

State Pension (Contributory)

Questions (164)

John McGuinness

Question:

164. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the record of contributions for pension purposes in the case of a person (details supplied); if they qualify for a contributory State pension; and if not, if they will be better off in receipt of a non-contributory pension in their own right or remaining on their spouse's claim. [27485/20]

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Written answers

The person concerned will reach pension age on 23 October 2020 and has not yet applied for State pension.  On receipt of a completed application, the person’s pension entitlement can be examined by a Deciding Officer and the person notified of the outcome.

I have arranged for a copy of the person’s social insurance contribution record to issue to them, together with application forms for State pension (contributory) and State pension (non–contributory).

Under current eligibility conditions an individual must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension (contributory).  520 full-rate contributions equate to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment. Factors such as an individual’s social insurance record, their attachment to the workforce, and their countries of employment affect the rate of pension entitlement.  Depending on relevant social security agreements, employment records in other countries may be combined with an applicant's Irish employment record to achieve entitlement to a pro rata or proportional rate of pension entitlement.

State pension (non-contributory) is a means-tested, residency-based payment for people of pension age.  Social welfare legislation provides that the means test takes account of the income and assets of the applicant (and spouse/civil partner/cohabitant).  Income and assets include income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions, maintenance payments as well as property owned (other than the family home) and capital such as savings, shares and other investments. 

If the person concerned applies for either of these pensions, their eligibility and rate of pension entitlement is determined based on the qualifying conditions for the respective schemes. Where an applicant qualifies for both pensions, they are paid whichever pension is more financially beneficial to them, as both schemes cannot be paid concurrently. 

It may be the case that the person concerned is better off to remain as a qualified adult on their spouse’s State pension (contributory).  The Increase for qualified adult payment will increase from the Friday following the person’s 66th birthday.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Back to Education Allowance

Questions (165)

Niall Collins

Question:

165. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 720 of 8 September 2020, if she can respond to additional correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27535/20]

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Written answers

The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020 put the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) on a statutory basis since 5th August.  As announced under the July Stimulus, the pandemic unemployment payment has been extended until the end of March 2021.  I have also secured agreement to keep the payment open to new applications until the end of 2020.

Under normal circumstances, students do not receive unemployment payments.  PUP was made available as an emergency response to persons, including students, who lost their employment as a result of the pandemic and who were no longer being paid by their employer.  People in receipt of PUP must continue to satisfy the conditions for the scheme to maintain continued payment. 

I trust this clarifies the position at this time.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (166)

Matt Carthy

Question:

166. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount spent on media monitoring services by her Department; if the role is provided by private contract operators or in-house services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27565/20]

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Written answers

My Department has engaged Rue Point Media (via a tender process) to provide daily print and broadcast media monitoring services since May 2019.

The costs to date in 2020 relating to the Rue Point media monitoring service are outlined below

-

2020 (to 31 August)

Company name and service provided

Cost €

Rue Point Media: Print & Broadcast monitoring

56,629.20

Total for year (to 31 August 2020)

56,629.20

(6,273 paid to Rue Point Media in Jan 2020 in respect of December 2019)

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (167)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

167. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 184 of 24 September 2020, if a weekly diet supplement payment can be made available to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27588/20]

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Written answers

The person concerned applied for a Diet Supplement on 29/11/2019 and his application was refused on the grounds that Diet Supplement is closed to new applicants since 2014.

He can apply for a payment under the Exceptional Needs Payments Scheme if he has  once off exceptional needs which are not of an unexpected or recurring nature.

Back to Work Enterprise Allowance Scheme

Questions (168, 169, 170)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

168. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the average cost of the back to work enterprise allowance for each worker on the scheme. [27605/20]

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Louise O'Reilly

Question:

169. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the average cost of the back to education allowance for each student on the scheme. [27606/20]

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Louise O'Reilly

Question:

170. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of an additional 12,500 places funded through the training support grant. [27609/20]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 to 170, inclusive, together.

The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme offers weekly financial support for people who are long-term unemployed and who are interested in self-employment as a route to entering the labour market. The scheme plays a useful role in supporting the development of new enterprises allowing participants to retain welfare support over the first two years of their business. The average cost of BTWEA for each participant on the scheme is €211 per week. This equates to an average of almost €11,000 per year for each participant.

The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) provides income support for jobseekers and certain others in receipt of social welfare payments who pursue courses of education at second or third level.  The main focus of the allowance is to assist qualifying applicants to improve their educational qualifications and their prospects of gaining employment. The average cost of BTEA for each student on the scheme is €231 per week. The BTEA remains in payment throughout the academic year, typically 9 months. The estimated cost is €9,000 per student for each academic year.

My Department provides assistance to jobseekers through a Training Support Grant (TSG) to fund quick access to short term training.  This grant provides the financial resources to respond to the identified training needs of a jobseeker. As part of the July Stimulus the funding available to a jobseeker increased from €500 per year to €1,000. The estimated cost of an additional 12,500 places funded through the TSG would be €12.5 million where the grant is availed off in full.

I trust this clarifies the matters for the Deputy.

State Pension (Contributory)

Questions (171)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

171. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if further changes will be made to the contributory pension scheme to cover farm families that have been negatively impacted under existing criteria; if so, the estimated cost for the changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27613/20]

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Written answers

The Farm Assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to provide income support for low income farmers.  It replaced the former Smallholders’ Unemployment Assistance payment.  In line with the then existing arrangements for Unemployment Assistance (including Smallholders' Unemployment Assistance) and Pre-retirement Allowance, the non-welfare income of Farm Assist recipients was exempt from the payment of Class S PRSI for self-employed workers.

Recipients of Farm Assist who had previously paid Class S social insurance contributions had the option of paying voluntary contributions to maintain their social insurance record, provided they satisfied the qualifying conditions to do so.  Since 1st January 2007, the exemption from Class S PRSI has been removed and those self-employed persons receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance or Farm Assist are subject to Class S PRSI as self-employed contributors on their self-employed income, provided their annual income is €5,000 or more.  Any self-employed person, including farmers, with an annual income less than €5,000 can pay voluntary contributions to maintain their social insurance record for pensions purposes, once qualified to do so.

The State Pension (Contributory) is a PRSI-based pension, financed by contributions made by current workers and their employers, and paid to pensioners, at a rate based upon their PRSI record when working.  Those with few or no PRSI contributions paid over the years may alternatively qualify for the State Pension (Non-Contributory), which is a means-tested pension, financed by the Exchequer, and paid at up to 95% of the maximum rate of the State Pension (Contributory).  There are also significant disregards in the household means test for the State Pension (Non-Contributory).  Alternatively, if their spouse has a contributory pension, they may qualify for an increase for a Qualified Adult (based on their own means), amounting to up to 90% of a full rate State Pension (Contributory).  The most advantageous payment for a pensioner will depend upon their individual circumstances.

The Programme for Government “Our Shared Future” commits to the introduction of a Total Contributions Approach (TCA).  This approach, when it is introduced, is intended to be a fairer and more transparent system aligning a person’s contributory pension more closely with the contributions they make.

The Deputy is aware that the public policy and social issues in relation to funding a sustainable and adequate State pension system are complex.  That is why the Programme for Government also commits to the establishment of a Commission on Pensions to examine a range of issues including contributions, calculation methods, sustainability, eligibility and intergenerational fairness.  The Terms of Reference for the Commission on Pensions are currently being developed and options for its membership are being considered.  I will bring proposals in that regard to Government as soon as possible.  Once it has concluded its deliberations, the Commission will report to Government by June of next year.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Pension Provisions

Questions (172)

Richard Bruton

Question:

172. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if progress has been possible on the request by community employment supervisors for an occupational pension scheme. [27622/20]

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Written answers

As the Deputy will be 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 for CE supervisors who are employed by CE schemes.

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.

This issue was examined by a Community Sector High Level Forum, chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.  A number of Departments, including my own Department, were represented on this group, as were the unions and Pobal.

As part of this process a  detailed scoping exercise was carried out 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.  This exercise estimated a potential cost to the State of between €188 million and €347 million per annum depending on the numbers involved.  This excluded any provision for an immediate ex-gratia lump sum payment of pension as sought, which could entail a further Exchequer cost of up to €318 million.

In its findings, the High-level Group stated that while CE supervisors and assistant supervisors represented only a very small part of the wider community and voluntary sector, any explicit provision of State funding for such a scheme in respect of CE Supervisors could potentially  give rise to claims for funding for employees of similar schemes in the broader sector.  The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform stated that it had to have regard to the full potential Exchequer exposure associated with setting such a precedent.

At this point, I wish to acknowledge the valuable and dedicated service that CE supervisors provide in running CE schemes delivering local based community services while  providing a valuable training and development opportunity to the long-term unemployed and to those often furthest removed from the labour market.

The current position is that officials from my Department, DPER and the Unions are in ongoing discussions on the matter and I would therefore ask the Deputies to allow these talks to continue free from speculation that may not assist the process at the present time.

As the Deputies are aware, the funding of any potential pension provision for CE supervisors will be a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and will need to be considered in the wider economic and budgetary context in which any such scheme will need to operate.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (173)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

173. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount expended on access to online and hard-copy media publications since May 2020 to date; and the breakdown of online and hard-copy subscriptions, including the publications to which her Department subscribes. [27649/20]

View answer

Written answers

The information requested is provided in the table below.

Costs from May 2020 to date re. newspaper delivery - hardcopies (service provided by Officedrop Ltd)

Newspapers delivered in

April 2020

May 2020

June 2020

July 2020

August 2020

September 2020

Invoice paid in

May 2020

June 2020

July 2020

August 2020

September 2020

N/A (due October 2020)

Amount €

558.40

575.00

572.00

600.60

575.00

N/A due October 2020)

Hard copy newspapers ordered by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Irish Times

Irish Independent

Irish Examiner

Financial Times

Irish Daily Star

Irish Mirror

Irish Daily Mail

Sunday Times

Sunday Independent

Sunday Business Post

Irish Mail on Sunday

Online media subscriptions paid in 2020

Media title

Amount

Date paid

Details

Meath Chronicle

€24

7/5/2020

One month subscription only - not renewed

The Times Ireland Newspaper

€21.67

Paid on the 12th of every month

€195.03 year to date

Phoenix Magazine

€78.00

18/7/2020

Yearly subscription

Irish Independent online

€19.99/€13.99

€19.99 paid on 1st of every month from January to August. Then price reduced to €13.99 and paid on 13th of every month.

€167.91 year to date

Departmental Contracts

Questions (174)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

174. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has engaged a third-party company in each of the years 2017 to 2019 and to date in 2020 to conduct media monitoring and-or provide reports on media coverage of her Department; and if so, the costs of same and the companies engaged. [27667/20]

View answer

Written answers

The details of the companies engaged by my Department to provide media monitoring services, and the costs associated with each company, in the years 2017, 2018, 2019 and to date in 2020, follow.

2017

Company name and service provided

Cost €

NewsAccess Ltd: Print & Broadcast monitoring

20,295

Total for year

20,295

(includes 4,059 paid to NewsAccess Ltd in Jan. 2017 in respect of Dec. 2016)

2018

Company name and service provided

Cost €

NewsAccess Ltd AKA Kantar: Print monitoring

61,733.50

Meltwater UK Ltd: Broadcast monitoring (from May 2018)

2,400

Total for year

64,133.50

(23,542 paid to NewsAccess/Kantar in March 2018 in respect of May 2017 to Feb. 2018)

2019

Company name and service provided

Cost €

NewsAccess Ltd AKA Kantar: Print monitoring (up to May 2019)

21,217.50

Meltwater UK Ltd: Broadcast monitoring (up to October 2019)

5,832.00 (including services provided in Dec. 2018)

Rue Point Media (from May 2019)

39,681.28

Total for year

66,730.78

(includes 4,243.50 paid to NewsAccess/Kantar in Feb. 2019 in respect of Dec. 2018)

2020 (to 31 August)

Company name and service provided

Cost €

Rue Point Media: Print & Broadcast monitoring

56,629.20

Total for year (to 31 August 2020)

56,629.20

(6,273 paid to Rue Point Media in Jan 2020 in respect of December 2019)

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Questions (175, 176)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

175. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she has taken to have a sector-specific unemployment payment similar to the €350-per-week pandemic unemployment payment for the live events, music and unfunded arts sectors to ensure workers in the industries can survive until the sector is reopened in view of the fact that the pandemic unemployment payment has been reduced and the sectors have been entirely shut down since March 2020. [27691/20]

View answer

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

176. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide for a sector-specific unemployment payment at the higher rate of the previous €350-per-week pandemic unemployment payment for the live events, music and unfunded arts sectors, which have been entirely shut down since March 2020, to ensure workers in these industries can survive until the sector is reopened and to ensure their skill is not lost in the intervening period. [27697/20]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 176 together.

This week my Department issued payments valued at €61.9 million to over 217,140 people on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). Of these, some 6,340 (or 2.9%) are members of the arts, entertainment and recreation sector. In total we have spent over €3.5bn on PUP payments. The Government has decided that from 17 September the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be paid at three rates linked to a person's pre-covid employment earnings. Individuals whose prior earnings were €300 or over per week will receive a payment of €300 per week. A rate of €250 will apply to those who previously earned between €200 and €300 per week; and the rate of €203 remains unchanged for those who had prior earnings of less than €200 per week. One of the reasons it is necessary to recalibrate the PUP is so that we can extend its availability while being mindful of the cost to the State. I have also secured approval to keep the scheme open to new applicants until the end of the year. This means that anyone who loses their employment over the coming months, including those who may have returned to work but may be affected by new restrictions, will be able to avail of the support. These new rates will apply to all recipients. I do not think it would be fair to make exceptions for those who had previously worked in the arts or entertainment sector, while applying the changes to over 97% of recipients who have worked in other sectors.

Finally, my Department has put in place a mailbox dedicated to the sector for individual artists to raise queries directly with the Department at artistspup@welfare.ie. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

National Childcare Scheme

Questions (177)

Niall Collins

Question:

177. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration when the national childcare scheme reviews (details supplied) will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27401/20]

View answer

Written answers

The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) was first launched in November 2019. There are currently over 30,200 children who are subject to a claim by childcare providers. This is the highest number of child registrations on NCS to date and in comparative terms more children are registered for my Department’s schemes overall than were registered at the same time last year.

While the NCS is an initiative of my Department, a Scheme Administrator has been engaged to manage the operation of the Scheme on the Department’s behalf. Pobal acts in this capacity as Scheme Administrator, and it is their role to manage the review and appeal process.  

Once a review has been requested, a decision will be made by the Scheme Administrator within 40 working days of the review request or within 40 days of receipt of information requested by the Scheme Administrator. The Scheme Administrator shall inform the parent or childcare provider who requested the review in writing of the outcome of the review within 10 working days of making a decision.

My Department has referred these cases to Pobal, who will follow up directly with the individuals concerned within the notified timeframes.

Child and Family Agency

Questions (178)

Patrick Costello

Question:

178. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration the research capacity of Tusla; the number of staff employed full-time in the area of research; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27384/20]

View answer

Written answers

Tusla has a national research office with a view to meeting its statutory obligation to under Section 8 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 to undertake and commission research. Considerable information is available in this regard on Tusla's website https://www.tusla.ie/research/tusla-research-office/.  As the Deputy's question concerns operational matters, I have requested that Tusla respond to the Deputy directly.

Child and Family Agency

Questions (179)

Patrick Costello

Question:

179. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration the last time a staff census was completed in Tusla; if he will provide the results broken down by local office; and the number of vacant posts at the time. [27385/20]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy's question concerns an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, I have requested that Tusla respond to the Deputy directly.

Children in Care

Questions (180)

Patrick Costello

Question:

180. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration the number of children in care currently by local area office. [27386/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy is referring to an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct response be provided to the Deputy. In addition you may find Tuslas Data Hub a useful resource for information.

https://data.tusla.ie/

Children in Care

Questions (181)

Patrick Costello

Question:

181. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality and Integration the number of children under 12 years of age in residential units by LHO area. [27387/20]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy is asking about an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have therefore referred the matter to Tusla, and asked that a direct reply be provided in due course.

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