Written Answers Nos. 190-210
190. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education if access to a concessionary school bus seat can be restored in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28071/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education.
In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Under the terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8kms from and are attending their nearest Post Primary School/Education Centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the 2020/21 school year where such services are in operation.
Children who apply for transport and who are not eligible under the terms of the scheme are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
Concessionary transport may vary from year to year and cannot be guaranteed for the duration of a child’s primary school education cycle. Where the number of applications for transport on a concessionary basis exceeds the number of seats available, Bus Éireann determines the allocation of the tickets and refunds payments made on behalf of those concessionary applicants for whom no seats remain.
Bus Éireann has confirmed that the pupil referred to by the Deputy is not eligible for transport as they are not attending their closest school. Bus Éireann has also confirmed that a refund on the cost of the ticket for this pupil has been issued o the family.
191. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education if a standardisation process will be applied to the marking of the small group of students sitting the leaving certificate exams in November 2020; and if so, the details of the standardisation process given that it will be an atypical cohort which is unlikely to fit with the patterns of an ordinary summer leaving certificate. [28076/20]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to him.
192. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection when the public registrations office in Longford will reopen. [27705/20]
View answerThe Civil Registration Service is operated by the HSE with policy direction being given by the General Register Office (GRO), which falls under the aegis of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the GRO and Civil Registration Service has continued to provide civil registration services, including the registration of births and deaths and managing the legal preliminary for marriage and conducting civil marriages. In line with other public service providers and to adhere to public health requirements, restrictions on public access to civil registration offices remain in place.
The Deputy will be aware that temporary measures were included in the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 to allow for the registration of births and deaths to be completed without the need for attendance before a registrar. These temporary measures are working well and will continue in place until the end of January 2021. The GRO and HSE continue to monitor the implementation of these temporary arrangements to ensure they are meeting public demand.
I have been informed by the HSE that the Longford civil registration office remains closed to the public but is carrying out services related to the registration of births, deaths and marriages. Marriage notifications are being received at the Longford office and are being finalised at other locations, primarily the Mullingar civil registration office. The HSE is planning to re-open the Longford office along with other civil registration offices in the Midlands region on a phased basis; however, no date has been provided by the HSE as to when this will occur.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
193. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she plans to return any social welfare payments to a weekly basis. [27706/20]
View answerFortnightly payments were introduced by my Department to assist with social distancing measures in accordance with public health guidelines.
While some welfare schemes have reverted to a weekly payment pattern, fortnightly payments have been retained for a number of schemes, including Disability, Pensions and Carers’ payments. These schemes mainly involve payments to people who are more likely to be medically vulnerable, including those who are over the age of 70 or their care-givers.
Within any particular scheme, it is not possible to introduce different payment cycles for different individuals or for different categories of individual. All payments on each scheme, whether by collecting cash at the post office or depositing money directly into someone’s bank account, have to be processed in the same way.
The frequency of payments which are remaining on a fortnightly pattern is being kept under review.
I would emphasise that, where a person encounters financial difficulty, they can contact the local community welfare service for assistance or can seek advice and support from the Money Advice and Budgeting Service.
194. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection if the fuel allowance eligibility criteria will be reviewed for those in receipt of the full-rate carer's allowance. [27707/20]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €24.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €686 each year) from October to April, to an average of 352,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €261.35 million in 2020. 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.
My Department also pays an electricity or gas allowance under the Household Benefits scheme at an estimated cost of €194 million in 2020. This is paid at a rate of €35 per month, 12 months of the year.
The Government values the role of carers very much and it is for this reason that they receive significant income supports from the Department. In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers receive additional support in the form of free travel and household benefits (for those who live with the person for whom they care) and the annual Carer's Support Grant (€1,700) in respect of each person for whom they care.
Fuel Allowance is a household-based payment, and a Carer will very often live with and be caring for a person in receipt of a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance. Income from full rate Carer's Allowance is disregarded from the fuel means test if the carer is providing full time care and attention to the Fuel Allowance applicant, his/her qualified spouse / civil partner or cohabitant or qualified child(ren).
If a person is getting certain qualifying social welfare payments and also providing full time care and attention to another person, s/he can keep his/her main social protection payment in addition to receiving the half-rate Carer's Allowance. S/he can also receive an extra half-rate Carer’s Allowance if s/he cares for more than one person. It should also be noted that the payment of half-rate Carer’s Allowance does not preclude a person from qualifying for Fuel Allowance. If a person is in receipt of a non-contributory social welfare payment and a half-rate Carer’s Allowance, then s/he is deemed to have satisfied the means test and Fuel Allowance is payable, subject to all remaining criteria being satisfied. If a person is in receipt of a contributory social welfare payment and a half-rate Carer’s Allowance then s/he will have to satisfy a means test in order to qualify for Fuel Allowance.
Any decision to amend the criteria for receiving Fuel Allowance, to include Carer’s Allowance as a qualifying payment, would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, exceptional needs payments may 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 an exceptional heating cost.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
195. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection when pandemic unemployment payment arrears will issue to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27739/20]
View answerSince the introduction of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme in March, approximately 750,000 people have applied for payment and in some cases, they have done so on a number of occasions as they moved in and out of employment. Consequently, there are over 1 million applications to be examined to determine if arrears are due.
In order to address an issue of this scale, the Department is currently developing an automated process, which will examine each case and look at their overall entitlement to payment and match this against their payment history. The work involved is complex as the Pandemic Unemployment Payment system itself evolved from a manual application system to one where applications were submitted online and paid over two different payment platforms (one from March to July and the second from July to date).
Given the complexity attached to the project, it will take some time yet to complete the necessary development work to review all cases and to determine to what extent, if any, arrears are due to individuals. It is hoped to make the arrears payments before the end of this year.
196. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons who were paid the pandemic unemployment payment will receive a PRSI credit for their time on the payment similar to the credit awarded to those in receipt of other social welfare payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27745/20]
View answerThe Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020, provides, amongst other provisions, for the attribution of social insurance contributions, for a prescribed period, to insured persons who were beneficiaries of certain Covid-19 income support payments. These payments include the pandemic unemployment payment.
The attribution of contributions measure will ensure that persons entitled to and in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment will have social insurance contributions attributed to them at the same value as they were paying while employed immediately before going on the payment.
The measure means that people who lost their jobs arising from the Covid-19 pandemic will not be disadvantaged in accessing social insurance benefits in the future.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
197. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection if taxable income as verified by the Revenue Commissioners' tax returns is used as the basis for calculations for pandemic unemployment payments; and if allowances such as car depreciation allowances are not being used to decrease income verified by the Revenue Commissioners. [27784/20]
View answerThe Pandemic Unemployment Payment was introduced as an emergency measure to provide an income support to those who had lost their employment as a result of Covid. In order to ensure that the scheme was simple and accessible for the unprecedented number of applicants, a flat payment rate was introduced. This rate was the equivalent of the rate for a two-person household.
From 26 June 2020, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment moved to 2 rates of payment, and a 3 rate structure is in place since 17 September. These changes more closely link the rate of payment to the amount that individuals previously earned and make the scheme more targeted and fair. In determining the rate payable, the objective was to ensure that recent earnings were taken into account.
The rate of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment for a self-employed person is calculated by reference to their reckonable income in either 2018 or 2019, whichever is the greater. Details of reckonable income are supplied to the Department by the Revenue Commissioners, and are supplied net of business related costs, including capital allowances. When submitting returns to the Revenue Commissioners, self-employed persons can offset business related costs against gross trading income, with the resulting assessment to tax and PRSI based on net profits. In that regard, capital allowances are available in respect of qualifying capital expenditure incurred on the provision of certain assets in use for the purposes of a trade or business. They effectively allow a taxpayer to write off the cost of an asset over a period of time and to reduce their reckonable income as a result.
I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
198. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of restoring the respite grant to its highest historical level. [27809/20]
View answerThe Carer’s Support Grant (formerly called the Respite Care Grant) is an annual payment for carers who look after people in need of full-time care and attention.
The grant is paid in a single annual lump sum, usually on the first Thursday in June. The grant is not means-tested and is not taxable. It is paid in respect of each care recipient.
It is paid:
- automatically to people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Domiciliary Care Allowance; and
- to others who are not in receipt of a social welfare payment but who are providing full time care and attention.
The Carer's Support Grant is currently paid at a rate of €1,700 per year, which is the highest rate at which it has been paid since it was first introduced in 1999.
199. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of the pandemic unemployment payment at current levels from now until the end of 2021. [27810/20]
View answerAs part of a suite of measures announced in the July Stimulus, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will now be extended to April 2021.
By week-ending Friday, 2nd October 2020, the PUP scheme will have cost an estimated €3.6 billion.
The cost of PUP in the period between September and December 2020, and up to April 2021, will depend on the ongoing suppression of the Covid-19 virus and on progress in reopening the economy and society. The performance of the labour market in the weeks and months ahead, including the capacity of employers to respond to the phased return to work following the Covid-19 lockdown, and the level of any resulting residual unemployment, remains uncertain. These factors will determine the extent of labour market recovery between now and the year-end and into 2021. These are matters that will be considered during the coming weeks and the estimated cost of PUP to the year-end and the allocation for 2021 will be determined as part of that process.
200. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider the circumstances of a self-employed person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27813/20]
View answerThe Pandemic Unemployment Payment has been extended until 31st March 2021 which will provide support to those from sectors facing extended periods of closure. I have also secured Government approval to keep the scheme open for new applications until the end of this year.
From 17 September the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is being paid at three rates linked to a person's pre-COVID 19 employment earnings which makes the scheme more sustainable. From 17th September individuals whose prior earnings were €300 or over per week receive a payment of €300 per week. A rate of €250 applies to those who previously earned between €200 and €300; and the rate of €203 remains unchanged for those who had prior earnings of less than €200.
The Department does not assess “drawings” for the purpose of determining a self-employed person’s pandemic unemployment rate payment. For self-employed people the rate is calculated by reference to their reckonable income in either 2018 or 2019, whichever is the greater. Details of reckonable income are supplied to the Department by the Revenue Commissioners.
Any person who believes that their new payment rate does not accurately reflect their prior earnings can contact the Department to request a review and should forward all supporting documents, which will be matched with records from the Revenue Commissioners.
I also wish to draw your attention to the Enterprise Support Grant which is available to small business owners who transition from the Pandemic Unemployment Payment or jobseekers payment to reopen their businesses. Further information and details on how to apply are available on www.Gov.ie.
I trust that this clarifies the position.
201. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of the additional 3,000 places for employment support schemes announced in July 2020 that will be allocated to community employment schemes; the number that will be allocated to Tús schemes; the other employment support schemes which will be allocated additional places as part of the figure of 3,000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27815/20]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, as part of the July Stimulus Package, the Government announced 3,000 additional places on State Employment Schemes, including Community Employment (CE) and Tús.
My Department officials are currently reviewing a range of options relating to the allocation of the extra places.
A number of factors will inform the decision on the allocation of the additional places. These factors will include labour market demands, training and development opportunities, participant development requirements, existing employment support schemes and regional Live Register data.
The additional 3,000 places will be distributed between CE and Tús and a final decision as to the number of places to be allocated to each programme has yet to be taken. Going forward, Department officials will work with CE sponsoring authorities and Tús implementing bodies to make the additional placements available to suitable initiatives.
Department officials will continue to be available to meet with potential sponsor groups who are considering the introduction of new schemes in their locality, subject to the agreed scheme qualification criteria.
I am fully committed to the future of CE and Tús and I will continue to support and improve the programmes for the benefit of scheme participants and the valuable contribution being made to their local communities.
202. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will remove the requirement for community scheme participants aged 55 years and over who have completed three years on the scheme to spend 12 months on a qualifying payment before reapplying for another community employment position; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27816/20]
View answerThe Community Employment (CE) Scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.
A number of changes were introduced to the eligibility criteria for CE in 2017 to broaden access to the CE programme to a greater number of people on the Live Register and to standardise the conditions around the length of time a person can remain on a CE scheme.
In general, participation on CE for those aged between 21 and 55 years is for 1 year; however those over 55 years of age can remain on CE for 3 years. An overall lifetime limit of 6 years applies to all CE participants (7 years for those who are in receipt of a disability payment).
As the Deputy has noted, a person may re-qualify for CE after 12 months of being in receipt of a qualifying payment, provided they have not reached their lifetime limit. CE participants that have completed 3 years on a CE scheme have had the benefit of 3 years work experience along with opportunities to complete training, all of which should enhance their potential to secure employment in the open labour market.
CE placements are temporary and subject to time limits. This ensures that there is adequate capacity on the CE scheme, within the financial allocation available to my Department, to facilitate other long-term jobseekers who want to avail of the valuable work experience and training opportunities provided by CE.
The priority for my Department is to ensure that all employment and activation programmes have the best outcomes for participants while also delivering a range of important services in the local communities. The focus of CE is on the cohort of long-term unemployed people and the programme is monitored on an on-going basis to ensure that the schemes are meeting the training and development needs of the CE participants and also delivering the intended services in the local communities.
Places on CE will continue to be available to support those who are long term unemployed and furthest removed from the labour market, while maintaining the role of CE as an active labour market programme.
Where CE participants are not successful in securing open labour market employment following their exit from CE, they can avail of support and advice on the full range of services that are available to Jobseekers from a dedicated Case Officer in their local Intreo Centre.
The Department will continue to monitor all of its employment support schemes to ensure the quality of the services and supports provided. It is not the Department's intention to amend the CE guidelines or qualifying criteria at this particular time.
203. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of places approved nationwide for Tús schemes; the number of participants on such schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27817/20]
View answerTús commenced operation in 2011 as a response to the high level of unemployment and the large numbers on the live register at that time. It provides short-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year, in community work placements. Tús is designed to break the cycle of unemployment and maintain work readiness, thereby improving a person’s opportunities to return to the labour market. Participation on Tús also provides the additional benefit of working within the local community. There were 5,825 Tús places provided for in the 2020 budget
In March, 2020 the Department introduced a number of contingency measures on the employment support schemes in response to the Covid-19 emergency. These measures included the suspension of recruitment and the extension of employment contracts for CE and Tús participants who were due to complete their contracts over the emergency period.
The Department's activation services recommenced in July and included the referral of long-term unemployed candidates to CE and Tús. Department officials worked closely with Sponsoring Authorities and Implementing Bodies to arrange for CE and Tús participants, who had their contracts originally extended during the Covid-19 emergency, to commence leaving their schemes on a phased basis over recent months.
At end-August, there were 1,542 Tús placements available for new participants. Department Case Officers are working closely with the Implementing Bodies to refer suitable long-term unemployed candidates for the available Tús places.
The Department continues to keep under review the overall operation of the Tús programme and is very aware of the significant number of Tús placements actively engaged in the delivery of valuable services to local communities throughout the country.
204. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of places approved nationwide for the youth employment support scheme; the number of participants on the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27818/20]
View answerThe Youth Employment Support Scheme (YESS) was introduced on 1st October 2018 and has been open to applications since that date.
YESS is targeted at young jobseekers aged between 18 and 24 who are long-term unemployed or who face barriers to employment. The scheme aims to provide jobseekers with the opportunity to learn basic work and social skills in a supportive environment while on a work placement. The scheme will provide a supportive structure for participants, including case worker support for both placement hosts and jobseekers.
Since the scheme's inception, a total of 872 people have commenced a placement, while there are currently 109 participants on the YESS. To date, a total of 739 employers have provided YESS placements.
The type of work experience undertaken by participants involves roles across a number of different sectors including - community and voluntary, hospitality and food, ICT and telecoms, manufacturing, retail, sales and marketing, science and healthcare and construction.
As the economy reopens and activation services to jobseekers increase it is planned to increase the use of work placement programmes to provide valuable work experience and training to people who have been heavily impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. As part of the July Stimulus package a new work placement programme was announced. Officials in my department are currently working on the details of this programme.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
205. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Social Protection when the 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors will be implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27820/20]
View answerAs 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. The funding of any potential pension provision for CE supervisors will ultimately 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.
206. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to ensure that a person (details supplied) receives a community employment scheme application referral. [27824/20]
View answerA Case Officer from the Cork Street Intreo Centre contacted the person concerned on 28/09/2020 to discuss her interest in participating on a Community Employment scheme.
The person concerned has been referred for vacancies in the Sandymount YMCA and the Community Services Sandymount, Irishtown and Ringsend Ltd CE Schemes.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
208. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of social welfare inspectors in her Department. [27953/20]
View answerThere are a total of 277 Social Welfare Inspectors in my Department.
In addition there are a further 98 officers assigned to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). The SIU carries out a wide range of control activities and works closely with the Office of the Revenue Commissioners through the Joint Investigation Unit, with the Workplace Relations Commission and other compliance and enforcement agencies.
209. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of inspections carried out by social welfare inspectors in each of the years 2012 to 2019 and to date in 2020; the nature of the inspections carried out; and the number of the inspections which were house visits. [27954/20]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of the number and nature of inspections carried out by social welfare inspectors for the years 2012 to date is not available in my Department.
This relates to differences in the way investigations were recorded in the past and the fact that some investigations may have passed through multiple officers between starting and ending. However, I can provide you with the overall numbers of control reviews carried out by my Department in each of the years in question (Table below).
Control reviews can be carried out by Social Welfare Inspectors, Deciding Officers and other officers of my Department. In many cases a single investigation may be worked on by a combination of these different officers, including inspections by social welfare inspectors. Consequently, it is not possible to disaggregate the number of inspections carried out by social welfare inspectors from the overall number of investigations.
|
Year |
No. Reviews |
|
2012 |
1,196,184 |
|
2013 |
1,105,197 |
|
2014 |
1,148,354 |
|
2015 |
1,105,314 |
|
2016 |
948,216 |
|
2017 |
754,525 |
|
2018 |
742,265 |
|
2019 |
609,025 |
|
YTD Aug 2020 |
331,640 |
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
210. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the types of inspections carried out by social welfare inspectors; and the procedures for such inspections. [27955/20]
View answerMy Department administers over 70 schemes and services. Social welfare inspectors are engaged with customers throughout the entire lifecycle of their claim, including regular reviews for all schemes on an ongoing basis. In order to deliver our services effectively inspectors may engage with each and every customer multiple times in various ways over the course of their claim.
The type of inspections carried out by inspectors consist of desk-based assessments of customer claims, face-to-face interviews with customers, home visits, audits of employers’ PRSI records, specialist investigations, enquiries with other state agencies, self-declarations by customers and joint operations with Revenue.
Reviews arise from both targeted and random case selections and where specific information comes to the attention of inspectors. Targeted investigations are generally based on factors such as where a person or their spouse is earning income or has income from other sources. The person is under a legal obligation to report any change in their circumstance (income or means) to my Department. Issues such as the time which has elapsed since a previous review was undertaken and where information is received which suggest a review may be warranted can also trigger a review.
Social Welfare Inspectors (SWIs) are appointed under Section 250 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) and are required to investigate and report on customer’s claims. Social Welfare Inspectors (SWIs) operate under a code of practice which sets out the manner in which they are required to deal with the public.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
