Written Answers Nos. 1003-1027
1004. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding applications for personal assistance hours; the way in which carer’s allowance is affected when the same person is claiming personal assistance hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15147/21]
View answerMy Department provides income supports to carers such as the Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on these payments to carers in 2021 is expected to exceed €1.4 billion.
Carer’s Allowance is a payment to people on low incomes who are caring full-time for a person who needs support because of age, disability or illness (including mental illness). The person being cared for must require full-time care and attention. At the end of January, there were 89,092 recipients of Carer's Allowance. The estimated expenditure for the payment in 2021 is in the region of €953 million.
It is important to note that Carer's Allowance is an income support paid to the carer and not to the person to whom the care is given.
The two principal conditions for receipt of Carer’s Allowance are that the means test which applies is satisfied and that full-time care and attention is required and being provided.
The means test for Carer’s Allowance is one of the most generous in the social protection system. Currently, €332.50 of gross weekly income is disregarded in the calculation of means for a single person; the equivalent for someone who is married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting is €665 of combined gross weekly income.
The person being cared for is deemed to require full-time care and attention where they require from another person continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions or continual supervision in order to avoid being a danger to themselves, and are likely to require that level of care for at least twelve months.
An applicant for Carer’s Allowance must submit evidence and all relevant information confirming that they meet the conditions outlined above.
In order to support a carer’s continued attachment to the workforce and broader social inclusion, carers may engage in some limited employment, education or training, of up to 18.5 hours per week while still being regarded as being in a position to provide full-time care.
The Personal Assistant (PA) Service is part of a range of assisted living services designed to help people with disabilities to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives. PA services may be accessed by application to the HSE or through a referral from a public health nurse or other HSE community-based staff. I understand that the HSE determines PA resource allocation by considering the needs of the individual, compliance with prioritisation criteria, and the level of resources available.
The Personal Assistant Service is administered by the HSE and is the responsibility of the Department of Health.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1005. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications and appeals for disability allowance made by persons in County Clare; the number of applications refused; the number allowed following an appeal in each of the years 2018 to 2020, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15151/21]
View answerThe department does not collate the requested data in county format and therefore county breakdown is not available.
The total number of disability allowance (DA) applications received, allowed and disallowed or withdrawn from 2018 to the end of 2020 are set out in the table below.
DA Scheme
|
Year |
DA Received |
*DA Award |
DA Disallowed |
DA Withdrawn |
|
2018 |
23,080 |
17,205* |
12,682 |
1,130 |
|
2019 |
24,017 |
16,949* |
13,981 |
1,519 |
|
2020 |
20,671 |
15,686* |
13,559 |
2,077 |
(*)Please note that the statistics in relation to awarded cases include cases in the disallowed category which were subsequently awarded following a review or a successful appeal.
The following tables show the number of DA appeals received and allowed or partially allowed by the social welfare appeals office (SWAO) from 2018 to the end of 2020.
Outcome of DA appeals received and allowed by SWAO
|
Year |
**DA appeals received |
DA appeals allowed |
DA appeals partially allowed |
DA appeals disallowed |
|
2018 |
5,200** |
3,112 |
99 |
1,256 |
|
2019 |
6,242** |
3,416 |
78 |
1,801 |
|
2020 |
6,661** |
3,930 |
127 |
2,642 |
(**)Please note that the statistics in relation to appeals received include both received and re-opened appeal cases less cancelled appeals.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1006. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications and appeals for carer’s allowance made by persons in County Clare; the number of applications refused; the number allowed following an appeal in each of the years 2018 to 2020, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15152/21]
View answerThe number of Carers Allowance (CA) applications received, allowed and disallowed or withdrawn from 2018 to the end of 2020 are set out in the table below. The Department does not collate data in county format and so a breakdown of the figures by county is not available.
CA Scheme
|
Year |
CA Received |
*CA Award |
CA Disallowed |
CA Withdrawn |
|
2018 |
20206 |
17242 |
9291 |
707 |
|
2019 |
19402 |
16910 |
8918 |
580 |
|
2020 |
18774 |
17495 |
10495 |
514 |
(*)Please note that the statistics in relation to awarded cases include cases in the disallowed category which were subsequently awarded following a review or a successful appeal.
The following tables show the number of CA appeals received and allowed or partially allowed by the social welfare appeals office (SWAO) from 2018 to the end of 2020.
|
Year |
CA Appeals Received |
CA Appeals allowed by SWAO |
CA Appeals partially allowed by SWAO |
|
2018 |
**2902 |
1047 |
144 |
|
2019 |
**3006 |
1230 |
158 |
|
2020 |
**3630 |
1079 |
115 |
(**)Please note that the statistics in relation to appeals received include both received and re-opened appeal cases less cancelled appeals.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1007. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications and appeals for an exceptional needs payment made by persons in County Clare; the number of applications refused; the number allowed following an appeal in each of the years 2018 to 2020, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15153/21]
View answerApplications for Exceptional Needs Payments are made under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme administered by Designated Persons in the Community Welfare Service in my Department .
The purpose of the Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) is to assist people with essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The ENP scheme is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
|
Co Clare. |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
Exceptional Needs Payments Awarded |
4559 |
2494 |
1777 |
|
ENP Review Requests received |
18 |
17 |
22 |
|
ENPs Reviewed |
18 |
17 |
22 |
|
ENPs Allowed/Revised following review |
4 |
3 |
9 |
|
ENPs Refused following Review |
14 |
14 |
13 |
Statistics are maintained on the number of applications awarded under the ENP (exceptional needs payments) scheme. Statistics are not maintained on the number of applications received or the outcome of the applications.
Determinations made by Designated Persons in relation to claims made under Sections 200, 201 and 202 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation Act) 2005, i.e. Allowances-in-kind, Exceptional Needs Payments and Urgent Needs Payments, can be reviewed by a SWA Reviewing Officer under Section 323 of that Act.
Determinations made by Designated Persons in relation to claims made under Sections 196, 197 and 198 of the Social Welfare ( Consolidation Act ) 2005 i.e Basic SWA and all Supplements, can be appealed to the Social Welfare Appeals Office under Section 311 of that Act.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
1008. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider reducing the duration of the unemployment test for JobsPlus to allow speedier integration of persons displaced and give employers a break during a difficult recovery period in view of the difficult labour market conditions. [15190/21]
View answerJobsPlus is a subsidy paid to employers who recruit long-term unemployed people for new positions in their workplace. Employers can avail of JobsPlus when filling new positions or positions that arise as a consequence of natural turnover and receive a subsidy of €7,500 or €10,000 per employee. The value of the grant is dependent on the age of the new employee and their duration of unemployment, over a two-year period of employment.
JobsPlus is an effective scheme in responding to unemployment. An evaluation of the scheme, undertaken jointly by the EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre and the Department of Social Protection published in 2020, found a positive impact equivalent to a 57% reduction in the likelihood of unemployment for people who benefited from JobsPlus.
Dealing with Covid-19 presents a particular challenge to economic activity and, consequently, to employment levels. In last year’s July Jobs Stimulus, the capacity of JobsPlus was increased to 8,000 places. The qualification criteria for those under 30 years was amended, meaning they can now avail of the support after 4 months, having previously been 12 months. Time spent in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment can be counted for the purposes of eligibility for all unemployed individuals.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1009. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will approve the payment of a carer’s support grant for a person (details supplied). [15240/21]
View answerFirstly, may I take this opportunity to extend my condolences to the person concerned and his family on their recent bereavement.
The Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) is an annual payment for Carers who look after a person in need of full-time care and attention. The grant of €1,700 (€1,850 from June 2021) is payable to Carers on the first Thursday in June each year.
It is a qualifying condition of CSG that on the first Thursday in June, the claimant must be caring for the person requiring such care.
When a Carer has an entitlement to and is in receipt of a Carer's Allowance (CA) payment on the first Thursday in June, they continue to have entitlement to the CSG. Where a care recipient dies, there is a continued entitlement to payment of CA for 12 weeks after the date of death. The person concerned is currently in receipt of CA in respect of his mother, who passed away on 23 February 2021 and he will continue to receive payment up until 19 May 2021, reflecting the 12 weeks after death payment.
As the person concerned will not be in receipt of payment of CA on the first Thursday in June this year there is no entitlement to the 2021 CSG.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
1011. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will publish the final report of the Pensions Commission when it completes its deliberations. [15274/21]
View answerThe Pensions Commission was established in November 2020 to examine sustainability and eligibility issues with the State Pension and the Social Insurance Fund, in fulfillment of a Programme for Government commitment. These issues are being considered from a perspective of fiscal and social sustainability, and intergenerational fairness. It has held eight meetings to date and will report on its findings by the end of June 2021. In this regard, the Commission is halfway through its work.
In accordance with its Terms of Reference, the Commission will submit a report on its work, findings, options and recommendations to me by 30 June 2021. The Government intends to take action having regard to the recommendations of the Commission within 6 months of receipt of the report. I expect that the Commission's report will be published once Government has concluded its consideration of its findings.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1012. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Social Protection if discretion is provided for the provision of supporting medical evidence in all social welfare applications which require same given the Covid-19 situation and the impact on the health service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15282/21]
View answerMy Department is cognisant of the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the delivery of health care services provided by General Practitioners in the community and by the Health Service Executive hospitals.
Eligibility criteria for the Illness, Disability and Carer’s schemes are stipulated in legislation.
When assessing applications, the Medical Assessors exercise judgement and discretion as pertinent to the case. Medical evidence provided with the application is carefully reviewed along with any medical information held on file.
The claimant's medical condition is assessed for level of severity and expected duration of restriction for work or the need for full time care and attention as the case may be.
Where medical information or specialist reports are unavailable due to Covid-19 restrictions, cases will be examined on an individual basis to determine entitlement, where possible, based on the available information. If a customer contacts the Department and advises that they cannot provide a medical report due to Covid-19, discretion may be applied to allow for additional time to provide any essential medical information.
In the case of Illness Benefit, where a Certificate of Incapacity for Work from a GP is required to accompany the claim, the facility to submit such Certificates electronically was made available to GPs at end-2019. The number of GPs using this facility has grown substantially in 2020, with some 80% of those on the Department’s panel of GPs now submitting Certificates via e-Cert, directly to the Department.
I hope this clarifies the situation for the Deputy.
1013. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection if a claim by a person (details supplied) will be reviewed in view of the recent decision regarding education and a means-tested payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15314/21]
View answerThe Part-Time Education Option (PTEO) was introduced by my Department to enable unemployed persons to attend part-time day/evening courses of education or training and retain their jobseeker's payment provided that they continue to satisfy the conditions of being available for and genuinely seeking employment on an on-going basis.
The person concerned was disallowed Jobseeker’s Allowance on the basis of not being available for or genuinely seeking full time work. This decision was based on the person concerned leaving part-time employment in order to commence a course of education.
The person concerned has appealed the decision to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office and the outcome of this appeal is awaited. A decision in relation to the PTEO will be considered if the appeal is upheld.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1015. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of cases the liable relatives’ unit and maintenance recovery unit have examined since January 2020 to date; the breakdown of payments commenced and payments not commenced, respectively; and the amount collected in this time. [15389/21]
View answerThe issue of family maintenance payments is first and foremost a private matter for the people concerned.
Social Welfare legislation provides that some or all of the cost of One-Parent Family (OFP) payments are recovered. In every case where OFP is awarded, the Department seeks to trace the other parent (liable relative) in order to ascertain whether they are in a financial position to contribute towards the cost of the OFP. Liable relatives are advised that they can meet their liability by making payments directly to the Department or to the OFP recipient.
The methods of assessment of the liable relative's ability to pay are specified in detail in regulations S.I. 571 of 2006 and S.I. 142 of 2007, as amended.
From January 2020 to end February 2021 (latest complete data available) 7,321 cases were examined of which:
- 708 (9.7%) were deemed to be paying the liability agreed by the Department
- 2,842 (38.8%) of these cases were still determined to have a remaining liability to the Department;
- 3,771 (51.5%) cases not eligible or have no liability due.
During this period, 1,305 arrangements were made whereby payments or additional payments were made to the One-Parent Family Payment recipient averaging €49.66 per week. In a further 53 cases, the liable relatives began paying the Department directly at an average weekly payment of €72.89.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1016. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount spent on the one-parent family payment in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021; and the number of payment allocations for each year in tabular form. [15390/21]
View answerThe table beneath outlines the expenditure and the average number of payments for One Parent Family Payment in 2019, 2020 and up to end of February 2021.
One Parent Family Payment Expenditure and Average Recipient Numbers 2019, 2020 & to end of February 2021
|
|
2019 |
2020 (Provisional Outturn) |
2021 (Data up to end of February 2021) |
|
Expenditure (€000) |
533,122 |
564,880 |
84,687 |
|
Average Recipient Number |
39,465 |
39,740 |
39,500 |
The figures for 2020 outturn are provisional and are subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The figures for 2021 are to the end of February and are provisional.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
1017. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of child maintenance payments who are also in receipt of other means-tested social welfare payments; and the breakdown of those also in receipt of the jobseeker’s transitional payment, disability allowance and the one-parent family payment in tabular form. [15391/21]
View answerIn February 2021, some 39,190 people were in receipt of One Parent Family Payment, of whom 17,751 people were recorded as also receiving child maintenance. There were 16,078 people who were in receipt of Jobseeker's Transitional Payment (JST), and 1,872 were recorded as also receiving child maintenance.
The data requested in respect of the other means-tested schemes is set out in the tables below. The tables refer to recipients in February 2021 who also received the listed payment at some time in February 2021.
There may be situations where a OFP or JST recipient is no longer receiving maintenance (or they may be receiving a reduced amount) for their child because the other parent has lost their job due to Covid-19 pandemic. In these cases, the Department advises that the customer should contact their local Intreo Centre and provide it with a letter (from the recipient) stating that they are no longer receiving the maintenance payment from the other parent.
The Department will then revise the customers payment on that basis for a period of 12 weeks. After that period their means may be re-assessed at that stage following a review.
Table 1: Other Means-Tested Schemes - Receives Maintenance
|
Additional Means-Tested Scheme |
Receives Maintenance - OFP |
Receives Maintenance -JST |
|
Carer's Allowance |
2,972 |
25 |
|
Disability Allowance |
2 |
- |
|
Guardian's Payment Non-Contributory |
4 |
4 |
|
Rent Supplement |
411 |
102 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
40 |
4 |
|
Creche Supplement |
1 |
- |
|
Diet Supplement |
2 |
- |
|
Fuel/Heating Supplement |
2 |
1 |
|
Other Supplement |
7 |
- |
|
Travel Supplement |
8 |
- |
|
Working Family Payment |
2,253 |
6 |
Table 2: Other Means-Tested Schemes - All
|
Additional Means-Tested Scheme |
OFP |
JST |
|
Carer's Allowance |
7,980 |
190 |
|
Disability Allowance |
5 |
4 |
|
Guardian's Payment Non-Contributory |
29 |
24 |
|
Rent Supplement |
1,203 |
875 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
100 |
30 |
|
Creche Supplement |
2 |
- |
|
Diet Supplement |
7 |
2 |
|
Fuel/Heating Supplement |
5 |
1 |
|
Other Supplement |
30 |
14 |
|
Travel Supplement |
18 |
11 |
|
Working Family Payment |
4,352 |
50 |
1018. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to address the issue of parents who have child maintenance orders and are not paying the ordered amount, which then results in the custodial parent having income deducted from them. [15392/21]
View answerThe Government established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland. The Group is chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and includes legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice.
The Group's Terms of Reference includes considering and making recommendations on the current treatment of child maintenance payments in my Department. The Group is also tasked with considering and making recommendations on the liable relatives provisions associated with the One-Parent Family Payment which my Department operates, and whether or not there is a case for the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency in Ireland.
The work of the Group is well underway. I am very pleased that the Group launched its public consultation on 11th February. The consultation process which runs until 26th March provides an important opportunity for stakeholders, whether they are individuals or groups, to provide information, experiences and different perspectives on the areas under consideration. These submissions will help to inform the review and the recommendations which the Group will present to me later this year.
Furthermore, in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, my Department has put in place specific measures for the non-payment of maintenance in relation to One-Parent Family and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment customers.
In these cases, the customer should contact their local Intreo Centre and provide it with a letter stating that they are no longer receiving the maintenance payment from the other parent. Their payment will revised for a period of twelve weeks after which it will be reviewed again.
1019. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to extend the liable relative clause in existing social welfare legislation which would allow the maintenance recovery unit to pursue maintenance payments and provide it enforcement powers beyond the remit of the one-parent family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15393/21]
View answerThe Government established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland. The Group is chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and includes legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice.
One of the Group's terms of reference is to consider and make recommendations on the liable relatives provisions associated with the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) which my Department operates. However, it is important to point out that the purpose of the liable relatives provisions is to ensure that, where possible, the non-custodial parent makes a financial contribution to the State where there is an OFP payment in place, thereby reducing the overall cost to the Department. This contribution can be paid either to the OFP recipient directly or to the Department. It is important to point out also that my Department does not pursue maintenance payments on behalf of lone parents and it has no role regarding the enforcement of maintenance orders or any other maintenance arrangements.
The Group is also tasked with considering and making recommendations on the current treatment of child maintenance payments in my Department, and whether or not there is a case for the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency in Ireland.
The work of the Group is well underway. I am very pleased that the Group launched its public consultation on 11th February. The consultation process which runs until 26th March provides an important opportunity for stakeholders, whether they are individuals or groups, to provide information, experiences and different perspectives on the areas under consideration. These submissions will help to inform the review and the recommendations which the Group will present to me later this year.
1020. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients of child maintenance who are also in receipt of rent supplement from January 2020 to date; her plans to adjust the existing mechanism of deducting child maintenance payments up to €75 from rent supplement; if there is recognition of the detrimental effect this has regarding the risk of rent areas and homelessness for the custodial parent and their children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15394/21]
View answerRent supplement continues to play a key role in supporting families and individuals in private rented accommodation, with the scheme currently supporting over 20,000 active recipients.
Rent supplement is a statutory means tested scheme, payable at differentiated rates of payment according to the applicant’s means and accommodation requirements, and is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) appropriate to their family circumstances, less a weekly minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources.
For rent supplement, maintenance payments of up to €95.23 per week are fully assessable on the basis that vouched accommodation costs of up to this amount are disregarded in the assessment of weekly social assistance payments such as jobseeker’s allowance and one-parent family payment.
Where a person is in receipt of a maintenance payment of less than €95.23 per week, the maintenance payment is assessed in full for the purposes of rent supplement.
Where a person has weekly maintenance payments of more than €95.23, the next €75 is disregarded in full with 25% of any additional maintenance above €170.23 also disregarded.
The contribution towards a customer’s rent is the aggregate amount of: €95.23 primary payment disregard plus 75% of any maintenance payments in excess of €170.23 plus the customer’s €30 minimum contribution.
The interaction between rent supplement, the primary scheme and maintenance ensures that the recipient retains their full primary payment entitlement whilst making a contribution towards their accommodation costs. Every effort is made by the Department to ensure that tenants receiving rent supplement can remain in their homes. ]In view of the on-going rental market difficulties, my Department also implements a targeted case-by-case policy approach that allows for flexibility where landlords seek rents in excess of the rent limits to ensure that claimants retain their homes. Any specific risk of homelessness should be communicated to my Department at the earliest opportunity.
The Government has established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland. The Group is chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and includes legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice. The Group's Terms of Reference are to consider and make recommendations on: (i) the current treatment of child maintenance payments in my Department; (ii) the current provisions regarding liable relatives managed by my Department; and (iii) the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency in Ireland.
The work of the Group is well underway. I am very pleased that the Group launched its public consultation on 11th February. The consultation process which runs until 26th March provides an important opportunity for stakeholders, whether they are individuals or groups, to provide information, experiences and different perspectives on the areas under consideration. These submissions will help to inform the review and the recommendations which the Group will present to me later this year. Any future changes to the treatment of maintenance for the purposes of rent supplement will be considered in the context of the Group's recommendations.
The tabular statement below sets out the monthly breakdown from January 2020 to date of the number of recipients of rent supplement also receiving maintenance payments.
|
Month |
Recipients of child maintenance and rent supplement |
|
January 2020 |
684 |
|
February 2020 |
661 |
|
March 2020 |
645 |
|
April 2020 |
634 |
|
May 2020 |
616 |
|
June 2020 |
613 |
|
July 2020 |
609 |
|
August 2020 |
606 |
|
September 2020 |
593 |
|
October 2020 |
585 |
|
November 2020 |
571 |
|
December 2020 |
560 |
|
January 2021 |
550 |
|
February 2021 |
513 |
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1022. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the fuel allowance for a further two weeks. [15441/21]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €28.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €784 each year) from October to April, to over 372,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. 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.
In Budget 2021, the Government targeted one third of carbon tax revenues to go towards boosting the incomes of the poorest in our society. Based on ESRI research, three key DSP payments were targeted for increases in the budget as a result - the Fuel Allowance, the Qualified Child Allowance and the Living Alone Allowance.
From January 2021, the Fuel Allowance was increased by €3.50 per week to €28 for a period of 28 weeks, while the increase in carbon tax on solid fuels will not take effect until May 2021. This will ensure that recipients will benefit from the increased payment over this winter period.
The Government will, as it does every year, consider if the 2020/2021 fuel allowance season should be extended beyond 9 April (the end date for the current fuel season) depending on the economic circumstances and prevailing weather conditions.
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 exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1023. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on a State pension (contributory) backdating appeal by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15451/21]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 25 February 2021. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing. Hearings are currently being conducted online or by telephone. Due to the current level of Covid-19 restrictions in-person oral appeal hearings have been suspended.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for 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.
1025. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of providing an additional two weeks of fuel allowance to those who are also in receipt of the over-80s allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15463/21]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €28.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €784 each year) from October to April, to over 372,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. 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.
There are approximately 54,000 recipients of Fuel Allowance who are aged 80 years or over. The cost of providing an additional 2 weeks of Fuel Allowance to this cohort of recipients would be in the region of €3 Million on a once off basis.
The Government will, as it does every year, consider if the 2020/2021 fuel allowance season should be extended beyond 9 April (the end date for the current fuel season) depending on the economic circumstances and prevailing weather conditions.
In Budget 2021, the Government targeted one third of carbon tax revenues to go towards boosting the incomes of the poorest in our society. Based on ESRI research, three key DSP payments were targeted for increases in the budget as a result - the Fuel Allowance, the Qualified Child Allowance and the Living Alone Allowance.
From January 2021, the Fuel Allowance was increased by €3.50 per week to €28 for a period of 28 weeks, while the increase in carbon tax on solid fuels will not take effect until May 2021. This will ensure that recipients will benefit from the increased payment over this winter period.
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 exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1026. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons over 75 years of age receiving the carer's allowance by age profile in tabular form. [15484/21]
View answerThe number of persons over 75 years of age in receipt of Carer's Allowance (CA) by age profile are set out in the table below.
|
Age |
Total |
|
75-79 |
3632 |
|
80-84 |
1763 |
|
85-89 |
548 |
|
90 |
83 |
|
Total |
6026 |
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
