Wednesday, 28 Apr 2021

Written Answers Nos. 623-641

Teaching Council of Ireland

Questions (623)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

623. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Education the number of newly-registered primary school teachers with the Teaching Council who received their teaching qualification from a college (details supplied) in each of the years since 2014; the number each year that registered with a professional master's in education; the number with a bachelor of education as their highest teaching qualification from the college; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22244/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State. 

The figures provided by the Council in the table detail the number of newly qualified primary teachers from the institution referring to by the Deputy from 2014-2020.

All of these teachers were registered on the basis of a postgraduate qualification primary teaching qualification (Higher Diploma in Arts in primary Education / Professional Masters in Education). The institution referred to by the Deputy did not and do not offer a Bachelor of Education concurrent qualification.

2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	Total Registered
521	591	677	558	627	577	672	4223

The Teaching Council inform me there are a number of caveats to this data, namely: 

- These numbers relate to newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who registered with the Council using the fast-track NQT registration process. Primary Teachers who registered outside this process are not  counted.

- The number for 2014 is an approximate.

Teaching Council of Ireland

Questions (624)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

624. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Education the number of newly-registered primary school teachers with the Teaching Council in each year since 2014 with a professional master's in education; the number with a bachelor of education as their highest teaching qualification; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22245/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State. 

The Council has provided the information requested in the table below, the number of newly qualified primary teachers primary across all providers since 2014 broken into Consecutive and Concurrent qualifications.

Table

The Teaching Council inform me there are a number of caveats to this data, namely:  

- These numbers relate to the qualifications of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) transferred to the Council from HEIs.

- A small number of NQTs may not have completed the registration process.

- Primary Teachers who registered outside the NQT summer fast track process are not counted.

- The number for 2014 is an approximate.

Special Educational Needs

Questions (625)

Holly Cairns

Question:

625. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education the number of ASD classes in both primary schools and post-primary schools per county annually between 2014 and 2020, inclusive in tabular form. [22249/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education

I wish to advise the Deputy that the information sought is available on the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) website at www.ncse.ie.

School Transport

Questions (626)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

626. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the position in respect of school transport refunds (details supplied). [22254/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.

The purpose of the 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.

The decision taken by the Government not to re-open schools on the 6th January 2021, followed by the subsequent phased re-opening, was taken in the interest of protecting our pupils, their families, teachers and those members of the wider community and is one of the many measures taken to support efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19.

The matter of refunds on the cost of school transport tickets for the period of school closures in the 2020/2021 school year will be considered at the end of the current school year.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (627)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

627. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the amount spent by her Department on public relations advice and media advice since January 2020 to date in 2021; and the companies engaged for this advice in tabular form. [22270/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

The Department entered two contracts during the period in question to provide enhanced capacity, supporting necessary communications with a wide range of stakeholders on matters relating to school reopening and the Leaving Certificate Calculated Grades projects. It is common practice for Government Departments to engage external companies to support specific projects when required.

The Department engaged the services of McQuaid Media and Communications to provide communications services to the Department to support the Schools re-opening and Calculated Grades’ projects in September 2020. The total cost was €6,000.

The Department also engaged the services of the Communications Clinic to provide communications services to the Department from September 24 2020 to October 3 2020 to support the Calculated Grades’ projects. The total cost was €19,481.

Departmental Expenditure

Questions (628)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

628. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the amount spent by her Department on advertising and public messaging in print, broadcast and online since January 2020 to date in 2021; and the companies engaged to assist with placing the advertisements and the companies advertised with in tabular form. [22288/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

The Department has engaged in a number of advertising and public messaging campaigns for the period in question. The details of these are being aggregated and a response will issue directly to the Deputy once all the information is collated.

School Costs

Questions (629)

Gary Gannon

Question:

629. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if her attention been drawn to calls to remove the voluntary contribution from schools given the financial difficulties each year for families due to school costs (details supplied); the status of the commitment in this regard in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22355/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

Voluntary contributions by parents of pupils enrolled in recognised schools are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition. The manner in which such voluntary contributions are sought and collected is a matter for school management, however their collection should be such as not to create a situation where either parents or pupils could reasonably infer that the contributions take on a compulsory character.

The Education (Admission to Schools) Act, 2018, prohibits the charging of fees or seeking payment or contributions for an application for admission to a school or for the enrolment or continued enrolment of a student in a school. 

My Department recognises the current additional financial burden on schools and has provided operational supports for Primary and Post Primary schools to fully and safely operate in a sustainable way while minimising risk associated with COVID-19.

I understand the need for improved capitation funding and I am pleased that budget 2020 provided a further 2.5% increase in standard capitation funding for primary schools that applied from the start of the 2020/21 school year. This builds on the 5% increase in capitation announced in budget 2019.

The combined increases given in 2019 and 2020 mean that circa 40% restoration will be achieved. 

All schools have received the benefit of the capitation increases awarded to date.   It is my intention to seek funding for further capitation increases in future budgets.

State Examinations

Questions (630)

Gary Gannon

Question:

630. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if State examinations in 2022 will be modified to accommodate for disruptions in teaching and learning as a result of Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22356/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. From Monday 11 January 2021, all students, including students currently in fifth year and who are due to sit the Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022, engaged in a programme of remote learning with their schools. All students have now returned to school.

The public health restrictions which resulted in the closure of schools in March 2020 highlighted the absolute necessity for schools to be agile in providing for continuity of schooling in the future. As a contingency measure against the possibility of partial or full school closures, my Department provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils/students in a COVID-19 context. These are available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool.

The nature of distance learning, which was necessitated during the unprecedented closure of schools earlier last year, required educators to take on a range of approaches to support their pupils’ continuity of learning during that period. Assisted by Department-funded resources and supports, schools and teachers demonstrated great innovation in adapting to the unprecedented situation including the use of digital technologies and online learning platforms for teaching and learning.  

Extensive guidance and supports have been and continue to be made available by my Department and its support services to support schools to plan for the transition to online and remote learning. Circular 0074/2020, ‘Communication/Teaching & Learning Platform’, was issued by the Department last year.  In accordance with the circular, it became a requirement for all schools to have in place a communication/learning platform (while acknowledging that many schools have already put such platforms in place) that supports them to respond in the event of a partial or full school closure in the future, including the facilitation of some use of live or recorded video lessons where practicable.

The circular includes links to a range of materials and supports developed by the Digital Technologies team of the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), including information and resources for commonly used platforms for teaching, learning and assessment,  short video tutorials exploring how digital platforms and tools can be used effectively for remote learning purposes and clarity regarding how chosen platforms can be effectively used for assessment and feedback purposes, links to each of which are shown.

Other documents published by my Department to support the return to school include Guidance for Practical Subjects in Post-Primary Schools and Centres for Education and Returning to school: Guidance on learning and school programmes for post primary school leaders and teachers. These documents provide guidance for teachers and schools that is specific to each practical subject area, so that students can be facilitated to actively engage with their learning.  All documentation published is available on www.gov.ie/backtoschool.

The www.gov.ie/backtoschool site also contains information on well-being supports for Leaving Certificate students.  This includes a series of supports on managing well-being, coping with uncertainty and managing stress and anxiety, developed by the National Educational Psychological Service in my Department, to support students. The webpage has links to more individualised support for students to access, should these be needed. My Department worked with the Department of Health and the HSE to ensure the most appropriate services and resources are clearly signposted for students. 

Adjustments were made to the assessment arrangements for the 2021 Leaving Certificate examinations to take account of the disruption to learning experienced by the students who are due to take these examinations.  I am conscious that current fifth year students have also experienced some disruption to their learning and this will be considered in planning for the 2022 Leaving Certificate.

Departmental Transport

Questions (631)

Darren O'Rourke

Question:

631. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the estimated cost of replacing State vehicles which are owned by her Department or agencies under her remit with hybrid or electric models; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22562/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department does not lease or own any vehicles.

The information in respect of state bodies within the scope of the Deputy’s question is not held by my Department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the attached document should the Deputy wish to contact them directly with his query.

Table

School Meals Programme

Questions (632)

Francis Noel Duffy

Question:

632. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a school (details supplied) has not been selected for the school meals scheme considering the school serves one of the most deprived areas in the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21132/21]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,557 schools and organisations benefitting 227,000 children.  The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them.  The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.

As part of Budget 2019, funding was provided for a pilot scheme from September 2019, providing hot school meals in primary schools at a cost of €1m for 2019 and €2.5m in 2020.  The pilot involved 37 schools benefitting 6,744 students for the 2019/2020 academic year and was aimed primarily at schools with no onsite cooking facilities. 

In Budget 2021, I announced that an additional €5.5m would be provided to extend the provision of hot school meals to an additional 35,000 primary school children, currently receiving the cold lunch option.  Officials from the Department issued invitations for expressions of interest to 705 (612 DEIS and 95 non-DEIS) primary schools in November 2020.  A total of 281 (256 DEIS and 25 non-DEIS) expressions of interest were received in respect of 52,148 children.

The 35,000 places were allocated to each local authority area based on the number of children applied by local authority as a percentage of the total number.  A minimum of one school for each Local Authority area was selected.  Thereafter, a process of random selection was used for each area.

As a result of this process, 189 of the 281 schools that submitted an expression of interest were selected.  Of the 189 schools selected, 171 (90.5%) are DEIS and 18 (9.5%) are non-DEIS.

The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an Expression of Interest for the Hot Meals Scheme as part of the five school Killinarden School Completion Programme.  Unfortunately the school was not selected and I appreciate that this is disappointing for the school. 

We have contacted all schools selected for the Hot Meals Scheme and are in the process of considering responses.  Further consideration will be given to the use of any excess capacity once we have confirmed the position with the selected schools.

Any further extension of the provision of hot meals will need to be considered in a budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Illness Benefit

Questions (633)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

633. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of application for an illness benefit in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21133/21]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Illness Benefit claim from the person concerned has been awarded at a rate of €91.10 per week. Their first payment is due to issue to them on the 26th April 2021. An award letter has issued to the person concerned giving them the full details of this decision.

It is open for the person concerned to apply for a top up to this payment under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme at her local Intreo Office.  

 I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (634)

Willie O'Dea

Question:

634. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) has been refused benefit payment for a 65 year old on the basis that they did not have the relevant contributions in recent years; her plans to make changes to the rules to alleviate such situations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21155/21]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds has been introduced to fulfil the Programme for Government commitment to address the position of people who retire at age 65, in many cases not because they want to, but because that is the retirement age specified in their contract of employment.  The new payment is not designed to be a full State Pension and it is designed specifically to bridge the gap for people who retire at 65 but who don’t qualify for the State Pension until age 66.  Recipients of the payment are not required to sign on, engage in activation measures or be available for and genuinely seeking work which is normally the case for recipients of a Jobseeker’s payment.

To be eligible for the payment a person must satisfy the qualifying conditions of the scheme including the PRSI social insurance contribution requirement.

The first PRSI condition is that a person must have paid 104 PRSI insurable employment contributions at class A, H or P or paid 156 class S contributions if they are self-employed. The second contribution condition requires that a person must also have 39 reckonable contributions paid or credited in the Governing Contribution Year (GCY). The GCY for 2021 is 2019.  At least 13 of these contributions must be paid. Where a person does not have 13 paid contributions in the GCY they can be from 2 years before the GCY, the last complete tax year or the current tax year.  Alternatively, a person could qualify if they have at least 26 reckonable contributions paid in both the GCY and the year immediately preceding the GCY.

The requirement to have paid contributions during this period is to demonstrate a recent attachment to the workforce.

The social insurance contribution requirements are not as high as for receipt of the State Pension, and people retiring at age 65, given they have a recent attachment to the workforce, should, in most cases meet the required PRSI conditionality.

Where a person does not qualify for the Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds they may be eligible for support under the means tested Jobseeker's Allowance scheme subject to satisfying the qualifying conditions of that scheme.

While the person concerned satisfies the first contribution condition, he does not satisfy the second contribution condition and therefore does not qualify for receipt of the Benefit Payment for 65 year olds.

There are no plans to amend the conditions of the scheme.

I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Pension Provisions

Questions (635)

Cathal Crowe

Question:

635. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if the proposed pension deal her Department has drafted in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to provide for pensions for community employment scheme supervisors also extends to rural social scheme and Tús supervisors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21173/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection

The Department of Social Protection delivers a range of employment and income support schemes including Community Employment, Tús and the Rural Social Scheme. 

These schemes are delivered by independent bodies funded by the Department.  CE is delivered by sponsoring authorities while Tús and RSS are delivered by 48 local development companies and by Údarás na Gaeltachta, known collectively as Implementing Bodies. While the Department provides funding for participant and supervisors' payroll, the Department is not the employer of any scheme participants or their supervisors. 

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 that specifically related to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and assistant supervisors who are employed by CE schemes. 

It is within the context of the 2008 Labour Court recommendation that officials from my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the unions representing the CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors held discussions on proposals to progress this issue over the past number of months.   These discussions were held on the clear agreement by all involved, that they related solely to CE supervisors and assistant supervisors.

As the Deputy is aware, recently, agreement was reached between my colleagues, the Minister for Social Protection and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on proposals to resolve the long standing issue. Details of these proposals have been forwarded to the unions representing CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors by the Department of Social Protection.  I understand the unions are currently considering these proposals and have sought clarification on some of the details contained in the proposal.  My Department will engage with the unions on this basis.  I am confident this is a solid basis for progressing and resolving this complex issue, while ensuring there is no potential exposure for additional costs to the exchequer.  

Any settlement arising  applies to those parties who were the subject of the 2008 Labour Court recommendation and the subsequent discussions with both Departments, namely CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors.  In light of the above, proposals now under discussion, will not apply to other parties such as Tús or RSS supervisors. 

I trust this clarifies matters.

Employment Support Services

Questions (636)

Neale Richmond

Question:

636. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Social Protection when she expects Intreo offices to reopen to the general public; the steps she has taken to ensure that those who need to contact their local Intreo office can do so in a timely and efficient manner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21189/21]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Intreo Centres (ICs) are a single point of contact for all employment and income supports.  The Centres are designed to provide a streamlined approach, offering practical, tailored employment services and supports for jobseekers.

In the interest of continuing to observe the current public health advice in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic and to safeguard both customers and staff, my Department reduced the Intreo Centres’ public opening hours.  These are emergency temporary measures and our opening hours are being kept under review in line with Government guidelines. 

ICs are currently open to the public on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  However, staff are always available to provide assistance over the phone or through email.

On-line services are also available through the easy to use online portal www.mywelfare.ie to customers who wish to apply for income supports and / or obtain information on the services provided by my Department.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Carer's Allowance

Questions (637)

John McGuinness

Question:

637. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if an appeal for carer’s allowance will be expedited in the name of persons (details supplied). [21232/21]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered with that office on 24 February 2020.  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.  These papers were received on 11 March 2020 and the appeal was referred to an Appeals Officer on 30 March 2020.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic in-person oral hearings were suspended in March 2020 for the safety of all.  To assist in her consideration of the appeal, the Appeals Officer sought clarification from the Department on some aspects of the case in August 2020.  The person concerned requested an oral hearing for himself and his wife, who also has an appeal, as she has disabilities and is non-verbal.  The Appeals Office offered to hold an oral hearing via telephone before Christmas 2020 but the person concerned declined this facility as they hoped to have a face-to-face hearing in the near future.

Given the continuing level of Covid-19 restrictions the person concerned ultimately agreed to an oral hearing via telephone.  I understand that the Deputy attended this hearing which was held on 11 February 2021.  During the course of the hearing the person concerned agreed to submit further evidence.  The Appeals Officer has received this evidence and is currently considering this and all the other evidence related to the appeal.  It is envisaged that a decision will issue in the near future.

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.

Pensions Council

Questions (638)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

638. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the decision by the Pensions Commission not to publish the submissions it received during its recent public consultation on State pensions; the reason for the Pension Commission’s decision not to make public the submissions as would be common practice given that the decision could undermine the work of the Commission; and if she will call on the Commission to immediately publish the submissions for the purpose of transparency and confidence in its work. [21244/21]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I was pleased to establish the Pensions Commission in November last year, in fulfilment of a Programme for Government commitment.  The Commission has held 10 meetings so far, and hosted a virtual Stakeholder Forum last week on April 21st.

The Pensions Commission’s public consultation process, 'Have your Say on Sustainable State Pensions into the future', ran from 9th February to 9th March 2021 inclusive.  The Commission asked interested individuals and organisations to send in written submissions by post or by email, or to respond to an online survey.  As noted on the Commission's website, pensionscommission.gov.ie, over 200 individual and organisational submissions and over 1,100 survey responses were received.  

The purpose of the public consultation process is to inform the Commission's work, including its deliberations on recommended reform options as per its Terms of Reference.  In keeping with common practice for independent bodies of this nature, I understand that the Commission will first complete its analyses of findings, conclude its deliberations and submit its final report to Government before publishing submissions on its website as it deems appropriate. 

The submissions made by the organisations that spoke at the virtual Stakeholder Forum (Age Action, ESRI, Ibec, ICTU, National Women's Council of Ireland and SpunOut) are all available on the Commission's website.  Some organisations published their submissions on their own websites and accordingly these are also in the public domain. 

In accordance with its Terms of Reference, the Commission is due to submit a report on its work 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 trust this clarifies this matter for the Deputy.

State Pensions

Questions (639)

Jim O'Callaghan

Question:

639. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason former gardaí who worked in the public sector prior to April 1995 do not have entitlement to a State pension (contributory); her plans to change this rule; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21259/21]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Civil and public sector employees, recruited prior to 6 April 1995, pay social insurance contributions at modified rates under PRSI classes B, C and D.  Amongst the class B contributors are permanent and pensionable civil servants and Gardaí, the class C contributors are commissioned army officers and members of the army nursing service and the class D contributors include permanent and pensionable employees in the public service other than those insured at classes B and C.  All civil and public servants recruited from 6 April 1995 pay social insurance at the standard class A rate.  

Prior to 6 April 1995, civil and public servants did not have access to the full range of social insurance benefits as their terms of employment protected them against the main contingencies of illness and old age, and the risk of unemployment was not considered a factor due to the nature of their employment.

Consequently, such contributors pay less in social insurance contributions in return for fewer social insurance benefits.  For example, class B contributors currently pay social insurance at the rate of 0.9% on their weekly earnings up to €1,443 and 4% on weekly earnings over that amount and their employers pay a contribution of 2.01% on all employee earnings.  Class B contributors are currently entitled to widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's (contributory) pension, guardian's payment (contributory), limited occupational injuries benefits, parent's benefit and carer's benefit.

In contrast, those civil and public servants recruited from 6 April 1995 pay a class A social insurance contribution of 4% on their weekly earnings and their employers pay a contribution of 8.8% where employees’ weekly earnings are €398 or less and 11.05% where their employees’ weekly earnings exceed €398. Such contributors have access to the full range of social insurance benefits.

While the modified rates of social insurance do not give entitlement to the State pension (contributory), such contributors may, subject to a means test, qualify for the State pension (non-contributory).

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Community Employment Schemes

Questions (640)

Colm Burke

Question:

640. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will carry out a review of the payment made to participants under the community employment scheme in which the current scheme only allows an additional €20 per week on top of the unemployment benefit; if so, if consideration will be given to increasing the payment to €50 per week in addition to the unemployment benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21292/21]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection

The 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. 

The Department of Social Protection provides financial support in the form of allowances and funding to assist with the Community Employment programme, for example participant wages, supervisor grants, material grants and training grants.

Participants are employed and paid weekly by the sponsor organisation and have certain statutory employment rights including annual leave, maternity leave and public holidays.  Participants engage in part time work of 19.5 hours per week.

The payment rates on CE are related to the underlying value of certain social protection payments plus €22.50 per week. In addition, a participant may be eligible, where appropriate, for payments in respect of any qualified dependent adult and children.  

If a CE participant's underlying payment, to include dependents, is €203 a week or less, they receive the minimum CE weekly rate of €225.50, that is €203 plus the top up of €22.50.  If a participant's underlying payment, to include dependents, is €203 or more, then they receive the same rate as their social welfare payment plus €22.50.

CE participants can retain their medical card and can also retain the extra benefits they were entitled to on their underlying scheme prior to joining CE, for example Fuel Allowance, an increase for Living Alone, Living on an Island and Travel Pass, provided they continue to satisfy the qualifying conditions for those benefits.

CE participants can also work outside of the 19.5 hours that they participant on CE. The income from this employment does not affect their CE payment rate.

A number of Social Welfare payment increases took effect in January 2021 as part of measures introduced by Government in Budget 2021. The weekly payments for qualified child dependents increased by €5 to €45 for children aged 12 or over and by €2 to €38 for children aged up to 12. Fuel Allowance, which is paid during the fuel season each year, was increased by €3.50 to €28 per week. The Living Alone Allowance increased by €5 per week to €19 and the Island Allowance, which is paid to people living on certain offshore islands, increased by €7.30 to €20 per week.  These increases benefitted many eligible CE participants.

I am fully committed to the future of this programme and will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the CE participants in particular given the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services. However, it is not my intention to increase the payment rates for CE participants at this time. 

Social Welfare Schemes

Questions (641)

David Cullinane

Question:

641. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Social Protection the regional breakdown by county of requests for supports available under the reasonable accommodation fund 2016-2020; the number of requests that were applied for, granted and refused, respectively under same during the timeframe; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21296/21]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Reasonable Accommodation Fund Grants are designed to assist and support jobseekers and persons in employment with disabilities and private sector employers seeking to employ or retain a person with a disability.

The grants available are:

a. Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant, which provides funding to make the workplace more accessible.  

b. Personal Reader Grant, which provides funding for a personal reader to assist someone who is blind or visually impaired in their work.

c. Job Interview / Interpreter Grant, which is a grant for an interpreter to accompany a person with hearing loss to a job interview or to undertake induction training.       

d. Employee Retention Grant Scheme, which aims to help employers retain employees who acquire a disability.

The amount of the overall funding grants provided under the Reasonable Accommodation Fund Grants is demand-led – i.e. the funding / number of grants provided rises in response to the number of applications received. 

The tables below provide data on the number of Reasonable Accommodation Fund Grants issued for the years 2016 to 2020, and a breakdown by county of the largest grant (the Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant) issued in the period 2017 to 2019 - 2020.  A record of the number of situations where a grant was not issued is not kept in Intreo offices.  

It is not possible at the time of writing to provide a breakdown by county of the other grants; however a full breakdown will be forwarded directly to the Deputy in the coming weeks.

A review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund Grants is currently being undertaken by my Department.  As part of this exercise officials are undertaking an in-depth analysis of grants issued across the Department's Intreo centres.  It is expected that the review will be completed in Q3.

Finally, it is important to note that the funding the Department makes available through the grants it administers, does not impact or lessen the obligation on employers to provide reasonable accommodations.  The provision of reasonable accommodations by all employers is a legally enforceable right for both jobseekers and employees.  The Employment Equality Acts oblige employers to take reasonable steps to accommodate the needs of both employees and job applicants with disabilities, except where to do so would impose a disproportionate burden on them.

Table1: Number of grants issued 2016 to 2020

	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant (WEAG)	39	39	44	37	42
Personal reader grant (PRG)	49	56	34	24	28
Job Interview Interpreter Grant (JIIG)	26	28	36	28	21
Employee Retention Grant (ERG)	0	0	1	0	0
Total	114	123	115	89	91

Table 2: Number of WEAG issued by County 2017, 2018, 2019

(A breakdown of WEAG by county is not available for 2016)

County	2017	2018	2019
Carlow	0	1	0
Cavan	1	1	0
Clare	1	2	1
Cork	6	2	6
Donegal	2	1	1
Dublin	8	18	8
Galway	2	2	2
Kerry	1	4	0
Kildare	0	0	2
Kilkenny	1	0	1
Laois	0	0	0
Leitrim	0	0	0
Limerick	1	0	2
Longford	0	0	2
Louth	1	0	1
Mayo	1	0	0
Meath	1	0	1
Monaghan	1	0	0
Offaly	0	0	1
Roscommon	2	1	0
Sligo	3	1	0
Tipperary	0	0	0
Waterford	0	0	0
Westmeath	1	1	0
Wexford	2	4	3
Wicklow	3	1	0
Total*	38	39	31

* where there is a  slight variance between the numbers in the tables - the county in which the grant was issued may not be immediately clear.