Written Answers Nos. 445-464
445. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage and number of successful domiciliary care applications who were successful after an oral review in each of the years since 2017, by county. [37338/21]
View answerThe 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 understand that the Deputy has clarified that the information he is seeking is in relation to the number of domiciliary care applications which were successful after an oral appeal hearing in each of the years since 2017. The table below sets out that information.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office does not collate the requested data in county format and, therefore, a breakdown by county is not available.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Domiciliary Care Allowance appeals decided by Appeals Officers
Oral Hearing outcomes 2017 to end of June 2021
|
- |
Allowed |
% |
Part allowed |
% |
Disallowed |
% |
Total |
|
2017 |
167 |
69.8% |
9 |
3.8% |
63 |
26.4% |
239 |
|
2018 |
333 |
71.0% |
5 |
1.1% |
131 |
27.9% |
469 |
|
2019 |
395 |
72.2% |
4 |
0.7% |
148 |
27.1% |
547 |
|
2020 |
131 |
71.6% |
1 |
0.5% |
51 |
27.9% |
183 |
|
2021(to end of June) |
47 |
71.2% |
1 |
1.5% |
18 |
27.3% |
66 |
446. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection if the parents of children with disabilities and in receipt of a disability payment are excluded from the back to school clothing and footwear allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37380/21]
View answerThe back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year.
The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid.
To qualify for BSCFA, a person must meet a number of conditions namely:
- The child must meet the age criteria.
- The applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and getting an increase in that payment for the qualified child (except in certain circumstances) in the period 1 June to 30 September.
- The assessable income for the household must be within prescribed limits.
- The applicant and the child (or children) in respect of whom the allowance is claimed must be resident in the State.
Parents who satisfy all the above conditions will qualify for the BSCFA.
Parents whose children are in receipt of social protection payments in their own right are not entitled to an increase in their weekly social protection payment in respect of the children concerned and, accordingly, do not meet the qualifying conditions for the BSCFA payment.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
447. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if a carer’s allowance will be granted to a person (details supplied) following appeal. [37401/21]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that two appeals by the person concerned were registered in that office on 9 April 2021 and 3 June 2021 respectively. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. Those papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 4 May 2021 and 24 June 2021 respectively and the cases were referred to an Appeals Officer on 14 May 2021 and 24 June 2021 respectively.
The Appeals Officer will make summary decisions on the appeals based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, 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.
448. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection if the issues will be addressed in relation to exchange rates in the case of a person (details supplied); if the person would earn more money each week on the State pension instead of their Polish pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37434/21]
View answerThe person concerned notified my department on 19 April 2021 of a change in their means and circumstances and a review was carried out on their disability allowance (DA). Means were assessed from a foreign pension with effect from 26 May 2021 and the person concerned was informed of this in writing on 6 May 2021.
The currency conversion rate which was used to assess the means was the European Central Bank rate on the day we received the information which was 19 April 2021 as this was the most advantageous conversion rate for the person concerned. Regulations state that the exchange rate between two currencies shall be the reference rate published by the European Central Bank (ECB). Where there is a significant fluctuation in the exchange rate then our customers can request a review of their DA entitlement.
On 31 May 2021 the person concerned requested that his case be referred to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) and his file was submitted to them on 2 July 2021. They will be in contact with him in due course regarding his appeal.
Notification that the foreign pension for the person concerned had been suspended from 1 June 2021 at their request was received by this department on 2 June 2021 and a further review was carried out on their DA entitlement.
Under social welfare legislation all income and the value of all property of which the person has directly or indirectly deprived himself of in order to qualify for the receipt of DA are assessable as means. The decision of 6 May 2021 was upheld on review and the person concerned was notified of this in writing on 2 July 2021. The deciding officer issued a further letter clarifying their assessment of means on 8 July 2021. The appeal of this decision is currently ongoing.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
449. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of self-employed pension contributions made by a person (details supplied) from when they first entered the scheme to reaching pension age; if the contributions in this case are refundable; if additional contributions can be purchased at this stage with a view to qualification for State pension (contributory); if any or all PAYE contributions paid by them have been taken into account with a view to ascertaining whether a combination of both PAYE and self-employed contributions can be used to enhance their ability to qualify for the State pension (contributory); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37450/21]
View answerUnder current social welfare legislation, a self-employed contributor will not be regarded as satisfying the contribution conditions for State pension (contributory) unless the person has paid self-employment contributions in respect of at least one contribution year prior to reaching age 66 and all self-employment contributions payable have been paid.
While the person concerned has paid self-employment (Class S) contributions for each of the tax years 2006 to 2014 inclusive, all of these self-employment contributions were paid after the person reached age 66. Therefore, under the governing legislation, the eligibility conditions for State pension (contributory) have not been satisfied. These self-employment contributions are not qualifying contributions for State pension (contributory) purposes. They cannot be included with the person’s 226 paid full-rate contributions for calculation of pension entitlement.
The person concerned was notified of this decision in writing on 19 November 2019. Following a requested review, this decision remained unchanged, and the person was advised accordingly on 11 March 2020. Their appeal of this decision was disallowed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 27 July 2020.
A combination of both PAYE and self-employed contributions can be considered for pension purposes, provided that self-employment contributions have been paid in respect of at least one contribution year prior to reaching age 66 and all self-employment contributions payable have been paid.
In order to be admitted as a voluntary contributor, 520 qualifying paid contributions are required, and an applicant must apply within 60 months of the end of the year in which they last paid or were credited a social insurance contribution prior to the year in which they wish to pay. The person concerned cannot be accepted as a voluntary contributor, as they do not satisfy the eligibility conditions for the scheme. The 60-month limit for application, as prescribed in social welfare legislation, has elapsed. Voluntary Contributions cannot be awarded for a period where compulsory contributions were due.
Compulsory Social Insurance (PRSI) for employees commenced in 1953 and for the self-employed in 1988. Refunds of PRSI arise when contributions from employers and employees have been paid in error, which is not the case for the person concerned, as compulsory PRSI was paid at the correct rate for the relevant periods of employment and self-employment. The pension element of the contributions paid by both employed and self-employed contributors may be refunded in the case of contributors who entered insurable employment either as employees or self-employed after they had attained the age of 56 and who have no entitlement to either a State pension (contributory), or a State pension (non-contributory). According to the records of my Department, the person concerned entered insurable employment on 13 July 1965, when they were 16 years of age. Therefore, the pension element of their contributions paid is not refundable.
It remains open to the person concerned to apply for State pension (non-contributory). On receipt of a completed application form, their eligibility for this pension can be determined and they will be notified in writing of the decision.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
450. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to difficulties in the registration of births in the civil registration service due to the handwriting of birth notifications from some maternity hospitals following the cyber-attack on the HSE; the steps she is taking to facilitate the registration of births while manual systems are being operated in maternity hospitals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37494/21]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the processes for the notification of births is the responsibility of the maternity services and the HSE registration services. My Department has no direct role with respect to such matters.
I am aware of the delays being suffered by the public as the HSE deals with the backlog of births and deaths registrations caused by the cyber-attack on HSE systems. Some four weeks of registration activity was lost. The HSE has advised my Department that contingency arrangements are in place for the Dublin based maternity services where electronic birth notifications cannot be sent. The HSE has further advised that electronic notification of births from the Coombe and Rotunda maternity hospitals has been restored with some transfer of data for late May and early June still necessary. The systems in place for the National Maternity Hospital are not yet restored and staff are providing handwritten or manual notifications to the Eastern Region civil registration office. The HSE is unable to say when its IT systems will be fully restored.
I understand that the hospital and registration staff are working to resolve any matters that arises on a case by case basis. In cases where a birth certificate contains clerical errors, the parent(s) can seek to have these corrected by applying to the superintendent registrar at a civil registration office of their choosing.
I hope this clarifies the matter.
451. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 427 of 22 June 2021, if her Department has reviewed the recent ESRI report Covid-19 and the Irish Welfare System, particularly with regard to its estimated cost of increasing jobseeker’s rates from €112.70 to €203, an amount of €159 million to €169 million in comparison with the estimated figure of €64.8 million; the way her Department arrived at the calculation for the estimated figures provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37525/21]
View answerWhile my Department and I have reviewed the Budget Perspectives 2022 paper with interest, I am not in a position to comment in detail on the specific methodology or assumptions which were used to cost measures by the ESRI. The analysis in this paper is mainly based on the fact that young people who remain unemployed will either not qualify for an unemployment payment, or if they do will get a reduced rate.
It is not the case that all jobseekers aged under 25 are on a reduced rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance. The age-related reduced rate of €112.70 generally applies to young jobseekers aged between 18-24, with no child dependants. Where a young jobseeker participates in education or training, they can receive the maximum weekly personal rate of up to €203.
As stated in the Parliamentary Question referenced by the Deputy, the costing to increase the €112.70 weekly personal rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance to €203 was based on the estimated number of recipients in 2021. The number of recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance is estimated based on scheme trends, any expected future changes which could impact the scheme, and macroeconomic forecasts provided by the Department of Finance.
452. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated savings forthcoming rate changes to the pandemic unemployment payment will have with regard to moving the payment rates from a maximum of €350 per week to €300 per week in September 2021 to a maximum rate of €250 per week in November and then to a standard rate of €203 as of February 2022; the breakdown of the savings at each stage of rate change and for each rate in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37526/21]
View answerThe Pandemic Unemployment Payment, or PUP, has been an important support for hundreds of thousands of workers and their families through the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating Government's commitment to workers. In total, over €8.2 billion has been paid out on PUP. Approximately 870,000 workers have received at least one PUP payment. The Government has also supported employers who have been severely impacted by Covid-19 through the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme.
Just over 211,000 people received a PUP payment this week, representing a drop of over 270,000 since the numbers in receipt of PUP peaked this year at around 482,000 in February.
As part of the National Economic Recovery Plan, Government announced changes to PUP including a transitional approach to its withdrawal on a tapered basis over 6 months from September. On 7th September 2021, the €350, €300 and €250 rates of PUP will each reduce by €50 per week to €300, €250 and €203 per week respectively. Further rate reductions will be introduced in instalments of €50 and will take place in mid-November and in early February.
The ongoing reduction in PUP numbers depends on continued progress in re-opening the economy and the response of the labour market to this re-opening. Therefore, it is not possible to be definitive about the number of PUP recipients who will be in receipt of the payment when the rate changes commence in September and to provide detailed information in the tabular format requested.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
453. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 1124 of 21 April 2021, if her Department has further considered extending short time work support jobseeker’s eligibility beyond 234 days for those with the required PRSI contributions in acknowledgement of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on employment which has required many workers to receive this payment for longer than nine months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37527/21]
View answerShort-Time Work Support is a non taxable social insurance contribution payment provided under Jobseekers Benefit for employees temporarily placed on a shorter working week by their employer and who are not being paid for days of unemployment. A person is entitled to payment of the support for any day of unemployment as long as they meet the scheme's conditions which include that they are unemployed for 4 days in 7 consecutive days.
It is a fundamental feature of a range of PRSI related benefits (including Jobseeker's Benefit, Maternity Benefit and Illness Benefit) that they are time limited. Jobseeker's Benefit support is paid for up to 9 months (or 234 days) for people with 260 or more PRSI contributions paid. It is paid for up to 6 months (or 156 days) for people with fewer than 260 PRSI contributions paid.
Where a person exhausts their entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit, they may be eligible for support under the means tested Jobseeker's Allowance scheme. In these cases, the Department will contact the recipient 10 weeks and 4 weeks in advance of the expiry date of their claim to advise them that their entitlement is due to expire and that they may be eligible for the means tested Jobseekers Allowance.
Entitlement to Jobseeker's Allowance ensures that those most financially disadvantaged will continue to receive income support. Jobseeker's Allowance has no duration limit as long as a person meets the qualifying scheme conditions including the means test. The maximum weekly personal rate of Jobseeker's Allowance and Benefit are aligned at €203.
The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme provided by the Community Welfare Service is also available to any person who is in need of financial assistance. There are several payments within the scheme, including basic weekly Supplementary Welfare Allowance, supplements, Exceptional Needs Payments and Urgent Needs Payments.
The wide ranging nature of the assistance available to those impacted by Covid -19, including the Employment Wage Subsidy scheme for employers, constitutes a comprehensive suite of supports and I do not, therefore, intend to extend the duration of Jobseeker's Benefit.
I hope that this clarifies the position at this time.
454. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 1124 of 21 April 2021, the provision her Department plans to make for workers that have exhausted their short time work support or jobseeker's benefit eligibility as a result of pandemic related impact on their employment; the way those workers will be able to access income related supports such as maternity benefit and illness benefit moving forward; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37528/21]
View answerUnder the Jobseeker schemes a person can work up to 3 days a week and still retain access to a reduced Jobseeker’s payment, subject to satisfying the statutory scheme conditions. Short-Time Work Support is a non taxable social insurance contribution payment provided under the Jobseeker's Benefit scheme for employees temporarily placed on a shorter working week by their employer and who are not being paid for days of unemployment.
It is a fundamental feature of a range of PRSI related benefits (including Jobseeker's Benefit, Maternity Benefit and Illness Benefit) that they are time limited. Jobseeker's Benefit support is paid for up to 9 months (or 234 days) for people with 260 or more PRSI contributions paid. It is paid for up to 6 months (or 156 days) for people with fewer than 260 PRSI contributions paid.
Where a person exhausts their entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit, they may be eligible for support under the means tested Jobseeker's Allowance scheme. In these cases, the Department will contact the recipient 10 weeks and 4 weeks in advance of the expiry date of their claim to advise them that their entitlement is due to expire and that they may be eligible for the means tested Jobseeker's Allowance.
Under certain circumstances a person may be awarded credits without receiving a Benefit or Allowance payment. This may apply, for example, in the case of a person who has exhausted entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit but who does not qualify for Jobseeker's Allowance due to their means. In this case, the person may be entitled to 'sign' for credits to protect their future social insurance entitlements such as unemployment, illness or pension schemes.
The means tested Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme provided by the Community Welfare Service is also available to any person who is in need of financial assistance.
I hope that this clarifies the position at this time.
455. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the working family payment to those without children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37532/21]
View answerWorking Family Payment provides an income support to employees on low earnings with children. As of May 2021 there were 45,816 families in receipt of the payment in respect of 148,647 children. Overall expenditure on the scheme in 2020 is estimated to be approximately €397 million.
Working Family Payment is a family benefit, as defined in EU Regulation 883/2004. As such it would not be possible to extend it to households without children in its current form. Additionally, the income thresholds for working family payment are directly linked to the number of children in the household and therefore are not transferrable to other family types. It is not possible to provide a costing as requested by the Deputy for these reasons.
My Department provides other supports for people on low incomes regardless of whether or not they have children. In particular, Jobseeker’s Allowance includes a provision whereby a person can engage in employment for 3 days out of 7 and retain the payment (subject to continuing to satisfy the means test and other qualifying conditions).
456. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures that have been implemented by her Department with regard to enabling the safe return to work for workers that are currently in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37533/21]
View answerMy Department does not have specific responsibility for the health and safety provisions informing the return to work for current recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. The Work Safely Protocol is the second revision of the Return to Work Safely Protocol, first published in May 2020. This revised Protocol incorporates the current advice on the Public Health measures needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community and workplaces, as issued by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and the Department of Health.
Attendance in the workplace of all staff in my Department is in accordance with the delivery of essential services and continues to be in compliance with all public health guidance and protocols.
457. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the consideration that has been given to extending self-employed related income disregard of €120 per week in respect of the pandemic unemployment payment for PAYE workers to enable and encourage the safe return to work for workers that are currently in receipt of the payment; the estimated cost for such a proposal in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37534/21]
View answerThe Pandemic Unemployment Payment or PUP was an emergency measure introduced in the exceptional circumstances of Covid-19 to help cushion the financial impact on people temporarily laid-off work as a direct result of public health measures mandated by the Government. It has been an important support for hundreds of thousands of workers and their families through COVID19. To date, over €8.2 billion has been paid out on PUP to nearly 900,000 recipients.
Thankfully, the requirement for emergency measures such as the PUP is diminishing as people are vaccinated and increasing numbers return to work. That is why, in order to allow as much time as possible for employment to recover, it has been decided to phase the return to normal jobseeker arrangements over an extended period. Accordingly the PUP rates of payment will remain unchanged until September when they will commence a gradual reduction over 6 months back to standard jobseekers terms.
I am pleased to say that our experience has shown that people are willing to return to work as restrictions are eased. This confirms research by the ESRI that indicates that the vast majority of people choose to take up work rather than remain on welfare even in situations where the financial benefit of working is low or in some cases even when it is negative. I also note that in a recent budget perspectives paper the ESRI pointed out that for most people income from employment will exceed the value of the PUP payment.
Where an employee closes their pandemic unemployment payment to return to work but has been temporarily placed on a shorter working week they may be entitled to a Jobseeker’s payment or Short-Time Work Support. Short Time Work Support is a social insurance income support payment provided under Jobseeker's Benefit. An individual’s eligibility for Short Time Work Support is dependent on the extent to which their working days are reduced. They must be temporarily working a standard reduced weekly work pattern, working 3 days or less per week having previously worked full time. The payment is made in respect of the days of work that have been lost and is not taxable.
Where a person is working part-time, up to 3 days per week, and does not have a standard work pattern they may be eligible for the social insurance based Jobseeker’s Benefit or the means tested Jobseeker’s Allowance for the days they are unemployed and not being paid.
I trust this clarifies the position.
458. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide clarity in relation to the way her Department recognises cohabiting couples (details supplied); her views on whether this is a serious inconsistency in the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37550/21]
View answerClaimants with cohabiting partners are recognised within the social welfare system as having additional needs in cases where their cohabiting partner is financially dependent upon them. The payment of an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA) in addition to the personal rate of payment reflects these additional household needs.
The IQA is payable in respect of a person who is wholly or mainly maintained by the customer, subject to a means test, regardless of whether the couple are married or not.
Where one member of a cohabiting couple claims a means-tested social assistance payment, their partner's income is taken into account in the means test.
The social welfare system has evolved over time and in response to a variety of factors, including Constitutional imperatives as interpreted by the Courts, changing social trends and EU Directives.
The income tax arrangements and associated legislation for married couples, civil partners and cohabiting couples are a matter for the Minister for Finance.
459. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection when the birth of a child (details supplied) will be registered. [37573/21]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that responsibility of the registration of births rests with the HSE.
The Registration Services have been impacted by the recent cyber-attack on the HSE. This has resulted in the service not being in a position to register births and deaths for at least four weeks.
The General Register Office, which operated under the aegis of my Department, has referred this matter to the Eastern registration office for attention.
I understand that the hospital and registration staff are working to resolve any matters that arises on a case by case basis.
I hope this clarifies the matter.
460. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether it is discriminatory to place a ceiling on a minority of recipients of the deserted wives benefit 1992-1997; her further views on whether this allowance should be subject to inflationary rebalancing over the past 14 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37632/21]
View answerDeserted Wife's Benefit is a payment made to a woman deserted by her husband. Entitlement to the payment is based on social insurance contributions paid by the wife or her husband as well as a number of other qualifying criteria. The Deserted Wife's Benefit scheme was closed off to new applications with effect from 2 January 1997, when One-Parent Family Payment was introduced.
Some women have continued to receive Deserted Wife’s Benefit because they qualified for the payment before 2 January 1997 and have continued to meet the qualifying criteria.
No earnings limit applies to claims made before 30 August 1992. An earnings limit of €12,697.38 was introduced on 31 August 1992 with a reduced rate payable provided earnings did not exceed €17,776.33. From 3 May 2007 the earning limit was increased to €20,000. This applies to all claims made from 31 August until 2 January 1997 when the scheme closed to new entrants.
There are no plans to change the qualification conditions for the scheme at present. Where a woman no longer meets these conditions but has an income need she may qualify for another payment from my Department.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
461. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons under 25 years of age currently on the pandemic unemployment payment in County Cork. [37772/21]
View answerAs of 13th July 2021 there are 4,343 persons under 25 years of age currently on the pandemic unemployment payment in County Cork.
462. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for the carer’s allowance in County Cork in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, respectively; and the number of these that were refused. [37773/21]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care.
The number of CA applications in Co. Cork received and refused from 2019 to date are set out in tabular form below.
|
- |
Carer’s Allowance – Co. Cork |
|
|
Year |
Receipts |
Refused |
|
2019 |
1,985 |
411 |
|
2020 |
1,835 |
401 |
|
2021 (to date) |
1,020 |
172 |
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
463. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of domiciliary care allowance applications in County Cork in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021 respectively; and the number of these that were refused. [37774/21]
View answerDomiciliary Care Allowance is administered centrally for the whole country. Information is not routinely collated on a county basis and therefore no specific figures for applications from county Cork are available. The number of all applications received and the number of those refused following initial application for the years in question is detailed in the table below.
|
Year |
Number of DCA Applications |
Refused on initial application |
|
2019 |
8,719 |
2,875 |
|
2020 |
7,289 |
2,639 |
|
2021 (to end of June) |
4,798 |
1,241 |
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
464. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of legal cases brought against her Department in each of the past five years and to date in 2021; and if he will provide details on the nature of these cases. [37817/21]
View answerThe table below outlines the approximate number of cases where the Department have been litigated against. As per Dáil Standing Order 69, it would be inappropriate to comment further on matters which are sub judice.
|
Year |
Number of litigation cases where the Department of Social Protection is the respondent |
|
2021 (to date) |
20 |
|
2020 |
31 |
|
2019 |
15 |
|
2018 |
45 |
|
2017 |
32 |
