Róisín Shortall
Question:1114. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39456/21]
View answerPension Provisions
Questions (1114)
Written answers
I refer the Deputy to my previous responses to the following PQs - 27904/21 of 25 May 2021; 29016/21 of 27 May 2021; and 31424/21 and 30818/21 of 15 June 2021 - and confirm that there is no change to the position on this matter.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (1115)
Claire Kerrane
Question:1115. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for the delays to jobseeker’s payments for self-employed preschool and primary teachers who are experiencing significant delays to their applications; the estimated time for the resolution of these delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39458/21]
View answerWritten answers
The Department is not aware of any delays for Jobseekers Payment for self-employed pre-school and primary teachers. Almost all pre-school and primary teachers are employees and currently there are 9,858 applications for Jobseekers Allowance and Jobseekers Benefit awarded and in payment. There are 953 cases currently with the Department's Deciding Officers for decision and these will be decided over the coming days. Further details relating to holiday pay is awaited from the Department of Education and other employers in relation to another 987 cases. Once these details are received these cases will be processed.
Claims from customers working in the educational sector continue to be received by the Department daily and are being processed promptly.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Employment Support Services
Questions (1116)
Paul Murphy
Question:1116. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to use private contractors to provide case officer staff to link in with participants and hosts taking part in the work placement experience programme. [39495/21]
View answerWritten answers
The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a key policy initiative under Pillar 2 of the National Recovery Programme, launched by Government on the 1st June 2021. It is also a central measure of the Government's new national employment services strategy, Pathways to Work 2021-2025. This sets out the national framework for activation and employment supports to assist persons, whose employment has been adversely affected by COVID, back to work, while continuing to support those who were unemployed pre-pandemic.
The Pathways strategy sets out an ambitious plan for investment in training, education, skill development, work placement schemes, recruitment subsidies and jobs search. The focus is on helping persons who have lost jobs to find new ones, to retrain and develop new skills, in particular in emerging growth sectors with new employment opportunities
WPEP is a funded work placement scheme to provide work experience for jobseekers who have been unemployed for more than six months, including time spent on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) and regardless of age. Participation on the WPEP is entirely voluntary.
I was very pleased to launch the WPEP on Monday 12th July 2021. Placements will provide unemployed persons with valuable work experience, recognised internationally as being effective in assisting jobseekers find new jobs. Payments to participants will be €306 per week plus increases for qualified adults and children. All placements will provide training opportunities and in particular, participants will be provided with opportunities to undertake accredited training as part of the programme. Options include a new QQI accredited work placement award which will be delivered by the Education and Training Boards at levels 3, 4 and 5.
The Department’s externally contracted employment support services, which includes Local Employment Services (LES), JobPath and Employability, have been briefed on the new programme and are encouraged to promote WPEP opportunities to interested jobseekers. Where jobseekers are successful in gaining a WPEP work placement, they will be referred back to the Department and be assigned an Intreo Case Officer to work with them throughout their placement. This Case Officer will support the participant and the host organisation throughout the programme and will ensure that the training and other requirements of the placement are satisfied. For example, the Case Officer can advise of suitable training options to achieve the required 20 hours of accredited or sector-recognised training, as well as the 60 hours work experience training, ensure that the participant is being supported by a mentor and deal with any issues arising during the placement. The Case Officer can refer the jobseeker to an ETB if they are interested in pursuing the QQI accredited WPEP work experience award at level 3, 4, or 5.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
Employment Support Services
Questions (1117)
Paul Murphy
Question:1117. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if all participants in the work placement experience programme will receive a basic payment of €306 a week regardless of age. [39496/21]
View answerWritten answers
The Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a key policy initiative under Pillar 2 of the National Recovery Programme, launched by Government on the 1st June 2021. It is also a central measure of the Government's new national employment services strategy; Pathways to Work 2021-2025. This sets out the national framework for activation and employment supports to assist persons, whose employment has been adversely affected by COVID, back to work while continuing to support those who were unemployed pre-pandemic.
The Pathways strategy sets out an ambitious plan for investment in training, education, skill development, work placement schemes, recruitment subsidies and jobs search. The focus is on helping persons who have lost jobs find a new ones, retrain and develop new skills, in particular in emerging growth sectors with new employment opportunities.
WPEP is a key policy initiative under this the new strategy. It is a funded work placement scheme to provide work experience for 10,000 jobseekers who have been unemployed for more than six months, including time spent on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP), regardless of age. Participation on WPEP is entirely voluntary.
I can confirm to the Deputy that all participants will receive a personal weekly allowance of €306 per week regardless of age, other income or means. This is equivalent to the national minimum wage. In addition, participants will continue to receive any underlying social welfare entitlements for qualified adults and children and any underlying secondary welfare benefits they had an entitlement to prior to commencing a WPEP placement.
I was very pleased to launch the WPEP on Monday 12th July 2021. Placements will provide unemployed persons with valuable work experience, recognised internationally as being effective in assisting jobseekers find new jobs. All placements will provide training opportunities and in particular participants will be provided with opportunities to undertake accredited training as part of the programme. Options include a new QQI accredited work placement award which will be delivered by the Education and Training Boards at levels 3,4 and 5. In recognition of this training and development component of the scheme and the value of the new options for accredited and sector recognised learning, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Skills through the National Training Fund (NFT) is investing €27 million in the scheme. The NTF will be repaid if funding from the EU is secured under the National Resilience and Recovery Plan for this element of WPEP.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
Public Services Card
Questions (1118)
Paul Kehoe
Question:1118. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of public services cards that have expired and not been automatically replaced in 2021; the efforts being made to reissue these expired cards and reduce the waiting time for those who request a replacement card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39608/21]
View answerWritten answers
The Public Services Card (PSC) is proof that a person has authenticated their identity through the SAFE registration process. My Department does not automatically renew PSCs. This is because a new photograph of the person is required for the renewed card.
My Department is compiling figures on the number of PSCs that have expired and have not been replaced this year and these figures will be forwarded to the Deputy when they are available.
In March 2020, following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, my Department closed its offices in accordance with the prevailing public health restrictions. This meant face to face PSC appointments, including PSC renewal appointments, had to be deferred. As a result, automatic invites to those whose PSC was due to expire were suspended, to ensure customers were not directed to attend offices which were closed at that time.
As part of my Department’s response during the pandemic, a facility was introduced whereby a person can have the validity period of their PSC extended by three years, by calling an office of the Department or by calling 1890 927 999. These extended cards, issued on request, use the existing photograph, and do not necessitate attendance at a face-to-face appointment.
More recently, my Department has introduced a new online PSC renewal service, available on MyWelfare.ie.
Since 17 May 2021, PSC appointments have resumed in Intreo Centres and Branch Offices countrywide. An average of 1,000 appointments are held daily and additional resources have been assigned to increase the daily appointment capacity.
Cards renewed through the new MyWelfare service, or by attendance at a PSC renewal appointment, and which use an up to date photograph, are valid for 10 years.
It is important to note that holders of expired free travel PSCs have at all times retained their entitlement to free travel. For this reason, an agreement was put in place with the National Transport Authority and transport service providers, whereby expired free travel cards are accepted for travel on public transport services. Expired PSCs can also continue to be used to collect social welfare payments in Post Offices nationwide, and to verify MyGovID accounts.
Officials in my Department are currently exploring options to automatically replace expired PSCs for a temporary period. This option will be analysed and any risks mitigated before it could be implemented.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Question No. 1119 answered with Question No. 1094.
Departmental Communications
Questions (1120)
Rose Conway-Walsh
Question:1120. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection when the dedicated Houses of the Oireachtas lines of communication with her Department will be reopened; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39630/21]
View answerWritten answers
My Department provides a dedicated mailbox for each of the main schemes whereby Teachtaí Dála can raise specific queries for their constituents directly with the relevant scheme area. These mailboxes are monitored every day and have been operating efficiently and effectively to provide quick responses on queries raised.
With the onset of COVID-19, the imposition of social distancing meant that my Department had to reduce the number of staff working from within the traditional office environment. Large numbers of scheme administration staff are now successfully working from home. My Department has been able to redirect work to them electronically and overall productivity has been maintained at pre-COVID levels.
While the main Customer Call Centres were maintained, the operation of the scheme level TD Enquiry lines had to be suspended in some areas. This is being kept under ongoing review and as and when social distancing measures are eased and more staff can work safely in the Department's offices, I hope to be in a position to reintroduce these enquiry lines.
Some areas of my Department have been in a position to reintroduce the TD enquiry line sooner than others and as they are reintroduced details are being made available to Deputies.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
Disability Services
Questions (1121)
Anne Rabbitte
Question:1121. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person can self-refer to an employability programme; if not, if the process is being revised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39708/21]
View answerWritten answers
EmployAbility is a specialised employment support service dedicated to improving employment outcomes for job seekers that have a physical or mental disability. To access the service clients must be referred through Intreo, the Public Employment Service.
In practice, any individual may approach an Employability service provider who will be happy to discuss the service with them and if appropriate direct them towards the Intreo service for formal referral. If there is a particular individual circumstance the Deputy wishes to raise she may wish to contact my office and officials from the Department will examine the matter.
Question No. 1122 answered with Question No. 1094.
Social Welfare Schemes
Questions (1123)
Bríd Smith
Question:1123. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of passenger journeys for which her Department compensated the licensed transport operators under the free travel scheme in respect of each year from 2015 to 2020 and during the period January to June 2021 in respect of licensed routes (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39819/21]
View answerWritten answers
The free travel scheme permits free travel on most CIE public transport services, Luas and a range of services offered by some 80 private operators countrywide for those eligible under the scheme. The scheme is available to all people aged over 66 and those under age 66 on qualified payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State. At the end of June, there were 1,002,682 customers eligible for Free Travel.
The transport provider concerned was a participant in the Free Travel scheme during the periods 2015 to 2020 and from January to June 2021, for the routes specified by the Deputy and has been paid accordingly for the carriage of Free Travel passengers.
It is not possible to provide the number of passenger journeys requested by the Deputy for the periods concerned as my Department does not hold this information.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Question No. 1124 answered with Question No. 1094.
Question No. 1125 answered with Question No. 1094.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (1126)
Cian O'Callaghan
Question:1126. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the increase for the qualified child payment has stopped for dependants over 18 years of age; if so, the steps she is taking to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39828/21]
View answerWritten answers
Increases for a Qualified Child (IQCs) are paid as child-related supplements to most weekly social welfare payments in recognition of the need for greater incomes among benefit-dependent households with dependent children. There have been no changes to the arrangements in relation to children aged 18 to 22.
An IQC is payable in respect of qualified children until age 18 on all schemes where IQCs apply.
Where the dependent child is aged between 18 and 22 and in full-time education an IQC continues to be payable where the customer is in receipt of (i) a long-term payment, (ii) a short-term payment, such as Jobseeker's Benefit or Illness Benefit for 156 days, or (iii) has an accumulation of at least 156 days of relevant payments.
Where a student reaches 18 during the academic year, but the customer is in receipt of a short-term payment and does not satisfy the 156 days requirement, the IQC will continue to be paid in respect of that child up to the 30th June following their 18th birthday or until they complete the full-time day course, whichever is earlier.
Where a student reaches age 22 during an academic year, payment of the IQC is continued for the duration of that academic year, provided he or she remains in full-time education until then.
In Budget 2021, I increased the weekly rates of IQC payment to €38 for a child under 12 and to €45 for a child aged 12 or over.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (1127)
Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:1127. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of children that applied for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; and the breakdown of these applications that were approved or rejected. [39840/21]
View answerWritten answers
The 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 Government has provided €53.5m for the scheme in 2021 which operates from June to September.
The allowance is payable for eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child increase is being paid. It is also payable to those 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.
The majority of customers are awarded BSCFA automatically and these customers are notified of their award. This year, these customers were notified of their award by the 21 June. Customers who have not received notification of an automated award need to apply for the BSCFA before the closing date, 30 September 2021.
The number of customers that applied for the BSCFA in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021, and the breakdown of the applications awarded and refused is set out in tabular form below.
|
Year |
Total Awards (customers) |
Total Awards (children) |
Auto Awards (customers) |
Auto Awards (children) |
Manual Applications Received |
Manual Awards (customers) |
Manual Awards (children) |
Refusals |
|
2016 |
152,108 |
283,000 |
108,805 |
193,327 |
51,941 |
43,303 |
89,673 |
8,638 |
|
2017 |
150,867 |
275,416 |
113,801 |
204,957 |
47,759 |
37,592 |
70,459 |
10,167 |
|
2018 |
144,040 |
266,462 |
104,461 |
190,308 |
50,815 |
39,579 |
76,154 |
11,236 |
|
2019 |
143,146 |
263,405 |
116,614 |
212,078 |
39,496 |
26,532 |
51,327 |
12,964 |
|
2020 |
143,324 |
264,453 |
115,552 |
212,045 |
44,330 |
27,772 |
52,408 |
16,558 |
|
2021 (up to 22/07/2021) |
116,036 |
213,481 |
111,125 |
203,747 |
23,982 |
4,911 |
9,734 |
3,253 |
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Civil Registration Service
Questions (1128)
Ivana Bacik
Question:1128. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection when the Civil Registration Service phoneline and email will be operational again; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39851/21]
View answerWritten answers
The phone line and email referred to by the Deputy are maintained by the Health Services Executive which operates the civil registration service.
I have been informed that the HSE are dealing with a large backlog of applications for certificates and registrations and that this is affecting the operation of their phone line and email service.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
Civil Registration Service
Questions (1129)
Ivana Bacik
Question:1129. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will report on recent reported delays in processing registrations of births and deaths in Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39852/21]
View answerWritten answers
The HSE is responsible for the registration of birth and deaths. The Deputy will be aware of the significant impact of the recent cyber-attack on its ICT systems. I understand from the HSE that the registration services have been particularly affected in the Dublin area where the electronic transfer of birth data from maternity hospitals to the registration services has not been fully restored. A significant number of deaths await registration as a consequence of the registration system not being available to staff for at least four weeks.
Birth notification services have been significantly restored and the backlog of birth registrations is being cleared. I understand that good progress is being made with registering deaths. Staff in the Eastern Registration Office also have a backlog of certificates ordered by member of the public.
I am assured that the HSE has provided additional staff resources, consistent with ensuring social distancing in the workplace, to support existing staff to deal with the backlog caused by the disruption to registration services.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (1130)
Gerald Nash
Question:1130. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection the anticipated cost to the Exchequer in 2022 of a waiver of waiting days on social welfare payments by category of payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39872/21]
View answerWritten answers
The estimated annual cost to the Exchequer in 2022 of a waiver of waiting days for Jobseeker's Allowance would be approximately €10 million and for Jobseeker's Benefit would be approximately €22.4 million.
The estimated annual cost for Illness Benefit and Occupational Injury Benefit (combined figure) is approximately €25 million (excluding additional ICT and staffing costs).
I understand that there are no waiting days for other illness, disability or carers payments.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (1131)
Michael Moynihan
Question:1131. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an application for illness benefit for a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39950/21]
View answerWritten answers
The Illness Benefit claim from the person concerned has been awarded at a rate of €203.00 per week. They have been fully paid up to date, and they are currently medically certified as unfit for work until the 25th July 2021.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
Departmental Bodies
Questions (1132)
Paul Kehoe
Question:1132. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection the agencies and State organisations under her Department that are receiving State funding that do not have to declare salaries of employees under the 2016 code of governance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40043/21]
View answerWritten answers
The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal. The 2016 Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies states that 'State bodies are required to publish in theirannual report details of non-salary-related fees paid in respect of the Board, analysed by category, and the salary of the CEO.'
The fees and expenses paid to members of the Citizens Information Board are reported in its Annual Financial Statement, the most recent audited version of which is 2019. The salary of the CEO is published in that document:
www.citizensinformationboard.ie/downloads/cib/Financial_Accounts_2019.en.pdf.
Similarly the fees to the Chairperson of the Pensions Authority and the salary of the Pensions Regulator (equivalent to CEO) are published in its Annual Report:
www.pensionsauthority.ie/en/about_us/annual_reports/the_pensions_authority_annual_report_and_accounts_2019.pdf.
The board members of the Pensions Council and the Social Welfare Tribunal do not receive fees for performance of their functions.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (1133)
Chris Andrews
Question:1133. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for an invalidity pension by a person (details supplied); and when they can expect a decision on their case. [40057/21]
View answerWritten answers
An application for Invalidity Pension (INVP) was received from the person concerned on 28 May 2021. She was awarded INVP with effect from 3 June 2021. The first payment will issue to her nominated bank account on the 5 August 2021.
Any arrears due (less any overlapping social welfare payment) will issue in due course. The person in question was notified of this decision on the 22 July 2021.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.