Ivana Bacik
Question:479. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection if matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) will be examined. [43695/21]
View answerSocial Welfare Code
Questions (479)
Written answers
This matter concerns proposals to give recognition to loss in pregnancy where the criteria for registration of a birth or stillbirth are not met. Consideration is being given on how best to meet the demands of parents and develop solutions that are compatible with the existing health and civil registration legal frameworks.
Research has been undertaken on how such matters are managed in other jurisdictions in the hope that practice elsewhere can offer guidance on how recognition could be offered here. Examination of this research and the legal implications of possible approaches to offering recognition is ongoing. I am committed to ensuring that any proposals that emerge will be discussed with stakeholder and interest groups to ensure that the widest range of views are received.
I hope this addresses the question.
Legislative Process
Questions (480)
Ivana Bacik
Question:480. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of Bills prepared by her Department since 27 June 2020; the number and title of those Bills that included a regulatory impact assessment; the title of the regulatory impact assessments that have been published by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43714/21]
View answerWritten answers
My Department has prepared two Bills since 27th June 2020, both of which have been enacted; the Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020 and the Social Welfare Act 2020.
Regulatory Impact Analyses (RIAs) are undertaken by the Department of Social Protection in accordance with the relevant guidelines published by the Department of the Taoiseach relating to significant legislative, policy and other changes.
The Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020 put the Covid-19-Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) on a formal statutory footing and allowed for the attribution, for a prescribed period, of paid social insurance contributions to employees who have been directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the emergency nature of these measures, it was not considered appropriate to conduct a Regulatory Impact Analysis in this case.
The Social Welfare Act 2020 gave legislative effect to a range of Social Welfare measures announced in the Budget on 13th October 2020. A Regulatory Impact Analysis is not ordinarily undertaken on the package of tax, welfare and other measures announced in the annual Budget. The Department does, however, conduct a social impact analysis, using the ESRI's SWITCH model, on social protection measures contained in the annual Budget.
Social Welfare Code
Questions (481)
Jackie Cahill
Question:481. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to establish a welfare payment for those who have been forced to work reduced hours due to medical reasons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43852/21]
View answerWritten answers
My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. My Department spent a total of €4.7 billion on illness, disability and caring payments in 2020.
Illness Benefit is the primary income support payment for people who are unable to attend work due to illness of any type. Additional payments may also be made in respect of a qualified adult and qualifying children. It is payable for up to two years, based on the person’s continued eligibility.
Invalidity Pension is a pension paid to people who are “permanently incapable of work” because of illness or disability. It is based on a claimant's social insurance contributions and medical conditions and is not means tested.
People in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of 26 weeks) who wish to return to work are eligible to apply for Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) for a period if their capacity for work is reduced as a result of their medical condition. Disability Allowance (DA) is a means-tested payment for people with a specified disability who are aged between 16 and 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency test.
DA is structured to support recipients to avail of opportunities to pursue their own employment ambitions, be that self-employment or in insurable employment. When an individual commences employment, they can avail of an income disregard of €140 per week. In addition, a 50% taper on earnings between €140 and €350 is also applied (disregarded), for the purpose of the means test.
My Department also provides a range of income supports for people who are unemployed. The two main income supports for people who are unable to find full time employment are Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance. Both schemes require that a person must be available for and genuinely seeking work as well as satisfying the other qualifying conditions. A person must be unemployed for 4 in 7 consecutive days to be eligible for a Jobseeker payment which means that a person can work part time and still be eligible for a payment as long as they satisfy the scheme conditions.
Jobseeker's Benefit is a social insurance contribution based income support for people who have sufficient contributions paid. It is paid for up to 9 months (or 234 days) for people with 260 or more PRSI contributions paid or up to 6 months (or 156 days) for people with fewer than 260 PRSI contributions paid.
Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment made to people who are unemployed and seeking full-time work, who do not qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit. There is an earnings disregard of €20 per day subject to a maximum of €60 per week (3 days). The balance is then assessed at 60%.
A person who is in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance for at least 390 days may be eligible to apply for the Part Time Job Incentive Scheme which allows a person to take up part time employment of up to 24 hours per week and receive a payment of €128.60, with an increase for a qualified adult. Participants on the scheme are expected to continue to seek full time employment and there is no limit on the employment income that they can earn under the scheme.
My Department also provides a number of income supports for low income families who are working, including those working part-time. The Working Family Payment provides support for employees with families who have low earnings in relation to their family size. The payment is provided tax-free and is paid weekly. Once awarded, Working Family Payment is paid for 52 weeks at the same rate.
To qualify for payment of Working Family Payment, a person must be engaged in paid employment as an employee which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight. A couple may combine their hours of employment to meet the qualification criteria. The applicant must also have at least one qualified child who normally resides with him/her or is part of a family supported by him/her.
A comprehensive set of income support payments are in place for those experiencing illness and disability, for those who are unemployed, or who work part-time, subject to conditions, and those who are working and have low incomes. Therefore I do not intend to introduce a new welfare payment at this time.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Social Insurance
Questions (482)
Darren O'Rourke
Question:482. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated additional revenue that would be generated if the higher rate of the employer social insurance contributions rose by 2%, from 11.05% to 13.05%, on earnings in excess of €140,000 per year. [43880/21]
View answerWritten answers
The estimated additional revenue that would be generated if the higher rate of the employer social insurance contribution rose by 2% from 11.05% to 13.05% on the portion of earnings in excess of €140,000 per year would be approximately €72 million per annum.
This estimate does not take into account any possible changes in employer behaviour arising from increasing the employer social insurance contribution rate. Nor does it take into consideration any of the impacts arising from the measures being taken to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Employment Support Services
Questions (483)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:483. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will respond to the appeals of staff in local employment services to immediately halt the tendering out process currently under way and to establish a stakeholder forum which allows for meaningful engagement with all stakeholders in the sector with Government to establish the best way forward for the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43925/21]
View answerWritten answers
In line with the commitments in the Pathways to Work Strategy 2021-2025, to increase the capacity and resources of the entire Public Employment Service, including those provided by the Department's contracted service partners, my officials have commenced a series of procurement exercises to secure the appropriate services to engage with the long-term unemployed and other cohorts across the State. This follows a detailed review of public employment services in my Department, which included significant stakeholder engagement.
During this extensive engagement, both at Ministerial and official level, all stakeholders were given the opportunity to share their views and suggestions on the Department's plans to procure quality employment services in an open and competitive manner. At my instruction, Departmental officials have met, again in recent days, with relevant stakeholders including the ILDN, non ILDN service providers and employee representatives.
The focus throughout this procurement exercise is the customer, their needs and how they can be met through customer-centric services delivering the necessary supports in their journey to employment. It is vital that my Department has in place sufficient high quality employment service capacity across the State to meet customer needs as they arise and to be able to respond rapidly to changes in the labour market.
The learnings from the phase 1 procurement, involving the procurement of a Regional Employment Service for four lots over seven counties in the Midlands and North-East, will be incorporated into phase 2 to ensure there are no barriers to the participation of the community and voluntary sector.
The design of the request for tender for the Regional Employment Service, places significant value on an organisations ability to deliver a wide range of services locally through a range of other service providers and has been developed to ensure it is accessible to tenders from the community and voluntary sector, giving due regard to their experience and competencies.
Public Services Card
Questions (484)
Bernard Durkan
Question:484. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a public services card will issue in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43961/21]
View answerWritten answers
A Public Services Card (PSC) has been ordered and will issue to the person concerned in the coming days.
My Department regrets the delay in issuing the PSC in this case, which was due to the requirement to replace the person's old "Level W" Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) with a new PPSN.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
State Pensions
Questions (485)
Paul McAuliffe
Question:485. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the non-contributory pension application by a person (details supplied); and if a supplementary welfare allowance can be awarded in the interim. [43971/21]
View answerWritten answers
The person concerned applied for state pension non-contributory on 10 May 2021. The person reached pension age, 66, on 13 August 2021 and state pension non-contributory, at the maximum weekly rate, has been awarded with effect from that date, together with an increase for qualified adult payment in respect of their spouse.
The person concerned was notified of this decision in writing on 10 September 2021. The person’s first payment, together with arrears of pension covering the period 13 August to 16 September 2021, will be available for collection at their nominated Post Office on Friday 17 September 2021.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Community Employment Schemes
Questions (486)
Denis Naughten
Question:486. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will extend existing community employment schemes that were previously extended to October 2021 in view of the effect Covid-19 has had on participants and the training provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43977/21]
View answerWritten answers
Community Employment (CE) 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.
As the Deputy is aware, my Department continued to provide funding and support to CE schemes since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. CE participants, whose contracts were due to end during the periods of restrictions, have had their contracts extended for the duration of those restrictions on a number of occasions.
With the successful roll-out of the vaccine programme and in line with Government’s ongoing plans for the full re-opening of the economy , my priority and the priority of the Department is to get all CE and Tús schemes back up and running fully, providing work experience and training opportunities to long term unemployed participants while delivering vital services to local communities.
Currently there are 11,000 CE and Tús participants benefitting from contract extensions which began in October 2020. These contracts are all extended to the end of October next, at least. After that date there will be a planned, phased ending of CE participants' contracts, whose contract should have ordinarily ended between October 2020 and October 2021. As this exercise will be phased over a number of months some contracts will continue for a further short period.
There will also be short contract extensions for those CE and Tus participants whose contracts ordinarily are due to come to an end in the period from November 2021 until February 2022.
These final contract extensions will provide all CE participants with an opportunity to complete any outstanding training and to also benefit from further work experience on CE. The coordinated and phased exit approach will also support the recruitment of new CE participants while ensuring the continued delivery of important local community services.
In order to ensure that all employment and activation programmes have the best outcome for participants, CE will continue to be made available to support those who are long term unemployed and furthest removed from the labour market, including those whose employment has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 emergency.
I am fully committed to CE and will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (487)
Catherine Murphy
Question:487. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount paid in late interest payments and penalty payments by her Department in each of the years 2017 to 2020 and to date in 2021 in respect of late payments being made to suppliers, service providers and contractors in tabular form; and the measures she has put in place and or is implementing to reduce late payment interest and penalty payments. [44011/21]
View answerWritten answers
Below set out in tabular format are both the late interest payments and penalty payments paid by my Department for the years 2017 to 2020 inclusive and year to date 2021. The information below, with the exception of 2021 data, is disclosed in the Department’s Vote 37 Appropriation accounts.
|
Year |
Interest € |
Penalties € |
|
2017 |
4,613 |
4,660 |
|
2018 |
724 |
2,300 |
|
2019 |
805 |
3,010 |
|
2020 |
4,688 |
7,280 |
|
2021 |
1,087 |
5,420 |
My Department continually reviews its financial procedures and processes with a view to improvement and to minimise the potential for late interest or penalty payments.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (488)
Bernard Durkan
Question:488. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the eligibility for the back to education allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44026/21]
View answerWritten answers
If a person is unemployed, parenting alone or has a disability and is in receipt of certain payments from my Department, they can take part in a second or third-level education course and receive a Back to Education Allowance (BTEA). If attending a second-level course, a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment for 3 months or more and if attending a third-level course, 9 months or more.
Periods spent on a Youthreach course establishes an entitlement to a qualifying social welfare payment and the 3-month qualifying time for BTEA may be waived for a second-level course.
My Department’s records reflect the person concerned was awarded a Jobseeker’s Allowance payment with effect from 23/08/2021 and attended a Youthreach course from 20/01/2020 to 25/06/2021. It appears the period which the person spent on the Youthreach course fulfils the qualifying time for BTEA for a second-level course.
A BTEA application has not been received from the person concerned. Following the Deputy’s representation, I have arranged for a Case Officer from Maynooth to contact the person to discuss the options available to him.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (489)
Bernard Durkan
Question:489. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for an exceptional needs payment can be received in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44035/21]
View answerWritten answers
As referenced in the Deputy’s Dáil Question No. 713 dated 09/09/2021, the person concerned made an application for an Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP) on 10/08/2021. This claim was disallowed as it was determined, based on the application and supporting documentation provided, that the need was not exceptional and it was considered reasonable that the person concerned had sufficient means to cover the costs of the items from the household income.
Following the request for a review, the Reviewing Officer found that the Designated Person complied with the legislation and guidelines in disallowing the application on the basis the person concerned has household income of over €800 per week and an amount of almost €4,000 in her bank account. The decision to disallow the application was therefore upheld by the Reviewing Officer and the person concerned was informed of the outcome in writing on 07/09/2021.
If the circumstances of the person concerned have changed since her last ENP application, it is open to her to submit a new application. For the convenience of the person concerned an ENP pack has issued to her home address.
The Health Service Executive and the Department of Education may be able to assist with the needs outlined in the Deputy’s question.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
State Pensions
Questions (490)
Seán Sherlock
Question:490. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if a backdated allocation can be awarded to a person (details supplied). [44051/21]
View answerWritten answers
The person concerned applied for a widow's contributory pension in March 2016. Having examined her application, it was decided that she qualified for a widows contributory pension at the weekly maximum rate of €193.50 from the 8th April 2016.
However, the person concerned was already in receipt of an invalidity pension from my Department. A person cannot receive an invalidity pension and a widows contributory pension at the same time. In addition to her invalidity pension personal rate of €193.50, she was also in receipt of living alone allowance of €9.00, and the telephone support allowance of €2.50. These additional allowance are not payable to persons under age 66 years of age who are in receipt of widows contributory pension. As the rate of invalidity pension was higher, it remained in payment and the claim to widows contributory pension was withdrawn.
The person concerned was automatically transferred to a state pension contributory from her 66th birthday and is currently in receipt of maximum rate pension of €248.30, living alone allowance of €19.00, telephone support allowance of €2.50 and fuel allowance at the rate of €28.00.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (491)
Denis Naughten
Question:491. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of claims submitted and the number of persons who have received enhanced illness benefit for Covid-19; the number of claims that were in payment for two, four, six, eight and ten weeks, respectively; the number of claims that transferred over to illness benefit after the ten-week payment period had expired; the number of these claims that were in payment for more than two weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44081/21]
View answerWritten answers
Enhanced Illness Benefit (EIB) is a form of Illness Benefit that is payable to self-employed persons or an employee who is told to self-isolate or has been diagnosed with Covid-19. The number of claims received and the number of recipients of EIB are provided in Table 1. Details on the duration of EIB claims are set out in Table 2.
Table 1: Applications and Recipients for Enhanced Illness Benefit (EIB)
|
EIB Claims awarded |
Of which, Recipients EIB |
|
|
March 2020 - September 2021 |
246,379 |
146,685 |
Table 2 sets out the durations for Enhanced Illness Benefit claims. It is important to note that a person may have received Enhanced Illness Benefit on more than one occasion since the payment was introduced, and thus have more than one claim for Enhanced illness Benefit. The data in Table 2 refers to the claim duration.
Table 2: Enhanced Illness Benefit Claim durations
|
Duration |
- |
|
0 - 2 weeks |
206,236 |
|
2 - 4 weeks |
31,963 |
|
4 - 6 weeks |
4,501 |
|
6 - 8 weeks |
1,942 |
|
8 - 10 weeks |
630 |
|
10 + weeks |
1,107 |
|
Total claims |
246,379 |
|
Total individuals |
146,685 |
767 people had Enhanced Illness Benefit claims of 10 or more weeks. 460 transferred to Illness Benefit payments, and remained in receipt of payment for more than 2 weeks.
State Pensions
Questions (492)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:492. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) was means tested twice within a year; if the person is receiving the correct pension amount; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44084/21]
View answerWritten answers
State pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. For the purposes of the means-test, at the outset and at any review intervals during the lifetime of the claim, a claimant must provide, on request, full and up to date details of any income(s), assets, savings and investments they may hold. Appropriate review intervals are determined by Deciding Officers, taking into account the circumstances of each case.
The person concerned is in receipt of state pension non-contributory since 20 May 2005. A means review questionnaire was issued to the person on 14 September 2019, to determine if they were receiving their correct weekly pension entitlement. Following review, a revised decision was made and notified to the person concerned on 23 November 2019.
On 20 July 2020, the person concerned requested a change of payment method, from collection at their Post Office to direct payment to the account in a financial institution and their claim was scheduled for means review in July 2021. A means questionnaire issued on 7 July 2021. On 28 August 2021, the Deciding Officer requested further documentation and subsequently discussed the matter with the person concerned on 7 September 2021, clarifying the information required in order to assess their correct state pension entitlement.
On receipt the Deciding Officer will complete their review and notify the person concerned in writing of the outcome. If the person is dissatisfied with the decision, they can request a review of the decision, or appeal it to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (493)
Gary Gannon
Question:493. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of one parent family payments that were referred to social welfare inspectors for further investigation or which required further information in each of the years 2018 to 2020, in tabular form; and the number of payments that were disallowed as a result in 2018, 2019 and 2020. [44197/21]
View answerWritten answers
All schemes administered by the Department – including the One parent Family Payment (OFP) - are subject to control reviews and eligibility checks. This is a normal feature of my Department’s control work on schemes and payments.
The numbers of OFP claims referred to Social Welfare Inspectors (SWI) for further investigations which required further review in the years 2018 to 2020 are outlined in Table 1 below. The numbers of claims disallowed or where the payment rate was adjusted following SWI reviews for those years are also shown in the table.
Table 1:
|
Year |
Referred to SWI for further investigation or which required further information |
Number of claims disallowed |
Number of claims where payment rate was reduced following review. |
|
2018 |
14,059 |
976 |
1,653 |
|
2019 |
11,824 |
953 |
1,505 |
|
2020 |
6,676 |
398 |
507 |
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (494)
Gary Gannon
Question:494. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of working family payments that were referred to social welfare inspectors for further investigation or which required further information in each of the years 2018 to 2020, in tabular form; and the number of payments that were disallowed as a result in 2018, 2019 and 2020. [44198/21]
View answerWritten answers
I am advised that data on the number of Working Family Payment (WFP) customers that were referred to Social Welfare Inspectors or which required further information for the years 2018 to 2020 is not collated by the Department. Similarly, data is not collated on the number of disallowed WFP applications following any such referral.
I regret that the Department is not in a position to provide the information sought by the Deputy in this instance.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (495)
Gary Gannon
Question:495. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of social protection reviews and applications by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44199/21]
View answerWritten answers
One-Parent Family Payment (OPFP) is a payment for parents under 66 who are not cohabiting and whose youngest child is under 7.
The person concerned was awarded a One-Parent Family Payment (OPFP) on 19/07/2018. In line with standard practice, a review of her OPFP claim was undertaken. On 17/08/2021 the person concerned was informed she was disqualified from receiving OPFP on the grounds she is cohabiting with another person and therefore does not meet the qualifying conditions for the scheme. The person concerned received an OPFP payment up to 25/08/2021.
If the person concerned is dissatisfied with this decision it is open to her to request a review by emailing her local Intreo Centre in Nutgrove at IntreoNutgrove@welfare.ie or submit an appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, D’Olier House, D’Olier Street, Dublin 2. Alternatively, the person concerned can submit both a request for a review and an appeal.
The person concerned made an application for Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) on 19/08/021; this is a means assessed payment. This claim was disallowed on the grounds she had not applied for any other statutory benefit, such as Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA). On her application for SWA the person concerned declared she is living with her child’s father who is in full time employment and therefore her needs were deemed to be met based on household income. If the person concerned is dissatisfied with this decision, she can appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
If the circumstances of the person concerned change it is open to her to re-apply for an OPFP or SWA payment. Alternatively, she can apply for a JA. The qualifying conditions for all schemes and payments administered by my Department can be found on www.gov.ie/dsp.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Departmental Data
Questions (496)
Holly Cairns
Question:496. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of the number of nationals (details supplied) who are recorded as departing Ireland between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2021, inclusive in tabular form. [44212/21]
View answerWritten answers
The information requested by the Deputy is not held by my Department which has no role in compiling such information.
I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (497)
Carol Nolan
Question:497. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department has utilised the services of organisations (details supplied) at any time from 1 January 2015 to date; if so, the expenditure costs related to same; the purpose of any such engagements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43233/21]
View answerWritten answers
In relation to my Department, I can confirm to the Deputy that it has utilised the services of Common Purpose Ireland details of which are listed in the table below.
|
Year |
No of Staff |
Purpose of Engagement |
Cost |
|
2021 |
1 |
Common Purpose Programme for Senior Leaders |
€3,000 |
|
2020 |
0 |
N/A |
€0 |
|
2019 |
0 |
N/A |
€0 |
|
2018 |
0 |
N/A |
€0 |
|
2017 |
0 |
N/A |
€0 |
|
2016 |
0 |
N/A |
€0 |
|
2015 |
1 |
Meridian Programme for Senior Leaders |
€5,500 |
|
Total cost from 2015 to date |
€8,500 |
Rights of People with Disabilities
Questions (498)
Róisín Shortall
Question:498. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has considered matters raised by an organisation (details supplied) in its report; the steps being taken to respond to the report in order to help ensure that Ireland honours its commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and given that Ireland has the lowest rate of employment and one of the highest poverty rates for persons with disabilities in the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43277/21]
View answerWritten answers
Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2018. This marked an important milestone in a process to strengthen the rights of people with disabilities in Ireland that has gathered momentum since Ireland became a signatory to the Convention in 2007.
The approach being taken to meeting the obligations of the UNCRPD is one of progressive realisation, each year moving forward on key reforms, with the obligations arising from the Convention being met over time. Initial priority has been given to meeting legislative commitments. An UNCRPD implementation plan is currently in development and a consultation process will shortly be launched in this regard.
Ireland currently has two whole-of-government strategies in place, the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (now extended until the end of 2022) and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities, 2015-2024. These include important measures to support people with disabilities into employment.
These are the key frameworks for policy and action to address the needs of persons with disabilities in Ireland, including those raised by the Deputy, and to improve their lives in a practical sense. My Department coordinates these two strategies and my colleague, Minister of State Anne Rabbitte, chairs the NDIS Steering Group.
Childcare Services
Questions (499)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:499. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his advice for parents who are required by their employer to return to office-based work in cases in which they have no childcare given that the after-school service is currently not resuming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43293/21]
View answerWritten answers
School-age childcare services are permitted to operate in line with the latest public health guidance for the Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) sector.
Before the onset of Covid-19, data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey showed that the supply of SAC places was broadly meeting demand, with evidence of pockets of undersupply in certain areas. Owing to the comprehensive supports provided to the sector since the onset of Covid-19, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, Government has succeeded in sustaining this sector throughout the pandemic while enabling these services to comply with public health guidance – with data on ELC and SAC services that have closed and opened in 2020 and 2021, very similar to the data for 2019.
With the number of ELC and SAC services in the sector broadly comparable with pre-Covid-19 levels and lower demand for SAC since the onset of Covid-19 as reported by SAC providers – owing primarily to changes to working arrangement, this would suggest that parental demand for SAC places can be met.
Any parents/guardians currently having difficulty in accessing an SAC place should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) for support.