Written Answers Nos. 71-99
72. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider removing a rule in relation to the rural social scheme (details supplied); her views on the adequacy of the €20 top-up payment for rural social scheme participants; if she will consider the approval of an increase in the top-up to €50; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48294/21]
View answerThe Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme for low income farmers and fishermen and women, who are underemployed in their primary occupation. To be eligible to participate on RSS, a person must be aged 25 or over, in receipt of Farm/Fish Assist or another qualifying means-tested social welfare payment, and meet the criteria for either a self-employed farmer or a fisherman.
RSS is not an activation measure, and participation on the scheme is by voluntary self-selection. Applications are made directly to one of the 36 local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta that deliver RSS. These companies are collectively known as the implementing bodies (IBs).
IBs are required to promote and publicise RSS to encourage the take-up of the scheme among eligible candidates.
Following a Government decision in 2017, the number of places on RSS was increased by 750 during 2017 and 2018 and a six-year time limit was introduced for new entrants, with effect from 1st February 2017 bringing the total number of places available to 3,350.
RSS participants who commenced on the scheme prior to 1st February 2017 can remain on the scheme and are not subject to the six-year limit on participation, provided that they continue to remain eligible for receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment.
Prior to the introduction of the six-year time limit, an RSS participant could remain on the RSS scheme for a significant part of their working life. This had the effect of limiting turnover of places on RSS and thereby reducing the opportunities for new entrants. The six-year participation limit also serves to reduce the possibility of RSS participants or the organisations with whom they are placed becoming dependent on the scheme.
The first cohort of participants that will leave RSS on the basis of the six-year rule will not arise until February, 2023.
The weekly rate of pay on RSS is determined by the underlying social welfare payment which would be payable to the RSS participant based on their household composition and financial circumstances, plus the weekly top up rate. RSS participants may also be entitled to increases in relation to a qualified adult or qualified children.
Any increase to the €22.50 per week rate would have significant budgetary implications and would need to be considered in the context of the Department's wider employment support programmes. This is not under consideration at this time.
The Department continues to monitor all of the employment support programmes and while there are no plans to amend the RSS rules at present, the Department does intend to undertake a review of RSS in 2022, to ensure the ongoing best outcomes for both participants and their local communities.
73. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Social Protection the detail of the changes to community employment service criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48634/21]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, Community Employment (CE) Scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis to improve their prospect of returning to employment.Most recent changes to CE were emergency measures introduced to support CE schemes and participants over the course of the pandemic which resulted in CE participants staying on schemes longer, than would normally be permitted. CE participants, whose contracts were due to end during the periods of restrictions, have had their contracts extended on a number of occasions. Earlier this week, the Minister for Social Protection, Minister Humphreys, and I announced a further funding for contract extensions to 4th February 2022 for existing CE and Tús participants. These final contract extensions will provide all participants with additional time to complete their training and benefit from work experience, which may have been adversely affected by public health restrictions.The series of contract extensions introduced are exceptional supports and are temporary in nature; they will come to an end in 2022 as CE operations return to normal, post pandemic. Following the latest extension, a coordinated and phased exit schedule will commence in February, 2022 for all of the CE and Tús participants affected.Other than the above, there have been no significant amendments to CE since 2017. However in March 2021 Minister Humphreys and I confirmed that certain CE participants, who were participating on CE when the 2017 changes had been introduced, would retain the option of remaining on CE for a maximum of six consecutive years, in accordance with the terms of a 2017 saver clause provided at that time.In order to ensure that all employment and activation programmes have the best outcomes 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 impacted by COVID-19. At the same time, the eligibility criteria for CE and the length of time persons can participate on CE is kept under active review by my Department officials to ensure the best outcomes for individual participants and to support the vital community services delivered by schemes.I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
74. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will commit to providing a hot school meal for every DEIS school in Budget 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48690/21]
View answerThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
A budget of €65.1 million has been provided for the scheme in 2021.
As part of Budget 2019, funding was provided for a pilot scheme from September 2019, providing hot school meals in primary schools at a cost of €1m for 2019 and €2.5m in 2020. The pilot involved 37 schools benefitting 6,744 students for the 2019/2020 academic year and was aimed primarily at schools with no onsite cooking facilities.
In Budget 2021, I announced that an additional €5.5m would be provided to extend the provision of hot school meals to an additional 35,000 primary school children, currently receiving the cold lunch option.
There are currently 186,205 pupils in 887 DEIS schools in Ireland. To provide a hot meal, at a cost of €2.90 per child, per day, to all students in these schools would cost €93.8m for a full school year. There were 25 DEIS schools in the hot school meals pilot and an additional 171 DEIS schools have been included in the extension this year.
Any request for additional funding for a hot school meals programme expansion for 2022 and beyond will need to be considered as part of the budgetary process.
I am committed to continuing to grow the hot school meals element of the school meals programme for DEIS schools and building further on the significant extension announced as part of Budget 2021.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
76. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the number of persons currently in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment in County Wicklow; the steps she is taking with regard to engaging with local employment services in the county to reduce the figure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48601/21]
View answerThe Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced as an exceptional measure in response to the unprecedented impact on employment and earnings as a result of Government mandated public health measures.
There are currently 2,978 customers in Co. Wicklow in receipt of the PUP. This is a reduction of 84% from the peak in May 2020 when 18,629 people in Co. Wicklow received the PUP.
While many people who have been receiving the PUP are returning to employment as restrictions ease and the economy re-opens, it is inevitable that some jobs will be permanently lost, and additional numbers of persons will require State support to find new jobs transitioning back to work.
My Department’s Activation teams of Case Officers and Job Coaches are supporting PUP recipients and the Local Employment Service in Bray, Co. Wicklow continues to support jobseekers in that location who are long term unemployed. My Department is supporting initiatives to assist people to get back to work, as COVID-19 restrictions and their impact on the economy and labour market begin to ease. For example, during August and September all long term PUP customers in County Wicklow were contacted by phone to determine if they needed support in returning to work and my officials responded to the requests for support and information that this elicited.
Throughout the pandemic my Department has been assisting employers with vacancies as the economy reopened by matching vacancies to relevant jobseekers via email notifications, pre-recorded recruitment videos featuring employers and the hosting of live recruitment events.
Last month my Department hosted a 6-day series of online recruitment events, which were available to all PUP recipients in Co. Wicklow, featuring 30 employers with over 1,000 live vacancies. Many sectors of the economy were covered including construction, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, sales and customer service. Many large-scale companies took part including Amazon, Ryanair, McDonalds, Circle K, Butlers Chocolates, DID Electrical, Musgraves, Accenture and public sector employers. One of these events focussed on training and education opportunities currently available. People on the Live Register and people on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment were invited to attend these events. In total 12,217 individuals participated in these events. Feedback to date from employers and jobseekers has been positive and recruitment for the positions available is continuing.
A further series of events is being planned for Co. Wicklow clients for the remainder of the year to include regular vacancy alerts for jobseekers, live and pre-recorded recruitment events as well as events to highlight training and upskilling opportunities. These events and information sessions will be available to both jobseekers on the Live Register and Pandemic Unemployment Payment customers.
As outlined under the Government’s ‘Economic Recovery Plan’, which was launched on June 1st 2021, a central focus of the recovery process will be on helping people get back to work, training or education by extending labour market supports, and through intense activation and skills opportunities. Pathways to Work 2021-2025 is a key delivery mechanism of the Economic Recovery Plan’s second Pillar on ‘Helping People Back into Work’.In supporting people back into employment the Pathways to Work 2021–2025 strategy seeks to minimise any long-term scarring effects of the pandemic on the labour force for those whose jobs are permanently lost while providing support to those unemployed pre-pandemic. The strategy also sets out how an expanded Public Employment Service will utilise its existing and expanded capacity to deliver effective services in a post-COVID labour market with an overall target of increasing the caseload capacity by 100,000 per annum.Some of the key supports form part of Pathways to Work and the Economic Recovery Plan include:
- Expanding the JobsPlus scheme to 8,000 places and enhancing the incentive to recruit young jobseekers in particular, by increasing the youth age limit from 25 to 30 years.
- Accelerating rollout of an additional 50,000 education and training places to support jobseekers to upskill and reskill for the labour market.
- A new Government Youth Employment Charter for intensive engagement with young jobseeker which will build on the new EU Reinforced Youth Guarantee.
- A new work placement scheme is open to all people regardless of age and should be particularly attractive to and beneficial for young people requiring work experience.
My Department works closely with the Further Education and Training sector, including the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (ETB), to provide access to training, upskilling and reskilling opportunities. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science also last week announced the extension of the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme until the end of December 2021. This scheme provides financial supports for employers who register apprentices to a national apprenticeship.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
77. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the commitment to benchmark pension rates in the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48642/21]
View answerThe Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020 - 2025 aims to reduce the number of people in consistent poverty in Ireland to 2% or less, and to position Ireland within the top five countries in the EU under a number of leading social inclusion measures. The Roadmap includes a specific goal to protect the incomes of older people through the delivery of the commitment to benchmark State pension payments, which was outlined in the Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018 – 2023. The Roadmap for Social Inclusion outlines a potential approach for benchmarking pensions: the smoothed earnings approach. This aims to ensure that over the long-term, the relative value of welfare payments compared to market earnings would be maintained and that, over any short-term period the real value, or purchasing power, of these payments would be protected. Proposals on benchmarking of pensions is an issue considered by the Pensions Commission and I understand this Report is due to be published shortly, after consideration by Government. I look forward to reviewing this Report and its findings in the context of the Roadmap's commitment. The next meeting of the Steering Group on the Social Inclusion Roadmap, which I chair, is scheduled for next November and an update on this commitment will be provided to this Steering Group at that stage.I thank the Deputy for his question and hope this clarifies the matter.
78. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection if the new local employment scheme contract will take account of current providers that experience issues with cash flow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48613/21]
View answerMy Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of procuring new employment services. This phase involves the procurement of regional employment services for seven counties in the Midlands and North-West across four lots. These counties do not have an existing local employment service and represent the first phase of an expansion of similar employment services across.
This procurement process follows extensive consultations by my Department with the existing service providers over the last number of years.
The Phase two procurement, which will see the Regional Employment Service model rolled out across the State will take on board the learnings of the first phase. This is a significant expansion of employment services and will result in State-wide coverage of employment services for those furthest from the labour market for the first time.
While it not possible to discuss the specifics of the forthcoming phase 2 request for tender, I can inform the Deputy that the financial model for the Regional Employment Service allows for nearly all fees - approximately ninety percent - to be paid early in the client's engagement.
In addition, there is a facility, already included in the phase 1 procurement, for the provision of upfront monies to successful tenderers in recognition that any provider may have cash flow difficulties at the commencement of a new contract. This facility will be made clearer in the subsequent RFTs under phase 2.
80. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures in place to improve employment opportunities for persons with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48645/21]
View answerThe development of services and policies to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities operates through a cross government framework with other departments, agencies and, importantly, disability sector representatives, under a number of key national strategies and action plans.
The two main national strategies in this area are the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS) and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities (CES). Delivery under the CES is underpinned by three year Action Plans, as agreed by the Comprehensive Employment Strategy Implementation Group (CES-IG).
In addition, there are a number of other strategies that provide a framework for cross-departmental working and the development of services for people with disabilities. Notably, these include the Roadmap for Social Inclusion (RSI) and Pathways to Work (PtW) strategies.
My Department currently provides a wide range of both income supports and employment supports to assist both jobseekers/existing employees with disabilities, and employers seeking to hire a jobseeker (or support an existing employee) with a disability.
The Department's disability-related income schemes have been designed to support people with disabilities to enter or return to employment or self-employment, as follows:
Disability Allowance (DA) and Blind Pension (BP)
Both DA and BP are structured to support recipients to avail of opportunities to pursue their own employment ambitions, be that self-employment or 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, i.e., 50% of earnings in this band are disregarded for the purpose of the means test.
Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB)
The PCB scheme allows a person who has been in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of 26 weeks), and who may not have full capacity for work, to enter or return to employment or self-employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment. PCB has been designed so there are no restrictions / limits on earnings from employment or on the number of hours a person can work under the scheme.
The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA)
The BTWEA scheme has been designed to support persons, including persons with disabilities, to become self-employed. BTWEA has been designed so that customers who avail of it can retain a percentage of their income support payment for up to 2 years. Persons in receipt of a wide range of income supports, including disability allowance and blind pension, are eligible for the scheme.
In addition to providing income supports, DSP also provides a wide range of employment-related supports for both jobseekers / employees with disabilities and employers.
These include:
DSP's Intreo Service
The Department's Intreo service is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports in the State. Intreo provides a case-managed employment service and supports to both jobseekers and employers. Jobseekers, including jobseekers with disabilities, who seek support from their local Intreo Centre, work with a case officer with a view to agreeing a suitable personal progression plan in order to access the full range of employment supports available. Intreo also delivers a recruitment and job matching service for employers.
Local Employment Services
The Department contracts for the provision of Local Employment Services. Providers deliver a case-managed employment service for all jobseekers, including those with disabilities, who avail of the services. Jobseekers work with a LES Mediator to develop a personal progression plan in order to access the full range of employment supports available. Providers also deliver a recruitment and job matching service for employers.
Specialist Employability Services
The Department recognises the additional challenges some jobseekers with disabilities may experience in securing and maintaining employment, and so contracts for the provision of services to help address these. The Department contracts with 24 companies for the delivery of EmployAbility services in 31 locations.
Access to these service providers is through referral only: a jobseeker with a disability who is working with their Intreo Case Officer or LES Mediator may be referred to an EmployAbility service provider only if it is agreed between the case officer or mediator and the jobseeker that they would benefit from the type of services and support provided. Providers deliver a supported employment model of services for jobseekers with disabilities. Jobseekers work with a job coach who provides both pre-employment and in-employment support and assistance. Providers also deliver a recruitment and job matching service for employers.
Support for Graduate Jobseekers with Disabilities
The Department contracts AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability) to deliver the Willing Able Mentoring (WAM) and ‘Get Ahead’ Programmes on its behalf. These programmes provide paid work experience and other supports for graduates with disabilities seeking to enter or re-enter employment. Full details are available via www.ahead.ie/disabilitysupports
Reasonable Accommodation Fund (RAF) Grants
The four grants available under the RAF are:
1. Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant:
Where a person with a disability has been offered employment, is in employment or is self-employed and requires a more accessible workplace or adapted equipment to do the job, s/he or the employer may be able to receive a grant towards the costs of adapting premises or equipment. A maximum grant of €6,350 is available towards the cost of adaptations to premises or equipment. Applications in excess of this sum are considered on an individual basis up to a maximum of €9,523 if specialist training for assistive technology is required.
2. Employee Retention Grant
The purpose of the Employee Retention Grant Scheme is to assist employers to retain employees who acquire a disability by providing funding to identify accommodation and/or training to enable the employee to remain in his/her current position, or to retrain the employee so that s/he can take up another position within the company.
Funding is provided in two stages:
- Stage 1 - This stage is subject to a maximum of €2,500 or 90% of eligible programme costs per employee to hire specialists to evaluate the employee’s occupational capacity and conduct a workplace or job assessment to develop an individualised written retention strategy.
- Stage 2 - This stage is subject to a maximum of €12,500 or 90% of eligible programme costs per employee to train the employee for their current position or to retrain them for another position within the company, hire a job coach to offer support to the employee and liaise with the employee’s line manager for a maximum period of 300 hours, and hire a specialist to manage the retention strategy on an ongoing basis until reintegration is complete, for a maximum period of 60 hours.
3. Job Interview Interpreter Grant
A jobseeker who is deaf, hard of hearing or has speech impairment and is attending job interviews, may apply for funding to have a sign language interpreter or other interpreter to attend interviews. A three-hour period for each interview can be funded. The amount of the grant payable is based on an hourly fee paid which may vary. A person may have several interviews arranged and can apply for funding for each. There is no limit to the number of interviews a person can attend with an interpreter.
Funding is also available to cover the cost of an interpreter to assist a person during the induction process, when he/she starts work with a private sector employer. A maximum of three hours interpreter support is available, to be utilised by the person as he/she feels is needed. Both the interview interpreter funding and in-employment interpreter support funding, for induction, can be provided. In addition, the grant can also be used to cover travel costs for the interpreter – the cost of public transport or, if not available, a set rate per kilometer is applied.
4. Personal Reader Grant
A person employed in the private sector who is (or is becoming) blind or visually impaired, and who needs assistance with job-related reading, can apply for a grant to support them to employ a personal reader. The amount of the grant payable is based on an hourly fee paid to the reader, in line with the current minimum wage, for an agreed period - for a maximum of 640 hours per year.
In addition to the above, the Department also provides two other supports specifically for employers:
1. Disability Awareness Support Scheme
The Disability Awareness Support Scheme provides funding for private sector employers to arrange and pay for disability awareness training for staff who work with a colleague with a disability. Subject to meeting the conditions that apply, in the first year that a company applies, 90% of eligible training costs are provided up to a maximum of €20,000. In the second and subsequent years, 80% of eligible training costs are provided up to a maximum of €20,000 in any one calendar year.
2. Wage Subsidy Scheme
The Wage Subsidy Scheme is targeted at private sector employers and is aimed at encouraging the employment of people with disabilities through the provision of financial incentives (a wage subsidy). The subsidy is delivered in three strands:
Strand I subsidy is a general subsidy for any productivity shortfall in excess of 20% for a person with a disability, in comparison to a colleague without a disability. An employee must work for a minimum of 21 hours per week up to a maximum of 39 subsidised hours per week. The rate of subsidy is €5.30 per hour and the amount of the subsidy is based on the number of hours worked.
Strand II subsidy is payable when an employer employs three or more people with a disability who are supported by a WSS Strand I payment. Strand II is intended to cover the additional supervisory, management and other work-based costs relating to these employees. This top-up payment is a percentage of the Strand I subsidy and is based on the overall number of employees with a disability employed under Strand I. It ranges from an additional 10% of wage subsidy for 3 to 6 employees with a disability to a maximum of 50% of wage subsidy for 23+ employees with a disability.
Strand III subsidy enables employers who employ 25 or more workers with a disability on the Wage Subsidy Scheme to be eligible for a grant of up to €30,000 per year towards the expense of employing an Employment Assistance Officer to support these employees.
Dormant Accounts Funding to Support Employment Opportunities for Carers and People with Disabilities
The Dormant Accounts Act 2001, together with the Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies Act 2003 and the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Acts 2005 to 2012, provide a framework for the administration of unclaimed accounts in credit institutions (i.e. banks, building societies and An Post) and unclaimed life assurance policies in insurance undertakings.
The legislation introduced a scheme for the disbursement of funds that are unlikely to be reclaimed, but only for the purposes of programmes or projects to assist:
- the personal and social development of persons who are economically or socially disadvantaged;
- the educational development of persons who are educationally disadvantaged;
- persons with a disability.
On 30th July, the Minister for Social Protection announced over €7.5 million in funding to support and improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Projects were selected following a competitive process organised by Pobal that evaluated applications against a number of predefined criteria. Pobal also manages the delivery process including payment and auditing.
A funding package for 45 projects nationwide is now in place and designed to support people with disabilities to improve their employment skills, advance their education or start their own business.
This is in addition to an existing measure to support carers and people with disabilities to access employment (incl. self-employment) and training/education which began in January 2021 (until mid-2022) and is currently supporting sixteen projects totalling over €2.3 million.
Any further improvements or additions to these supports can only be considered in a budgetary context and in the light of available financial resources. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
81. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has assessed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on persons who have been supported under the back to work enterprise programme; and if she has considered the need to evolve this programme as the economy reopens. [47854/21]
View answerThe Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme offers support for people who are long-term unemployed and who are interested in self-employment as a route to entering the labour market. Funding of €64.8 million has been made available for the scheme in 2021.The BTWEA is payable to self-employed individuals for a 24-month period from the commencement of their new business. All eligible participants will receive their full period of entitlement of 24 months. This includes anyone who contacted the Department to temporarily suspend their allowance while their business closed during the pandemic. As announced in the July Stimulus last year, the BTWEA is available to recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) who qualify for a jobseekers payment and the normal qualifying period of 9 months was waived for this group. Under the new Pathways to Work strategy 2021 – 2025, the Government is committed to utilising its existing and expanded capacity to deliver effective services in a post-Covid labour market and commits to expanding the availability of places on the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance.Individuals in receipt of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance can also receive the enterprise support grant. This grant offers up to €2,500 over the first two years of a new business and assists with the early business start-up costs. I trust this clarifies the position at this time.
82. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the consideration that is being given for flexibility for participants over 55 years of age who are currently engaged in a community employment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48621/21]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, Community Employment (CE) Scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in meaningful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis to improve their prospect of returning to employment.
CE placements are intended to be temporary and subject to time limits. This is to ensure the continued availability of places on CE schemes for a broad range of long-term unemployed candidates, while those completing the scheme progress to employment in the open labour market.
There is already graduated additional flexibility for participants on CE aged 55 and over. For example, those over 55 years of age can remain on CE for up to three years, without undertaking formal training, while CE participants who are aged over 55 and commenced on CE prior 2017 can continue to be eligible to stay on CE for six consecutive years.
CE participants over the age of 62 can participate on a continuous basis up to the state pension age on the CE Service Support Stream (SSS). Currently up to a maximum 10% of CE places are allocated to this stream. There are 1,400 CE participants on this stream at present.
CE participants’ contracts, including those aged over 55, were extended over the course of the pandemic, as a emergency support measure, which resulted in many contracts extending beyond the time limits outlined above. Earlier this week, the Minister for Social Protection, Minister Humphreys, and I announced a further contract extension to 4th February 2022 for existing CE and Tús participants. These final contract extensions will provide all participants with additional time to complete their training and benefit from work experience on CE.
In order to ensure that all employment and activation programmes have the best outcomes 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 impacted by COVID-19. At the same time the eligibility criteria for CE and the length of time persons can stay on CE is kept under active review by my Department to ensure the best outcomes for individual participants and to support the vital community services delivered by schemes.
85. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will remove PhD stipends and scholarship awards for PhDs from means-tested social welfare payments as she has already done for the disability allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48689/21]
View answerEarlier this year, I signed Regulations which introduced a new disregard which applies to Disability Allowance recipients who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a Level 10 postgraduate course. It is subject to an annual limit of €20,000 per annum (i.e. if a recipient gets more than one bursary, the combination cannot exceed €20,000) and is available for a maximum of four years. My Department encourages other social welfare recipients to avail of education and training through the Back to Education scheme, as well as by referrals to Education and Training Board courses through the Department's Intreo service. The Deputy will be aware that income received from the SUSI grant is disregarded in the means test for most social welfare schemes.In addition, there are a number of scholarships, such as those awarded by certain charitable organisations, which are not assessed as part of the means test for social welfare payments. These include payments under the 1916 Bursary Fund and under Higher Educational Scholarships for Adult Learners from Uversity to a maximum of €7,000 per annum. Uversity is a registered charity that has been awarding Higher Education Scholarships to adult learners since 2018.Any extension of means disregards would need to be examined in an overall budgetary and policy context.
86. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that employees about to finish their Covid-19 related payment have ready access to an alternative payment or a job offer within reasonable distance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48449/21]
View answerThe Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced in March 2020 to support employees and the self-employed who lost employment due to Covid-19. Expenditure on the scheme is over €8.7 billion to date. In line with the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, the PUP is gradually changing using a tapered approach over a 6 month period from September 2021 until February 2022. As PUP customers move to the €203 rate, they will be transitioned to standard jobseeker terms.
The process of moving from the lower €203 rate of PUP to a jobseeker’s payment was due to begin in early September. I have deferred this process until after all sectors have started to re-open in line with "Reframing the Challenge, Continuing Our Recovery and Reconnecting". This means that affected customers will continue to receive their PUP payment until 26th October when the process of their transition to a jobseeker’s payment will begin.
The Department has written to all affected customers to outline the details of the transition and the options that will be available to them. Customers entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit will be automatically transferred to this payment after 26th October. Where an application for Jobseeker's Allowance is submitted, the person will remain on PUP until their entitlement to Jobseeker's Allowance is determined.
As customers transition to Jobseekers terms, they will enter the employment activation and engagement process through the Public Employment Service. Time spent on PUP will count towards eligibility for various employment supports, activation measures, training, work placement programmes and employment schemes.
I trust this clarifies the position.
87. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the specific clauses her Department is quoting from under the EU directive in regard to the public tendering process for local employment services; and if her attention has been drawn to further advice contrary to this position. [48507/21]
View answerMy Department is now at an advanced stage in its first phase of a two-phase procurement of new employment services. This procurement process follows extensive consultations by my Department with the existing service providers over the last number of years. The Phase two procurement, to commence shortly, will see the Regional Employment Service model rolled out across the State. It will take on board the learnings of the first phase. This is a significant expansion of employment services and will result in State-wide coverage of employment services for those furthest from the labour market for the first time.I have previously made clear that legal advice from the Attorney General's Office obliges my Department to procure its employment services in an open and competitive manner in respect of EU and national procurement rules. The relevant EU directive is Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement. The entire Directive sets out the relevant public procurement obligations that must be considered in the whole, when considering the State's legal obligations for the public procurement of such services. I am aware that some stakeholders have sought and received advice from their own legal advisers. This is entirely a matter for them to consider and to decide on how they wish to proceed. My Department has been made aware of some of the matters raised by third-party legal advisers. The existing LES contracts are no longer consistent with current best practices and good governance requires significant changes to be made. The new model entails moving to multi-annual contracts with enhanced key performance indicators and a funding model that allows more autonomy and flexibility on how best to deliver enhanced services in the best interests of the client.
90. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has examined the report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection and Rural and Community Development titled Pre-budget Submission to the Department of Social Protection; if she is considering implementing the recommendation of the report in Budget 2022 and social welfare legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48300/21]
View answerI recently received the Pre-Budget Submission from the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands, which was produced on foot of a significant consultation and engagement with interested stakeholders.
I am very grateful for the time and effort taken by the Committee in producing this report and in drawing these issues to my attention.
Many of the issues addressed in the Committee’s submission are similar to suggestions made to me and to my Department in our engagement with stakeholders, through the pre-budget process undertaken each year. This includes the receipt of many pre-Budget submissions, the Department’s Pre-budget Forum, the Social Inclusion Forum and bi-lateral meetings with the community and voluntary sector and individual representative groups.
As with all of these engagements, the views and recommendations of the Committee will form part of consideration by Government when forming social welfare measures to be included as part of Budget 2022, taking account of Government priorities and the need to protect the most vulnerable in society.
91. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will remove the six-year cap on participation on the rural social scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48451/21]
View answerThe Rural Social scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme providing part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishermen or women who are in receipt of specified social welfare payments, and who are underemployed in their primary occupation. The scheme offers participants the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in their communities.Following a Government decision, the number of places on RSS was increased by 750 during 2017 and 2018, and a six-year time limit was introduced for new entrants, with effect from 1st February 2017. Therefore, it will be February 2023 before the first group of RSS participants are due to leave the scheme on the basis of the 6-year rule. Prior to the introduction of the six year limit, a RSS participant could remain on the scheme for a significant part of their working life. This had the effect of limiting places available on RSS and reducing the opportunities available to new applicants. RSS participants who commenced on the scheme prior to 1st February 2017 can remain on the RSS for as long as they continue to remain eligible for a qualifying social welfare payment. The Department continues to monitor all of the employment support programmes and, while there are no immediate plans to remove the six year cap on participation on the RSS at present, the Department intends to undertake a review of RSS in 2022.
92. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if there will be an increase in the old age pension in budget 2022 given rising living costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48520/21]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that I will be considering a range of options for Budget 2022 over the coming days, taking account of available resources. It is, I believe, important to emphasise that the Government takes a range of data, not just price data, into account in formulating its budget. For example, the last two Budgets have, in fact, seen a series of evidence-based increases in some social welfare payments targeted to improve the situation of the people who are most at risk of poverty and to ensure the most vulnerable were protected. While core rates for pensioners remained unchanged in Budgets 2020 and 2021, measures were introduced which sought to protect some of the most vulnerable groups, including pensioners.In recognition of research which indicates that those who are aged 65 years and over are more likely to be at risk of poverty, deprivation and consistent poverty if they live alone, the Living Alone Allowance was increased by €10 per week over the course of Budgets 2020 and 2021. This brought the rate from €9 to €19 per week. To take account of increased costs arising as a result of increases to the carbon tax, the Fuel Allowance was increased by €2 per week in Budget 2020 and a further €3.50 per week in Budget 2021. This raised the weekly rate of payment from €22.50 in 2019 to €28 currently.As a result of these targeted measures, some of the most vulnerable social welfare recipients have already seen increases significantly above the rate of inflation over this period. For example, during the fuel season, a pensioner or person with a disability living alone is up to €15.50 per week better off. In addition, on a once-off basis in 2020, the fuel season was extended by four weeks, in recognition of the fact that many people were spending more time at home due to the Covid-19 lockdown. In considering options for the forthcoming Social Welfare Budget package, I will once again be guided by evidence-based research produced by organisations such as the CSO, the ERSI and the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice. Taking an evidence-based approach ensures that available resources are used to deliver maximum impact in terms of reducing poverty and disadvantage.
94. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if there will be a review of the rates of payment for the parent’s leave and benefit scheme to ensure that parents can afford taking up the leave including with regard to situations in which employers previously topped-up salaries of parents availing of this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48201/21]
View answerThe Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of Parent’s Leave and Benefit for each parent of a child born or adopted after 1 November 2019. As provided for in Budget 2021, Parent’s Leave and Benefit have been extended from 2 weeks to 5 weeks for each parent. These additional weeks are available to parents in respect of children born or adopted on or after 1st November 2019.
The period during which this leave can be taken has also been extended from 12 to 24 months so it can be taken up to a child's second birthday or within two years following adoption. These changes, which came into effect from 1 April 2021, enhance the flexibility of the scheme to make it easier for parents to avail of Parent’s Benefit.
Parent’s Benefit is paid at a weekly flat rate of €245 for 5 weeks to employed and self-employed people who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution and other conditions. The rate of Parent’s Benefit is in line with the rates of Paternity Benefit, Adoptive Benefit and Maternity Benefit.
A number of employers top up their employee’s Parent’s Benefit in much the same way as they offer to top up Maternity and Paternity benefit. These arrangements are discretionary private contractual arrangements agreed between employers and workers and, as such, are outside the realm of Social Welfare legislation.
Since the changes to Parent’s Benefit came into effect, the Department of Social Protection has awarded Parent’s Benefit to some 30,570 parents at a cost of over €23 million. Since the start of this year, some 37,926 applications for Parent’s Benefit have been awarded compared to 15,729 for the whole of 2020.
Any decisions in relation to the rate of Parent’s Benefit would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
