Written Answers Nos. 141-160
141. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the serious implications that means testing and eligibility requirements for the carer’s allowance have on family carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38136/22]
View answerMy Department provides a range of income supports for full-time carers including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on all these payments to carers in 2022 is estimated to exceed €1.5 billion.
Carer’s Allowance is the primary income support through which the Department supports carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a payment to people on low incomes who are caring full-time for a person who needs support because of age, disability or illness, including mental illness. The two principal conditions for receipt of Carer’s Allowance are that full time care and attention is required and being provided, and that the means test which applies is satisfied.
The conditions attached to payment of Carer’s Allowance are consistent with the overall conditions that apply to social assistance payments generally. This system of social assistance supports provides payments based on an income need with the means test playing the critical role in determining whether or not an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency, be that illness, disability, unemployment or caring.
In responding to the carer organisations and the voices of family carers, significant changes were made to the Carer’s Allowance means test as part of Budget 2022. These were the first changes to the means test in 14 years.
- The capital and savings disregard for the Carer’s Allowance means assessment was increased from €20,000 to €50,000, aligning it with that which applies for Disability Allowance.
- For carer’s who work, the weekly income disregard was increased from €332.50 to €350 for a single person, and from €665 to €750 for carers with a spouse/partner.
The changes came into effect on 2 June and many Carers who up to now did not qualify for a payment due to means will now be brought into the Carers Allowance system for the first time.
Any additional changes to the Carers means test would have to be considered in an overall policy and Budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
142. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the details of her Department’s supports for refugees from Ukraine; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34935/22]
View answerIn accordance with the Temporary Protection Directive implemented in March, people fleeing the war in Ukraine have been granted the status to avail of the supports and services, including income supports and employment services, provided by my Department. This means that they can work in Ireland and access social services and the full range of social welfare supports.
A reception facility is operating at City West Convention Centre where officials from the Department of Justice, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth are available to meet arrivals from Ukraine. This centre is open 7 days a week. People who arrive through Dublin Airport are being transferred to City West.
Anyone who does not arrive through Dublin Airport can call in to my Department’s dedicated City Centre Ukraine Support Centres in Dublin, Cork and Limerick or into local Intreo Centres or Branch Offices where staff will help them to apply for a PPSN and income supports.
A fast-track approach in processing these supports is in place which includes a simplified decision-making process for income supports and quick processing of PPSNs to allow access to public services.
As of 10th July, the Department of Social Protection has allocated 42,256 Public Personal Service Numbers (PPSNs) to people who have arrived in Ireland having fled the war in Ukraine. Almost 21,270 income support claims have been awarded across various social welfare schemes supporting 37,051 people and 8,822 Child Benefit claims have been processed in respect of 13,038 children.
A dedicated section, available in Ukrainian and Russian on www.jobsireland.ie has been developed to provide information on employment opportunities for newly arrived Ukrainians.
Intreo staff from my department also attend information events organised by Education and Training Boards, Local Development Companies and Chambers of Commerce at which they provide information on the full range of income and employment support services.
Since mid-April the Department of Social Protection has organised employment support engagement events for people fleeing the war to gather information on their education and skills and to provide information on vacancies and jobs. These ongoing events are taking place in locations throughout the country in accommodation centres and in Intreo Offices.
My Department is also working closely with education and training boards to facilitate access to relevant training supports, including English language training.
A Recognition Payment of €400 a month per shared or vacant property will be made to people who provide accommodation for those fleeing the war in Ukraine. My Department is administering the payment on behalf of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The scheme will be launched once the associated legislation has been enacted.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
143. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to research (details supplied) which suggests that procuring public employment services through performance-based contacting will result in community sector organisations losing out to larger cash-rich firms with detrimental impacts on the unemployed who rely on the services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38523/22]
View answerMy Department engaged with the Institute of Employment Studies and Social Finance in 2019 to research and develop best practice models for new employment services. These bodies have established track-records of helping governments develop fit-for-purpose employment services. My Department engaged with these consultants, ensuring their proposals were appropriately configured for the Irish market, reflecting the unique strengths of the providers of employment services here while respecting the legal requirement for competitive procurement. As part of their work the consultants engaged extensively with relevant stakeholders including those delivering the local employment service contracts.
Prior to this engagement Indecon had undertaken extensive reviews of both the Local Employment Service and Job Club services. The findings from the Indecon reviews in 2018 were factored into the design of the revised contracted public employment service model.
One of the innovations of the Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service is the minimising of the performance-based payment elements of the payment for services aimed at those farthest from the labour market. This recognises the challenges these clients face is securing employment, giving employment services the space and time to address the obstacles to employment without penalising the providers financially. This approach reflects both the input of external consultants and the Department's own extensive engagement with stakeholders.
I am confident that the Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Service, once rolled out across the State in the coming months, will significantly expand high quality employment service provision across the entire State for the first time. It will engage with and support those farthest for the labour market with personalised solutions that addresses their obstacles to progressing towards employment.
144. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the means test for the disability allowance and carer’s allowance with a view to assessing income on its net rather than gross value; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34911/22]
View answerSocial welfare legislation provides that means tests take account of the income and assets of the person (and their spouse or partner, if applicable) applying for the relevant scheme. The means assessment includes income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions and maintenance payments. It also includes property owned other than the family home and capital such as savings, shares, and other investments.
Following the improvements made in Budget 2022, income disregards for Carer’s Allowance are €350 per week for a single person and €750 per week for a couple. These are the highest weekly income disregards within the social protection system. After the disregards are applied, the vast majority of Carer’s Allowance recipients are assessed with no means and receive the full rate of payment.
In the case of Disability Allowance, a claimant can work and earn up to €140 a week without their Disability Allowance payment being affected. If a claimant earns more than €140 a week, 50% of their earnings between €140 and €375 will not be taken into account in the Disability Allowance means test.
If net rather than gross income was assessed for Carer's Allowance or Disability Allowance, it would mean that changes in tax rates or tax reliefs could change the claimant’s rate of Carer’s Allowance and significantly increase the complexity of the means assessment and inevitably prolong the assessment process.
People pay varying amounts of tax depending on their level of earnings and personal circumstances. Allowing taxation as a deduction in the means test could mean that the social welfare system, in effect, refunds a person's tax liability. Also, a person may see the benefit of a reduction in their tax bill, which would increase their net pay, eroded through an associated reduction in their social welfare payment.
It would also have significant budgetary implications and would give rise to inconsistencies in how means tests are applied across schemes.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
145. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Social Protection the length of time that it takes to process an application for carer’s allowance; the steps, if any, that are being taken to make the assessments required for the application more efficient; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34027/22]
View answerMy department understands the many pressures faced by claimants and always seeks to ensure that claims are handled quickly and efficiently. I am pleased to report that claim processing is up to date, with processing targets met, or exceeded, on average for all the main scheme areas, including Carer’s Allowance (CA).The target processing time for Carer's Allowance is to process 75% of new claims within 11 weeks. At the end of May 2022, 92% of applications were completed within the expected timeframe. The average time taken to award a Carer's Allowance claim from January 2022 to May 2022 was 4 weeks. The average time to award a new claim increased to 6 weeks during May 2022, mainly due to additional volumes of applications received during that period. My officials are working to deal with these additional claims and to reduce waiting times.Over the past 2 years, substantial improvements in processing performance was achieved across most schemes but especially in the carers and disability areas where claims are now consistently processed within 4 to 5 weeks, compared with 14 weeks in 2019.
My Department is committed to providing a quality service, ensuring that claims are processed as quickly as possible. Any backlogs arising are addressed without delay through a range of measures including system changes and the allocation of additional resources where needed.
I hope that clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
146. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department can outline if any consideration has been made with respect to commencing the fuel allowance scheme earlier than anticipated to help deal with the cost-of-living crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34719/22]
View answerFuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. It is a targeted payment to people dependent on specified long-term social welfare payments. The purpose of this payment is to assist those households most in need with their energy costs.
The Government is acutely aware of recent price increases and their impact on households who are dependent on social welfare.
For this reason, this Government did not await a further budget cycle to address these challenges but acted early. Overall, the tax and spending measures we have introduced to ease the burden and provide support to those most in need have amounted to €2.4 billion.
For recipients of Fuel Allowance, measures introduced by my Department included an increase of €5 in the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance - which was paid with effect from the week of the Budget - and subsequent lump sum payments of €125 and €100 in March and May 2022 respectively. Together, these measures mean that recipients of Fuel Allowance in 2021/22 received an increase of 55% compared to 2020/21. Adding in the energy credit of €200 paid to all households means that the value of energy-related payments to fuel allowance recipients increased by over 82% year-on-year, considerably in excess of the increase in energy prices.
Although energy costs abate during the summer months, I understand that households in receipt of fuel allowance will be concerned as to what provision might be made as we move towards the fuel season later this year. The very significant measures already taken are proof that this Government will act in a timely and decisive manner. We will, however, have to take account, as always, of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
147. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the details of her plans to provide alternative employment for the current providers of local employment services who have or may lose their positions as a result of the current tendering out process by her Department for such services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38607/22]
View answerMy Department has, since 2019, been developing a new model of externally provided public employment services. This is a legal requirement to ensure such services are procured through a competitive open procurement process.Since the beginning of this process in 2019, my Department has engaged extensively with existing providers and representative bodies, including the Irish Local Development Network and trade unions. In particular, my Department has gone to great efforts to ensure that existing providers are in a position to compete for the provision of these new employment services.This involved a two phased approach. First, running a limited competition in four geographic areas which did not already have local employment services and then, using the learnings from this process, to fine-tune the request for tenders in phase 2. Taking these learnings on board, phase 2 included an increased number of lots, a greater emphasis on community linkages and, most importantly, a substantially increased minimum level of referrals for each lot. These increased referrals mean that the annual income under the new model should exceed the existing cost base of LES and Job Clubs operating in each Lot.Therefore, any existing provider who has successfully bid for a service should at least match and in many cases exceed their current income. On this basis the need for redundancies in these circumstance is unclear. However, subject to meeting the requirements of the contracted service in terms of staffing commitments and ratios of case officers to customers, the final staffing of the service is a matter for the successful bidder.
The preferred bidders for the new Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Services have just been notified. The next step is the finalising of contracts and the commencement of referrals to the new service. Pending this, my Department has extended the contracts of most LES and Job Clubs until the end of August. However, a small number of providers have declined the extension offer, which is at their discretion and they will have communicated their decision and rationale to their staff.In circumstances where existing providers chose not to bid for the new services or were unsuccessful then I would expect that, as a first option, providers should look to redeploy any staff affected to other functions within their organisations. However, where this is not possible, and if these employers are unable to finance redundancy payments, then my Department's Redundancy and Insolvency service will, in accordance with relevant legislation, be able to make provision for statutory redundancy payments for any affected staff.
148. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection the process for applying for an additional needs' payment; if the 30-hour limit for working families has been removed; if a person can apply online as well as in person; the changes that have been made to the means test limits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34933/22]
View answerUnder the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an administrative overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
The application form, SWA1, is available online at www.gov.ie for those who can access online services. The completed application form can be posted or dropped into the local Intreo Centre where it will be processed promptly. Customers do not have to meet in person with an Officer to make a claim.
Access to Community Welfare Services is not limited to a face-to-face meeting. Consultations can be discreetly arranged via phone or at our Intreo Centres and Social Welfare Branch Offices which are open five days per week. A direct home visit appointment can be arranged depending on the person's needs.
The Community Welfare Service is ready to provide a flexible service to meet the different needs of customers, who may find themselves in a financially difficult or vulnerable situation. It is important that this service is easily accessible and responsive to customer needs. The availability of locally based Community Welfare Officers and developing a modern and targeted delivery of assistance is a key feature of the service.
The 30 hour rule is not applicable to all additional needs payments. Where someone works above the 30 hour limit, the urgent needs payment is appropriate, as it is not limited to those working less than 30 hours. Urgent needs payments can be made on a flexible basis, taking into account all the relevant circumstances that apply to the person, and without the 30 hour limit applying.
An additional needs payment amount, which can have a wide range value, will depend on a person’s weekly household income, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed.
Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an additional needs payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
150. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the key conclusion in the Cost of Disability in Ireland – Research Report, that the levels of disability payments and allowances should be changed to reflect the very different costs of disability by severity and type of disability. [34518/22]
View answerThe Indecon report identified that the additional costs of disability run across a number of areas of expenditure including: housing, equipment, aids and appliances, mobility, transport and communications, medicines, care and assistance services and additional living expenses. As such the ‘Cost of Disability’ is significantly wider than the income support system.
Indecon also found that there is not a single typical ‘cost of disability’; rather there is a spectrum from low additional costs to extremely high extra costs of disability, depending on the individual circumstances of the person concerned. As the findings of the research have implications for many areas of public policy, a whole-of-Government perspective is needed. As such the Government has referred the report on the Cost of Disability to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group, which Is chaired by the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability and is comprised of relevant departments, agencies, the Disability Stakeholder Group (DSG6) and people with disabilities.
This Group has oversight of monitoring the key frameworks for policy and action to address the needs of persons with disabilities and it is in this regard that the Government saw it fitting that this group would be the appropriate monitoring vehicle. It will consider and monitor actions required by the various Government Departments on foot of this report on a bi-annual basis.
From the perspective of my Department, it is worth noting that a number of measures were introduced as part of Budget 2022 in relation to people with disabilities and their carers, which reflect some of the findings of the report. These included a combination of core weekly payment rate increases, increases in earnings disregards as well as supports for private sector employers.Under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion (2020-2025) and Pathways to Work (2021-2025) strategies, my Department has committed to developing and consulting on a ‘strawman’ proposal for the restructuring of long-term disability payments to simplify the system. This will also include a review of the current long-term disability payment schemes with a view to removing inconsistencies/anomalies and ensuring that they recognise the continuum of disabilities and support employment. This work is currently underway within my Department, with a public consultation process to commence in due course.Finally, another of the key conclusions of the report referenced the significant challenges faced in accessing employment and recommends that a high priority should be given to facilitating an increase in employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
I am committed to improving targeted employment supports where people are facing additional challenges accessing work. In this context my Department is currently carrying out a review of its Reasonable Accommodation Fund.
The public consultation phase of this review has been completed and officials are reviewing the submissions made, with a report to be finalised in Q3. A planned review of the departments Wage Subsidy Scheme, which provides financial incentives to encourage private sector employers to employ Jobseekers with disabilities, will also take place in 2022.I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
151. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons availing of the additional needs payment; if so, if there has been an increase in the number recipients to date in 2022 compared to previous years, including 2019; the percentage of persons who are on a core social welfare payment who are successful or unsuccessful upon application; the percentage of persons not on a core social welfare payment are successful or unsuccessful upon application; the overall annual budget for this payment; the average total payment to each successful applicant per annum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34837/22]
View answerUnder the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an administrative umbrella term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation, and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
In general, additional needs payments are not intended to cover circumstances where responsibility rests with another Government Department or Agency. However, an additional needs payment can be made to help meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income.
In the period January to end of June 2022, payments totalling €22.7 million have been made in relation to some 37,000 additional needs payments. The main items eligible for assistance include help with fuel, utility bills, repairs to or replacement of household appliances, clothing, child related items such as cots and prams, assistance with funerals or burial costs and travel. Support is also available to assist persons under this scheme towards rent deposits. Some 3,400 customers are currently in receipt of an additional supplement to help with ongoing needs. Assistance provided under these supplements includes heat, travel and other ongoing costs. Payments totalling €1.8 million have been made to date under these supplements.
The scheme is demand led. The Government has provided funding of €45.75 million for the provision of exceptional and urgent needs that are provided for as Additional Needs Payment in 2022. A further provision of €5.3 million has been provided for SWA Supplements in 2022 (excluding rent supplement).The payment amount, which can have a wide range value, will depend on a person’s weekly household income, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed.
The Department is developing more extensive statistics in relation to the number of applications made to the ENP/UNP schemes. The focus of the development has been on current data from January 2022 with details on the number of applications available from this date onward. Details of applications pre-January 2022 are not available at this time; however it is possible to provide details on the number of payments that were made.
Table 1 shows the number of ENPs/UNPs awarded and total expenditure for 2019-2022 (end of June).
Table 2 shows the number of Additional Needs Payment applications received/awarded/disallowed to-date in 2022 (end of June).
Table 3 shows the number of recipients of Other Supplements and the total expenditure at end of 2019, 2020, 2021 and end of June 2022.
This represents a snapshot of claim activity taken at 4th July 2022 and is subject to change.
Information on the percentage of claims that are successful or not and the applicant's income source is not collated.
Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an additional needs payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Tabular Statement
TABLE 1 – Number of ENP/UNPs awarded and total expenditure for 2019-2022 (to end of of June)
|
Year |
Number of Payments |
Expenditure |
|
2019 |
92,200 |
43.2m |
|
2020 |
67,600 |
41.0m |
|
2021 |
55,500 |
42.4m |
|
2022 (to end of June) |
36,987 |
22.7m |
TABLE 2 – Number of Additional Needs Payment applications received/awarded/disallowed to-date in 2022 (to end of June)
|
Year |
Received |
Awarded |
Disallowed |
|
2022 (to end of May) |
41,388 |
37,361 |
2,754 |
Table 3 - Number of recipients of Other Supplements and the total expenditure at end of 2019, 2020, 2021 and end of June 2022
|
Year |
Number of Recipients |
Expenditure |
|
2019 |
5,490 |
6.6m |
|
2020 |
4,376 |
4.9m |
|
2021 |
3,698 |
4.0m |
|
2022 (to end of June) |
3,384 |
1.8m |
Note: These figures in tables 1, 2 and 3 are taken from the Department’s database and represent a snapshot of claims as they are approved by an officer rather than when they are paid. Please note the figures do not capture payments that are cancelled, payments that go out of date or overpayments recouped.
152. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the degree to which she expects to be in a position to interact with various urban and rural communities throughout the country in the context of the various schemes offered by her Department with a view to ensuring maximum beneficial impact as required in order to meet insofar as is possible the various urban or rural social economic difficulties experiences by the public; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34898/22]
View answerMy department operates a number of employment support schemes which assist communities across the country in the provision of vital services. Currently, there are some 27,000 participants engaged on the three main schemes: Community Employment, Tús and the Rural Social Scheme.
Community Employment 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.
Tús is a community work placement initiative that provides short-term, quality work opportunities in community and voluntary sectors for those who are unemployed for more than a year.
The RSS is an income support initiative that provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation.
Last year Minister Humphreys and I introduced the Employment Support Services Operation Forum where we, along with department officials, meet representatives from CE, Job Initiative, RSS and Tús schemes. This Forum now meets three to four times a year and provides a valuable opportunity to discuss operational issues arising on the schemes that are impacting on service delivery in the communities. Both Minster Humphreys and I find the meetings to be extremely informative and a very worthwhile opportunity for constructive exchanges of views and ideas with schemes.
Departmental staff, through the local CE community development officers, work closely with schemes on all aspects of their operation while department officials meet centrally with various groups and organisations such as the Drugs Advisory Group and the Irish Local Development Network.
Minister Humphreys and I also interact regularly with schemes at ground level by visiting and engaging with schemes throughout the country. These schemes provide valuable services within communities and the range of work undertaken by participants ranges from the delivery of meals on wheels, the provision of childcare, caretaking and environmental works and other community and voluntary services. I have been hugely impressed by the range and value of the work undertaken on these schemes, many of which I have had the opportunity to visit and witness at first hand.
In order to further assist schemes maintain services in the current tight labour market, Minister Humphreys informed Government at the end of June of additional measures we are now introducing to CE, Tús and RSS. These will improve recruitment, remove the six year time limit on RSS for all participants while continuing the practice whereby placements can be extended until suitable replacements are available to fill vacancies. These reforms will ensure that schemes have sufficient participants to continue to deliver services across the country; in both urban and rural areas.
The Department is fully committed to the future of employment support programmes and will continue to support and improve them for the benefit of the supervisors, team leaders and participants, given the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
153. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Social Protection if there has been any further consideration to review the household benefits package due to the increases in the cost-of-living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34718/22]
View answer524. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she plans to bring any proposals to Cabinet ahead of the October 2022 budget to change the current rates of household benefit package that relate to gas and electricity costs; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that these rates have not altered in many years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34916/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 524 together.
The Household Benefits Package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €273 million this year on HHB for over 492,000 customers. The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to some people under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments.
Any decision to enhance or increase the electricity and gas aspect of the package would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in that overall budgetary context.
The Government is acutely aware of recent price increases and their impact on households who are dependent on social welfare. For this reason, this Government did not await a further budget cycle to address these challenges but acted early. Overall, the tax and spending measures we have introduced to ease the burden and provide support to those most in need have amounted to €2.4 billion.
All of these measures will be kept under review, together with trends in prices, to inform preparations for the budget later this year.
Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputies.
154. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of families expected to be supported under the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance in 2022; when families can apply for this support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34930/22]
View answerThe Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year.
This year, the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance payment has been increased by €100 for the 2022 scheme year, building on the previously announced increase of €10. The rates of payment for the 2022 scheme year are €260 for children aged between 4 and 11 years and €385 for children aged 12 and over.
The allowance is payable for eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child increase is in payment. It is also payable for those between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and for whom a qualified child allowance is in payment.
In 2021, 137,168 families in respect of 252,423 children were supported under the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. This year, the income limits for one parent families were increased to bring them in line with the income limits for two parent families, widening the eligibility for that group of customers. The increasing of the income limits is expected to increase the number of families supported by the allowance this year and I expect that in excess of 150,000 families, including those from Ukraine, will benefit from the allowance.
Similar to previous years, the majority of customers have been awarded the allowance automatically and these customers were notified of their award by the 20 June. This year, close to 120,000 families have been approved for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance for 212,000 qualified children automatically. These families will receive their payments as outlined in their award notifications this week, week beginning 11 July. The additional €100 payment will issue to these families by the end of July.
Customers who have not received notification of an automated payment will need to apply for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance online on www.mywelfare.ie. The online application system has been open since 20 June.
The closing date to apply for this year’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is 30 September 2022.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
155. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans for the continued support of family carers who had to give up work to provide care to a disabled, sick or older person voluntarily rather than being made redundant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38526/22]
View answerMy Department provides a range of income supports for full-time carers including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on all these payments to carers in 2022 is estimated to exceed €1.5 billion.
Carer’s Allowance is the primary income support through which the Department supports carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a payment to people on low incomes who are caring full-time for a person who needs support because of age, disability or illness, including mental illness. The two principal conditions for receipt of Carer’s Allowance are that full time care and attention is required and being provided, and that the means test which applies is satisfied.
In addition, the Department provides a number of non-means tested payments to carers.
The Carers Benefit payment is an entitlement based on social insurance contributions. Carer’s Benefit is a payment made to insured people who may be required to leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care. It is payable for a period of 2 years (104 weeks) for each care recipient and may be claimed over separate periods up to a total of 2 years (104 weeks).
The Carer's Support Grant is automatically paid to people in receipt of Carer's Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Domiciliary Care allowance in June of each year. Other carers not in receipt of a carer’s payment may also be eligible for the Grant. The objective of the Carer’s Support Grant is to support carers in their caring role and carers may use the grant in a manner that is appropriate to their needs. The grant is paid in respect of each person being cared for to take account of the additional cost of providing care and to recognise the particular challenges faced by these carers. As part of Budget Measures 2021 the rate of the grant was increased by €150. The new rate of €1,850 came into effect from June 2021. This is the highest rate of the grant since its introduction.
Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment for a child aged under 16 with a severe disability, who requires ongoing care and attention, substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age. The Domiciliary Care Allowance rate is €309.50 per month. There is no restriction on the number of children for whom a person may claim Domiciliary Care Allowance.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
156. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons to date who have availed of the new grant for wigs and hairpieces under the treatment benefit scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34839/22]
View answerIn May 2022 my Department introduced a grant to offer help to people who suffer hair loss due to illness. The grant operates under the Treatment Benefit scheme and provides up to €500 for one hairpiece or wig each year. The Scheme is for insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions and their dependent spouse/partner/cohabitant.
A person or their partner / cohabitant who have lost their hair due to some forms of alopecia, cancer or certain cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, may qualify for the scheme.
To close of business on 7th July 2022, my Department has awarded 183 claims for hairpieces or wigs.
157. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection when she intends to publish her response to the report of the Child Maintenance Review Group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38133/22]
View answerIn line with the Programme for Government commitment, the Government established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland. The Group was chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and included legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice.
The Group's Terms of Reference were to consider and make recommendations on:
(i) the current treatment of child maintenance payments in my Department;(ii) the current provisions regarding liable relatives managed by my Department; and(iii) the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency in Ireland.
As part of its work, the Group conducted a public consultation process and examined the international position.
As the Deputy is aware, the Group has completed its work and its report was submitted to me on 22 April. I am currently giving the report the careful consideration that such an important and complex issue deserves. Given that the report relates to a broad range of issues that are beyond the scope of the social welfare system, I am also consulting Government colleagues. Once the report has been fully considered, my intention is to bring it to Government, at which time a decision regarding the publication date will be made.
158. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress that has been made in the implementation of measures to support employment opportunities for people with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34934/22]
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 and the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (D/CEDIY) is the lead Department with regards to both of these strategies.
There are a number of other strategies that provide a framework for cross-departmental working and the development of services for people with disabilities. These include the Roadmap for Social Inclusion and Pathways to Work. My department continues to deliver on its commitments under these strategies; for example in 2022 there has been progress as follows:
- A €25 increase to the upper weekly earnings disregards for both the Disability Allowance and the Blind Pension, from €350 to €375 per week.
- An increase to the Wage Subsidy Scheme which is now equivalent to 60% of the National Minimum Wage. This is a financial incentive to encourage private sector employers to employ jobseekers with disabilities. A review of the scheme will take place this year.
- A review of the departments Reasonable Accommodation Fund Grants. The public consultation phase of this review has been completed and officials are reviewing the submissions made, with a report to be finalised in Q3.
- A list of specially trained Case Officers in Intreo centres who will work to support jobseekers with disabilities has been published on Gov.ie.
- From July, the department will commence an early engagement approach with people with disabilities, initially focusing on persons aged 18 to 22 years old in a small number of locations. This is a key action under Pathways to Work and will see the Intreo service engaging actively and at the earliest opportunity to support disabled people to enter or return to employment. This approach is to be gradually rolled out nationally, and will also be expanded to other age groups over time.
- Under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 and Pathways to Work 2021-2025 strategies, my Department has committed to developing and consulting on a ‘strawman’ proposal for the restructuring of long-term disability payments to simplify the system. This will also include a review of the current long-term disability payment schemes with a view to removing inconsistencies/anomalies. This work is currently underway within my Department, with a public consultation process to commence in due course.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
159. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of introducing a cost of disability payment to the Exchequer, in line with the recommendations set out in the recent report (details supplied) published in December 2021; and if she is producing an implementation plan in relation to same. [34986/22]
View answerThe Indecon report found that there is not a single typical ‘cost of disability’, rather there is a spectrum from low additional costs to extremely high extra costs of disability, depending on the individual circumstances of the person concerned.
The additional costs of disability identified by Indecon run across a number of areas of expenditure including: housing, equipment, aids and appliances, mobility, transport and communications, medicines, care and assistance services and additional living expenses.
One of Indecon’s key conclusions was that a multifaceted approach was required, involving increased cash payments, enhanced access to service provision and specific targeted grant programmes. This is why a whole-of-Government perspective is needed.
As such the Government has referred the report to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group, which Is chaired by the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability and includes Government departments, agencies, the Disability Stakeholder Group and people with disabilities.
This Group has oversight of monitoring the key frameworks for policy and action to address the needs of persons with disabilities and it is in this regard that the Government saw it fitting that this group would be the appropriate monitoring vehicle. It will consider and monitor actions required by the various Government Departments on foot of this report on a bi-annual basis.
From the perspective of my Department, it is worth noting that a number of measures were introduced as part of Budget 2022 in relation to people with disabilities and their carers, which reflect some of the findings of the report. These included a combination of core weekly payment rate increases, increases in earnings disregards as well as supports to employers.Another of the key conclusions of the report referenced the significant challenges faced in accessing employment and recommends that a high priority should be given to facilitating an increase in employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
I am committed to improving targeted employment supports where people are facing additional challenges accessing work. In this context my Department is currently carrying out a review of its Reasonable Accommodation Fund. The public consultation phase of this review has been completed and officials are reviewing the submissions made, with a report to be finalised in Q3. A planned review of the departments Wage Subsidy Scheme, which provides financial incentives to encourage private sector employers to employ Jobseekers with disabilities, will also take place in 2022.I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
160. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she intends to introduce any further amendments to farm assist (details supplied). [34782/22]
View answerFarm Assist is a statutory income support specifically for farmers on low-incomes. There are approximately 4,700 claims in payment at present. The Government has provided €53.9 million for the scheme for 2022. Further to the commitment in the Programme for Government and in the Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, my Department recently reviewed the means assessment disregards for the Farm Assist. The report is available on my Department's website. One of the key recommendations of the report was to provide for an extensive expansion to the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for a disregard. I introduced this measure as part of the Social Welfare Act 2022 and it was implemented from June 2022, four months earlier than had been previously announced. The other recommendations in the report, which include increases in the capital disregard and income disregarded from off-farm earnings, would have to be considered as part of the budgetary process.I have also agreed to carry out a review of how income from land leased out by farmers is treated in the means assessments for the State Non-Contributory Pension and the Farm Assist scheme. This is being progressed within my Department.
In addition, I recently made a commitment to examine the means test for Farm Assist and this will also be progressed.I trust this clarifies the position.
