Written Answers Nos. 501-521
501. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the provision of a site for the proposed build of a school (details supplied); if a site suitably and deliverability assessment has been carried out on any proposed sites; when a decision on a site will be made; the timeline for the provision of a new school build; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39568/22]
View answerMy Department is examining all options in determining a solution to the permanent accommodation needs of the school in question. In order to better inform these deliberations, my Department has undertaken a site identification process in the greater Bray area. The site identification process has identified one site with some potential. However to advance to negotiations, my Department is currently seeking clarification on a number of issues which would impact on the deliverability of this site in a timely manner. A technical assessment is underway on a second potential site option, which will include consultation with the Local Authority. Due to commercial sensitivities my Department cannot provide further information at this time.
502. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education a site visit from her Department has taken place at a school (details supplied) due to security concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39569/22]
View answerIt is the Department's intention to undertake a site visit to the school in question and contact will be made with the school authorities in this regard in the coming weeks.
503. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will extend the means for families in order that they can obtain the back-to-school allowance, owing to the escalating cost-of-living which many working families are dealing with; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38932/22]
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 in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid.
To qualify for the allowance a person must meet a number of conditions namely:
- The child must meet the age criteria,
- The applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and getting an increase in that payment for the qualified child (except in certain circumstances) in the period 1 June to 30 September,
- The assessable income for the household must be within prescribed limits,
- The applicant and the child (or children) in respect of whom the allowance is claimed must be resident in the State.
This year, the income thresholds for one parent families were increased to bring them in line with the income thresholds for two parent families, widening the eligibility for that cohort of customers. The income thresholds were also increased to ensure that the increases in weekly social protection payments rates introduced in Budget 2022 will not negatively impact on an individual’s entitlement to the allowance.
Any further changes to the scheme would have to be considered in a budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements.
Applications which fall outside the normal rules of the scheme may be considered for an additional needs payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme by the Community Welfare Service.
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 CWS Contact Centre in place – 0818-607080 – which will direct callers to the appropriate office.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
504. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications that have been received for the Enterprise Support Grant from businesses in counties Cavan and Monaghan; the number of these that have been successful; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39118/22]
View answerThe Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme offers financial support for people who are long term unemployed and who are interested in self-employment as a route to entering the labour market. The scheme plays a vital role in supporting the development of new enterprises for the long term unemployed and is paid for a 24-month period from the commencement of their new business. The Short Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA) provides financial support to a person receiving Jobseeker's Benefit who wishes to commence in self-employment. This allowance is payable for the duration of the Jobseeker's Benefit entitlement. There are currently 73 recipients of BTWEA and STEA in County Cavan and 53 recipients in County Monaghan.
The Enterprise Support Grant (ESG) is a non-statutory payment to provide financial support to a new business owner in addition to that provided under BTWEA and STEA. Financial support is available under the ESG towards the purchase of business supports such as mentoring, business equipment and public liability insurance. The expenditure on the scheme to the end of June 2022 is some €610,000 with payments made to 657 applicants. Information on ESG payments is not maintained on a county basis.
The separate Covid-19 Enterprise Support Grant was introduced to support businesses impacted by the pandemic and provided a grant of up to €1,000 to support self-employed recipients to restart their business after closing their Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Records show that 290 Covid 19 ESG payments were made to applicants from County Cavan (188 payments) and County Monaghan (102 payments) with 26 applications rejected from these counties.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
505. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to awarding the back-to-school allowance to families who foster children with Tusla; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39149/22]
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.
The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid.
The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is not payable in respect of foster children as the financial support available to foster parents from Tusla, the foster care allowance, includes assistance with the cost of clothing and footwear for the foster child.
Any changes to the eligibility criteria for the scheme would have to be considered in a budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements.
Applications which fall outside the normal rules of the scheme may be considered for an additional needs payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme by the Community Welfare Service.
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 CWS Contact Centre in place – 0818-607080 – which will direct callers to the appropriate office.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
506. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Social Protection the present status of the public dental treatment programme; and the steps that she is taking to ensure that persons are getting access to the scheme. [38908/22]
View answerTreatment Benefit is a PRSI-based scheme which provides free dental and optical services, and assistance towards the provision of audiological appliances and hair replacement products, to people who satisfy certain qualifying conditions, and to their dependent spouses/partners.
The Dental Benefit Scheme is a popular scheme with 893,000 claims paid by the Department in 2021 at a cost of almost €51million.
The department pays the full cost of an oral examination once a calendar year. Over 686,000 examinations were paid for in 2021 at cost of €22.6Million.
To June 2022 there have been 617,000 payments amounting to €35Million on dental benefit.
Dental services under the Dental Benefit Scheme are available across the country. There are a total of 2,975 dental panellists at present. A full list of dental providers is available on gov.ie.
A customer wishing to avail of their dental benefit entitlements must first establish their eligibility. This can be done through mywelfare.ie or by contacting a dentist registered as a panellist with the Department.
The Department ran a public information campaign on the availability of the Treatment Benefits scheme earlier this year. The information campaign commenced on Tuesday 31 May and ran for 2 weeks.
The campaign provided information to highlight the dental, optical, aural and hair replacement services to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependant spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions.
The campaign also highlighted that changes announced in Budget 2022 have now come into effect, in particular that the minimum requirement for PRSI paid contributions for people aged between 25 and 28 has reduced from 5 years (260 weeks) to 9 months (39 weeks).
The Deputy should also note that the Department of Health have a scheme for those with a medical card and this is a separate scheme to the treatment benefit scheme administered by my Department.
507. 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 has on family carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35176/22]
View answerIncome supports for family carers provided by my Department include Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, the Carer's Support Grant and Domiciliary Care Allowance. Spending on these supports in 2022 is expected to be over €1.5 billion.
Carer’s Allowance is the primary scheme through which my 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. The two principal conditions for receipt of Carer’s Allowance are that full time care and attention is required and is being provided, and that the means test is satisfied.
The conditions attached to payment of Carer’s Allowance are consistent with the overall conditions that apply to social assistance payments generally and which are based on an income need. The means test plays 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.
As part of Budget 2022 significant changes were made to the Carer’s Allowance means test. 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.
- 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 Carer's Allowance system for the first time.
Any additional changes to the carers' means test would have to be considered in the context of the budget.
508. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has given further consideration to her Department providing support with redundancy payments for LES and Jobs Club branches when their services cease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34625/22]
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.
509. 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. [34626/22]
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.
510. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will publish her response to the report of the Pension Commission and recommendations before the Dáil Éireann summer recess; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34627/22]
View answerThe Pensions Commission’s Report was published on the 7th October 2021. It contained almost 250 pages of analysis, consideration and recommendations. The report established that the current State Pension system is not sustainable into the future and it has set out a recommended approach for Government.
In the interests both of older people and future generations of older people, I can assure the Deputy that the Government is considering the comprehensive and far reaching recommendations in the Commission’s Report very carefully and holistically. My officials are examining each of the recommendations and I am consulting across Government through the Cabinet Committee system with meetings scheduled over the coming weeks. The views of the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands and the Commission on Taxation and Welfare are also being considered as part of these deliberations.
Once we have considered all of these matters in detail and taken on board the views of my Ministerial colleagues, I intend bringing a recommended response and implementation plan to Government. While this is somewhat later than initially planned, I am sure that the Deputy will understand that the issues raised and views expressed by the Joint Committee and others require careful consideration.
It is clear from the Commission’s work that State Pension reform is necessary and it is complex. It would be a strategic risk not to plan and provide for projected demographic changes, not least in terms of income adequacy for older people. The State Pension is the bedrock of the pension system in Ireland. It is extremely effective at ensuring that our pensioners do not experience poverty. This Government is committed to ensuring that this remains the case for current pensioners, those nearing State Pension age and today’s young workers including those who are only starting their careers.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
511. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has plans to extend eligibility for the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance considering the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34628/22]
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.
The allowance is payable for eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child increase is being paid. It is also payable to those between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid.
To qualify for the allowance a person must meet a number of conditions, including an income limit test.
The income limits for one parent families were increased this year to bring them in line with the income limits for two parent families, widening the eligibility for that group of customers. The income limits were also increased to ensure that the increases in weekly social protection payments rates introduced in Budget 2022 would not negatively impact on entitlement to the allowance.
The rates of payment were increased this year by €100 per eligible child on top of budgetary increases of €10 to €260 for children aged 4 to 11 and to €385 for children aged 12 years and over in second level education.
Applications which fall outside the normal rules of the scheme may be considered for additional needs payments under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme by the officers administering this scheme in the normal way.
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.
The Government continues to monitor the situation carefully in preparation for the Budget later this year. I will be meeting a range of NGOs at the Department's pre-budget forum later this month and will listen carefully to the views expressed.
This Government has provided timely, targeted support and I will continue to prioritise evidence-based measures aimed at supporting the most vulnerable in our society.
512. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the planned review to the rural social scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34629/22]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware an Intergovernmental Departmental Review (IDG) Report on employment support schemes recommended that a review be undertaken of the operational responsibility for RSS. It was also intended that this would include a review of the impact of the six year time limit for participation on the scheme - the so-called six year rule which was introduced in 2017.
Changes announced last December, allowed RSS participants who turn 60 to remain on the scheme until reaching state pension age. This benefited 390 people who would otherwise have to leave the scheme when they completed 6 years, from 2023. While this made a difference, Minister Humphreys and I were aware that the six-year rule continued to be seen as an issue for other participants who commenced since February 2017 and could pose challenges for schemes to maintain services in rural areas, given the number of new entrants onto the scheme since the start of the year.
Accordingly, and in advance of the completion of a review, Minister Humphreys informed Government at the end of June that the six-year rule which applied to participants who joined the RSS scheme since February 2017 has been removed. This change has been made in recognition of the impact the rule would have on participants, but also on the valuable services provided to rural communities over the coming years. This latest change means that a further 920 participants who would have been impacted by the rule, can remain on the scheme until they reach state pension age, as long as they continue to satisfy the eligibility requirements.
Therefore, the review of the RSS scheme no longer needs to consider the operation of the 6-year rule. Minister Humphreys and I have asked the Department in consultation with other relevant Departments, to look at where operational responsibility and funding for employment schemes and RSS, which are increasingly focused on providing services in local communities, should be best placed. While this somewhat changes the context in which the RSS review will take place - the intention is to still review specific issues that relate to this scheme. This work has not yet commenced, but it is intended that it will do so during the later months of this year.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
513. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the instruction that is given to local community welfare officers regarding the exceptional needs' payment (details supplied); the number of applications that have been received; the number of applications that have been approved; the overall amount of payouts that were approved in 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34910/22]
View answerThe Government is acutely aware of recent price increases and their impact on low income households and those 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.
The Government continues to monitor the situation carefully in preparation for the Budget later this year. I will be meeting a range of NGOs at the Department's pre-budget forum later this month and will listen carefully to the views expressed.
Under 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.
The guidelines issued to staff administering the scheme assist them in the decision making process and ensure consistency of service. However, they do not affect the discretion available to officers in issuing an additional needs payment to assist an individual or household in any particular hardship situation which may arise.
An exceptional needs Payment (ENP) is a single payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment (UNP) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for supplementary welfare allowance but who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources or where an alternative is not available at that time.
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.
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 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 2020-2022 (end of June).
Table 2 shows the number of ENP/UNP applications received/awarded to-date in 2022 (end of June).
This represents a snapshot of claim activity taken at 4th July 2022 and is subject to change.
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.
TABLE 1 – Number of ENP/UNPs awarded and total expenditure for 2020-2022(to end of June)
|
Year |
Number of Payments |
Expenditure |
|
2020 |
67,600 |
41.0m |
|
2021 |
55,500 |
42.4m |
|
2022 (to end of June) |
36,987 |
22.7m |
TABLE 2 – Number of ENP/UNP applications received/awarded to-date in 2022(to end of June)
|
Year |
Received |
Awarded |
|
2022 (to end of June) |
40,718 |
36,987 |
Note: These figures in tables 1 and 2 are taken from the Department’s ENP/UNP database and represent a snapshot of the ENPs/UNPs 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.
514. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is giving consideration to or is requesting her Government colleagues to consider allowing persons on various back-to-work schemes, employment schemes and other schemes to work a greater number of hours to entice them to remain in the workforce and provide for the economy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34918/22]
View answerThe Irish labour market has experienced a robust recovery, post-Covid. According to the latest CSO estimates, employment is now above 2.5 million, the highest level in the history of the State; the unemployment rate is now below its pre-pandemic level at 4.7 percent. Furthermore, participation rates in the economy continue to be above where they stood pre-pandemic.
My Department, which delivers public employment services through Intreo and its contracted partners, offers a range of employment supports including back to work schemes, employment schemes and other employer incentives to help jobseekers prepare for and secure employment.
The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme offers support for people who are long term unemployed and entering the labour market through self-employment. The scheme is payable for up to a 24 month period with no restriction on the number of hours worked.
The Jobseeker’s payments are paid to people who are unemployed for a minimum of 4 days in a 7 day period. A person can generally work up to 3 days and still receive a payment. It is a requirement under the scheme that recipients are genuinely seeking to increase their level of employment.
The Working Family Payment is a weekly, tax-free payment available to employees with children. It gives extra financial support to families with children with rates depending on their incomes and family size. Under this scheme a person must be employed for at least 38 hours per fortnight which is a minimum requirement.
JobsPlus is a subsidy paid to employers who recruit long-term unemployed people for new positions in their workplace. The job offered must be a full-time position of at least 30 hours per week.
My department operates also a number of employment support schemes which assist communities across the country including Community Employment (CE), Rural Social Scheme (RSS) and Tús. Participants on these employment support schemes are contracted to work 19.5 hours per week.
It is a key priority to encourage people back into employment and supports are kept under review in the context of the overall improving labour market and commitments under the Pathways to Work Strategy.
I trust this clarifies my position.
515. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Social Protection when the extension of parents’ benefit from five to seven weeks will take effect; the number of parents who have availed of parents’ benefit to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38608/22]
View answerThe Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 introduced two weeks of paid Parent's Leave for each parent to be taken in the first year after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.
Following the commencement of the Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021, an additional three weeks of paid Parent's Leave is available to each parent, and the period in which the leave can be taken is extended to the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.
Budget 2022 provided for Parent’s Leave and Benefit to be extended from 5 weeks for each parent to 7 weeks. This extension came into effect on the 1st of July.
The additional two weeks leave and benefit will apply to parents of children who are under age 2 in July 2022 or in the case of adoption, children who have been with their parents for fewer than two years at that point.
Parent’s Benefit is currently paid at €250 a week. The Parent’s Benefit scheme is family-friendly and flexible, allowing parents to take one week of leave at a time or for a consecutive period.
Since the introduction of the scheme, up to the end of June this year, my Department has awarded over 100,000 Parent's Benefit claims at a cost in excess of €65 million.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
516. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has examined and costed the proposals in relation to means testing made by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection, Rural and Community Development and the Islands in 2021; if the changes proposed will be included in the consideration by her Department for budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34171/22]
View answerI 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 was very grateful for the time and effort taken by the Deputy and 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 the 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 bilateral 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 2023, taking account of Government priorities and the need to protect the most vulnerable in society
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
517. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has examined the effect of means testing as a barrier to persons either engaging in self-employment or employment or increasing their income from both; if so, the results of this examination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34172/22]
View answerSocial welfare legislation provides that, for social assistance schemes, income and capital (such as savings, investments and property other than the family home) belonging to the claimant and his or her partner, where applicable, is assessable for means assessment purposes. The purpose of the means assessment is to maintain the policy of ensuring that social welfare expenditure is targeted to those who need it most.
All of the claimant’s sources of income are added together and taken into account when deciding whether they qualify for a means-tested payment, or the level at which they are paid. Decisions on means assessments are made by Deciding Officers. If a person is not satisfied with the decision, they may ask for a review of the decision or make an appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
Elements of the Means Assessment
Cash income that is assessed includes any income from employment or self-employment, income from a social security pension from another country and maintenance payments.
The assessment of income can vary from scheme to scheme depending on the nature and purpose of the scheme. Sometimes a certain amount of income, or income from particular sources, is not taken into account for a particular scheme and these are usually referred to as income disregards.
Employment is the best, and most sustainable, route out of poverty for most people. Therefore, means testing policy aims to achieve a balance between ensuring resources are targeted towards those with the greatest need while supporting people to take up employment opportunities.
When assessing income from employment, the following items are deducted from gross earnings:
- PRSI;
- Union Dues;
- Superannuation or contribution to pension fund;
- In the case of self-employment income, all expenses directly related to self-employment are deducted.
Income disregards vary from scheme to scheme. For example, Disability Allowance claimants can earn up to €140 per week from employment or self-employment without their payment being affected, while weekly earnings between €140 and €350 are assessed at 50%. This income disregard aims to ensure that people with disabilities can participate in work while retaining a proportion of their social welfare payment. As another example, carer's allowance provides for disregards of €350 per week for a single person and €750 for a couple.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
518. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Social Protection the schemes and supports that are available from her Department to help persons to return to work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34867/22]
View answerThe Irish labour market has experienced a robust recovery, post-Covid. According to the latest estimates from the CSO’s Labour Force Survey (Q1, 2022), the number of people in employment is now above 2.5 million, the highest level in the history of the State, while participation rates in the economy continue to be above where they stood pre-pandemic, driven primarily by the increase in female participation. Furthermore, the unemployment rate for June stood at 4.8 percent, around pre-pandemic levels.
Despite the significant improvement in the labour market, I am conscious that there are some people trying to regain their footing post-Covid and, as such, my Department continues to provide a range of supports for jobseekers.
My Department, which delivers public employment services (PES) through Intreo and its contracted partners, offers a range of employment supports to help people prepare for and secure employment. The key service provided is one-on-one engagements where a range of different options are explored, and a personal progression plan is agreed. These plans can include referrals to employment opportunities, training, work placement, education, or support with self-employment or participation in state employment schemes such as CE and Tús. In the last year, the caseload capacity of the PES is being expanded to provided additional capacity to help and support jobseekers.
My Department offers work placement schemes such as the Workplace Experience Programme (WPEP), which can help break the cycle of ‘no work, no experience’ and ‘no experience, no work’ that often puts people at risk of long-term unemployment.
Another part of our toolkit is providing recruitment subsidies such as JobsPlus, which offers a financial incentive of up to €10,000 to employers who hire somebody who is long-term unemployed or who are older workers, lone parents and refugees.
As part of Budget 2022 and Pathways to Work 2021-2025, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science provided for an additional 50,000 further education and training places to help more people to have the opportunity to upskill for employment into a new sector.
State employment schemes such as Community Employment and Tús, play a crucial role in providing local services around the country and I have recently improved some of the conditions on these schemes to make them more accessible to jobseekers. My Department also supports jobseekers wishing to become self-employed through the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance.
These range of schemes and supports are vital to ensuring that jobseekers are given the best possible opportunity to find and sustain employment.
520. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost to the Exchequer of introducing a cost of disability payment in line with the recommendations set out in the recent Cost of Disability Report published in December 2021 (details supplied). [34022/22]
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 disabled people.
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 conclusion 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.
521. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will meet with representatives of workers affected by the loss of contacts for local employment scheme services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34913/22]
View answerMy Department is engaged in a process, since 2019, of reviewing and expanding public employment services across the State. It has had well in excess of over 140 engagements with the community sector during this process. My officials have also engaged with and met the trade unions SIPTU and Forsa to hear their concerns regarding the interests of their members who are employed in the community sector and whose employers are contractors to my Department. Senior officials have had formal meetings with SIPTU specific to the ongoing restructuring of services on multiple occasions.
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, the finalising of contracts and the commencement of referrals to the new service, my Department has extended the contracts of most LES and Job Clubs until the end of August.
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.
The employer under the terms of the contracts for these services retains full responsibility for staff matters. My Department is not the employer in these circumstances but has met trade union representatives at their request to discuss their concerns. My officials will continue to facilitate these requests from trade union representatives.
