Written Answers Nos. 1251-1265
1251. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance to foster parents in view of the cost-of-living crisis currently hitting all families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40734/22]
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.
1252. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection the date on which a substantive response to this Deputy's correspondence dated 10 June 2022 will issue (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40760/22]
View answerA substantive response to the correspondence referred to by the Deputy will issue within the coming days.
1253. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on extending the criteria of the wage subsidy scheme to include apprenticeships. [40781/22]
View answerThe Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) is an employment support to private sector employers, the objective of which is to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities and thereby increase the numbers of people with disabilities participating in the open labour market.
The scheme provides financial incentives to private sector employers to employ people with a disability for between 21 and 39 subsidised hours per week under a contract of employment. The contract of employment offered must be for a minimum of 6 months and the employee must be paid the going rate for the job (which must be at least the statutory minimum wage).
The basic rate of subsidy is €6.30 per hour giving a total annual subsidy available of €12,776 per annum based on a 39-hour week.
The Wage Subsidy Scheme is not designed for education, training or apprenticeship programmes which are temporary in nature, but aims to provide substantial full-time jobs in the open labour market for jobseekers with a disability.
Supports for apprentices (including those with a disability) and employers who offer apprenticeship positions are delivered by SOLAS. In April 2021, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and Minister of State for Skills and Further Education launched the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025. The Action Plan sets out a five year strategy to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment of reaching 10,000 new apprentice registrations per year by 2025. The plan provides a roadmap to a single apprenticeship system and new supports for employers and apprentices. Last December, the Apprenticeship Incentivisation Scheme was announced which provides an annual grant of €2,000 for employers who employ apprentices in one of the 37 apprenticeships which have been established since 2016. SOLAS, as the statutory agency overseeing the apprenticeship system, has responsibility for developing, delivering and administering this scheme.
I can assure the Deputy that I will keep my Department’s employment support schemes for people with disabilities, such as the Wage Subsidy Scheme, under review to ensure that they continue to meet their policy objectives. A full review of the WSS scheme will also be carried out by my Department later this year. However, any potential changes to these schemes can only be considered in the wider budgetary and policy context.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
1254. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on removing the 21-hour minimum per week criteria in the wage subsidy scheme to facilitate persons with disabilities working. [40782/22]
View answerThrough the Comprehensive Employment Strategy, the Government recognises the importance to people with disabilities of full participation in employment. As part of this Strategy, my Department is committed to improving employment outcomes and removing barriers to employment for people with disabilities. The Wage Subsidy Scheme (WSS) is a targeted incentive to encourage private sector employers to offer substantial and sustainable employment to people with disabilities by providing financial incentives to such employers. The estimated expenditure on the scheme in 2022 is over €29 million.
The rationale in relation to the Wage Subsidy Scheme having a requirement of at least 21 hours per week is to increase the likelihood of people with disabilities obtaining and sustaining employment in the open labour market. The WSS is not designed as a subsidy for part-time work offered.
To receive a wage subsidy, the private sector employer must offer employment to a person with a disability to work for at least 21 hours per week and the subsidy is payable for a maximum of 39 hours a week. Employment contracts offered must be for a minimum of 6 months duration and the employee should be subject to and have the same conditions of employment as any of the employer's other employees.
Currently, the basic rate of subsidy paid to the employer is €6.30 per hour, increased from €5.30 as part of Budget 2022, giving a total annual subsidy available of €12,776 based on a 39-hour week.
Department of Social Protection supports have been designed to enable people with a disability to achieve their employment ambitions by focusing on the ability and capacity of the individual. While the Wage Subsidy Scheme is designed to provide substantial full-time jobs in the open labour market, my Department offers a range of other supports to people with disabilities who may not be in a position to work full-time.
The Department manages the State’s Public Employment Service (PES) through its nationwide network of Intreo Centres and contractors delivering services on its behalf (for example, Local Employment Services (LES) and EmployAbility). These employment supports and services have been designed to focus on supporting the individual jobseeker, rather than being focused on their disability, to best assist them to obtain and maintain employment, whether full or part-time.
I can assure the Deputy that my Department’s employment support schemes for people with disabilities, including the Wage Subsidy Scheme, are kept under review to ensure that they meet their policy objectives. A reduction in the hours worked condition for the WSS would not be consistent with the aim of supporting substantial and sustainable employment to people with disabilities in the open labour market. In addition, the proposal as outlined by the Deputy would effectively mean that any private sector employer could potentially be eligible for the subsidy on the basis of offering minimal hours of employment. Such a proposal would make the scheme unworkable and not sustainable.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
1255. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is satisfied that the deadline for compliance with the European Union Directive on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision II for one-member pensions arrangements is attainable; and if an extended deadline is being considered. [40845/22]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the supervision of compliance with the requirements of the Pensions Act 1990 (‘1990 Act’), including new IORP II related requirements introduced into that Act, is the responsibility of the Pensions Authority, which is the regulator for pensions in Ireland. The Pensions Authority is an independent statutory body, and, consequently, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be possible or appropriate for me, or my officials, to interfere with the Pensions Authority’s compliance supervision function or to direct the Pensions Authority to extend any compliance deadline. Furthermore, IORP II requires Member States to ensure that competent authorities, such as the Pensions Authority, conduct their tasks in a transparent, independent and accountable manner.
Directive (EU) 2016/2341 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision (IORPs) (‘IORP II’) became effective from 13 January 2019.
IORP II requirements were transposed into Irish law by way of the European Union (Occupational Pension Schemes) Regulations 2021 (S.I. No. 128 of 2021) which came into force on 22nd April 2021.
The general principle followed in respect of the transposition of IORP II, in keeping with the Government’s Roadmap for Pensions Reform, is that the requirements of IORP II apply to all schemes and trust RACs, including one-member arrangements (‘OMAs’). This is in order to ensure that all members and beneficiaries are afforded equal protection irrespective of the size of the pension arrangement. It should be noted that the decision to apply the requirements of IORP II to all schemes and trust RACs was announced by the Government in 2019 and it was expected that trustees and insurance providers would have been preparing for compliance with these requirements in advance of transposition.
In the case of OMAs established on or after S.I. No. 182 of 2021 came into force on 22nd April 2021, such arrangements are required to meet all new IORP II related requirements set out under the 1990 Act, where applicable, from the date on which they were established. From a supervision perspective, the Pensions Authority has, however, outlined that it was applying a deadline of 1st July 2022 in respect of OMA’s compliance with those new requirements.
As already referred to above, it would not be appropriate to interfere with the Pensions Authority's supervisory function.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
1256. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will expand the threshold for the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. [40846/22]
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.
In order to target those families most in need of assistance, the allowance is payable for 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 and operational 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.
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.
1257. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of supplementary welfare allowance applications that were received in May, June and to date in July 2022 specifically regarding back-to-school costs. [40847/22]
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.
In order to target those families most in need of assistance, the allowance is payable for 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.
The allowance was automatically awarded to 119,000 families in June 2022. The scheme opened for applications on 20 June 2022 and, by 18 July, 30,000 applications were received online and a further 1,500 application forms issued.
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 (CWS). Additional needs payments may be provided for child related costs, including clothing, but are not separately categorised as back to school costs.
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.
1258. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on an application for a disability allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40849/22]
View answerI can confirm that my department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from this person on 25 May 2022.
The person concerned has been awarded disability allowance with effect from 11 May 2022. The first payment will be made by his chosen payment method on 10 August 2022.
Arrears of payment due will issue as soon as possible once any necessary adjustment is calculated and applied in respect of any overlapping payments.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1260. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports that are available to those seeking to retrain as transport drivers in terms of meeting the costs of a driver's certificate of professional competency. [40902/22]
View answer1267. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the take-up of the €1,000 grant for training by those on any social welfare scheme; and if she plans to make any changes to the scope of the scheme. [40984/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1260 and 1267 together.
The Training Support Grant is designed to support quick access to short-term training where the training is not delivered by a State provider. The grant can be provided where an immediate skills gap is identified that represents an obstacle to taking up a job offer or accessing other opportunities. There were 1,733 people supported in the year to end June 2022.
Under the 2020 July Stimulus, maximum funding available to a person through this grant was doubled from €500 to €1,000. This ensures that greater funding is available for individuals to assist with their short term training costs. There is a provision of €11m for this support for 2022. At present there are no plans to change the Training Support Grant.
While the primary focus of the scheme is on jobseekers and on supporting the activation policy of the Department, the grant is also available for individuals in receipt of other qualifying payments, who may be looking to up-skill when seeking employment.
Support towards costs of driving tuition for heavy goods vehicles, rigid trucks and buses can be considered under this scheme and can include the cost of the Certificate of Professional Competence.
I trust this clarifies the position.
1261. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the actions and engagements that her Department has taken to date to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in all buildings under her Department. [40919/22]
View answerMy Department and its agencies are part of the Public Sector Energy Reporting Programme run by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and use the online national energy monitoring and reporting (M&R) system to report annual energy performance data.
According to the most recent SEAI Annual Report 2021 on Public Sector Energy Efficiency Performance, as at end-2020, an energy saving of 42% was recorded by my Department against the set 2009 baseline figures, which surpasses the 2020 Public Sector Energy target of 33%.
To help achieve these results my Department participates in the Optimising Power at Work energy-saving scheme organised by the Office of Public Works (OPW).
We have upgraded and replaced old premises, plant and equipment which use energy inefficiently. Our current focus is on upgrading to LED lighting and replacement of inefficient heating/cooling systems, and these projects have been completed in a number of locations.
We have also engaged with the OPW for the provision of electric vehicle charging points in state-owned car parking spaces managed by my Department. We hope that encouraging the use of electrical vehicles will reduce the environmental impact of car emissions on customers and staff.
Energy efficiency training is provided to key staff with responsibility for accommodation, who actively monitor and report local consumption each month to determine prevailing trends in energy use across the Department’s offices, and so that corrective action can be taken where required.
My Department has developed a set of energy efficient guidelines for staff, for the management of the energy usage of heating, lighting, air and ventilation systems (HVAC), together with a computer/peripheral equipment shutdown procedure. Department staff are regularly reminded to switch off office equipment and pay attention to their local energy consumption. They are also encouraged to submit online their comments or ideas on improving energy efficiency.
In June 2021 my Department was the first government Department to be awarded certification in ISO 50001:2018 Energy Management. ISO 50001 is an internationally-recognised standard in best-practice energy management. Successful completion of regular audits is required to retain this accreditation.
The Deputy will be aware that the 2021 Climate Action Plan, underpinned by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, commits Ireland to reach a legally-binding target of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions no later than 2050, and a cut of 51% by 2030. It also sets out a requirement for the public sector to report greenhouse (GHG) emissions data, including emissions related to business travel, to the SEAI. My Department is guided by SEAI on the procedures and calculation methodologies specified by that Authority.
1262. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has set a start date for the auto-enrolment of those with no employer pension into a pension top-up scheme; the initial rate at which contributions will be set; and the implementation milestones involved. [40979/22]
View answerIn March I announced that Government approval had been given to the final design principles for the auto-enrolment (AE) retirement savings system. A detailed explanatory paper on the new system has been published on www.gov.ie.
The system is expected to become operational in early 2024, and will automatically enrol approximately 750,000 employees at the outset. These are employees who are aged between 23 and 60 years, earning over €20,000 across all their employments, and who are not already enrolled in an occupational pension scheme.
Contributions will be paid by employees through a payroll deduction and matched by their employers as a percentage of the employee’s gross income from employment. Initially, contributions will be set at a rate of 1.5% for both employee and employer. These contributions will increase by 1.5% every three years until reaching a maximum of 6% by Year 10 onwards. The State will also contribute a top-up financial incentive at a rate of €1 for every €3 saved by the employee.
The timeline for delivery was published in the final design document, and includes the following milestones:
|
Establish CPA on administrative basis with Department of Social Protection |
Q2 – Q3 2022 |
|
Legislative Heads of Bill drafted and Government approval |
Q3 – Q4 2022 |
|
Legislation enacted |
Q3 2023 |
|
CPA organisation established on statutorily independent basis |
Q4 2023 |
|
Completed development/procurement of initial IT system/infrastructure |
Q4 2023 |
|
Procurement of investment managers completed |
Q4 2023 |
|
Commencement of automatic enrolments |
Q1 2024 |
The implementation phase is now well underway, with a project team in the Department of Social Protection progressing a range of individual elements of a detailed project plan. This work includes the preparation of a General Scheme of a Bill to establish the automatic enrolment system on a statutory basis. I intend to bring a Memo to Government shortly to seek approval for the drafting of this legislation with a view to introducing the draft bill into the Oireachtas later this year.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
1263. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the treatments and the devices that are covered by the treatment benefit scheme; and if there are any further planned improvements to be provided. [40980/22]
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 following are the entitlements under each of the schemes.
Dental Benefit
The department pays the full cost of an oral examination once a calendar year.
Since October 2017, a payment of €42 is provided towards either:
- a scale and polish
- a periodontal treatment (if clinically necessary)
If the cost of either cleaning or periodontal treatment is more than €42, you must pay the rest. This is capped at €15 for a scale and polish. There is no cap on the balance charged for periodontal treatment.
Optical Benefit
The Treatment Benefit Scheme entitles a claimant to a free eyesight test once every second calendar year. Sight tests for visual display units like computer screens and driving licences are not covered.
Once every second calendar year, a claimant can get a payment towards one pair of:
- reading and distance spectacles
- bifocal or varifocals
- contact lenses (including disposables)
Basic frames are free. If more expensive frames are chosen, the department will pay €42 towards the overall cost and the claimant pays the balance.
Medical lenses
These specialised lenses are used to treat certain eye conditions and medical evidence is required in order to access the grant.
If the claimant needs contact lenses for medical reasons, the department will pay a maximum of €500 towards the cost of each medical lens once every second calendar year, provided the claimant has an ophthalmologist’s recommendation.
Hearing aids
Suppliers may provide or repair hearing aids once every four calendar years if they have a contract with the department.
The department covers:
- a maximum of €500 towards the cost of each hearing aid
AND
- one repair per aid in a four year period, up to a maximum of €100 per aid
Hair Replacement (Non-Surgical Scalp Product)
Suppliers may provide a non-surgical scalp hair replacement product once per calendar year if they have a contract with the department.
The department covers a maximum of €500 towards the cost of a non-surgical scalp hair replacement product where hair loss results from a disease or treatment of a disease such as cancer or alopecia.
Types of alopecia which qualify are:
- alopecia areata (which includes alopecia totalis/universalis, diffuse alopecia areata, alopecia ophiasis)
- primary scarring alopecias (also known as cicatricial alopecias)
- frontal fibrosing alopecia and lichen planopilaris (scarring alopecia)
- chemotherapy induced alopecia (anagen effluvium)
- alopecia resulting from surgery or trauma, including burns.
The Department has a list of registered providers for each benefit and full details of all providers and further information on all schemes are available on the Departments website.
Any further planned improvements will be considered in the context of available funds.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1264. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the date on which the next improvement in parental benefit is scheduled to be made. [40981/22]
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 has been 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 five weeks for each parent to seven weeks. I am pleased that this extension came into effect from 1 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.
The Government has committed to the continued support of working parents to achieve a better work-life balance and will introduce measures to comply with the Work Life Balance Directive requirement to further extend Parent’s Leave and Benefit to nine weeks by 2nd August 2024.
Parent’s Benefit is currently paid at €250 a week. Parent’s Benefit can be paid in separate weekly blocks or can be paid over 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.
1265. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the new rates for the back-to-school payment; the categories that are included; and if she has plans to extend its coverage to new categories of applicant. [40982/22]
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.
In order to target those families most in need of assistance, the allowance is payable for 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 and operational 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.
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.
