Written Answers Nos. 1311-1325
1311. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current position with regard to the carer’s allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41847/22]
View answerCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has a disability, as a result of which, they require that level of care.
I can confirm that the person concerned was in receipt of CA in respect of their son from 16 December 2010 to 30 May 2012 and in respect of their spouse from 31 May 2012 to 29 September 2021.
Once claims are in payment, the Department periodically reviews them to ensure that there is continued entitlement.
Such a review was initiated in this case on 5 March 2020 and the person’s file was subsequently referred to a local Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) to evaluate means and to confirm that all the conditions for receipt of CA were satisfied.
On foot of the SWI report, correspondence issued to the person concerned on 21 September 2021 to advise that their CA and Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) payments were under review as they had failed to submit information requested by a SWI. In the absence of the requested information, it was not possible to determine whether the conditions for the receipt of CA were satisfied and payment to the person concerned was suspended from 30 September 2021.
On 14 March 2022, a Deciding Officer reviewed all the available information and decided that the person concerned was no longer entitled to CA as they had failed to show that they satisfied the conditions for CA and had failed to supply documentation that was requested from them. The person concerned was advised of their right of review and appeal. No request for a review or appeal was received by the Department.
The person concerned has also been requested to provide relevant documentary evidence or statements in support of the entire period they were in receipt of CA in order that a full review of entitlement be undertaken. No response has been received to date.
The person concerned also made a CA application in respect of their mother on 11th February 2021. Following consideration of this application, a decision was made that the conditions for the receipt of CA were not met. This decision issued to the person concerned on 11 March 2021. On the request of the person concerned, a review of this decision was sought. As a result, the application was reviewed by a Deciding Officer. The original decision was upheld, and this was notified to the person concerned on 14 April 2021. The person concerned was advised of their right of appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. No request for an appeal was received.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
1312. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) qualifies for fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41848/22]
View answerFuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs.
The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or with other qualifying persons. The fuel allowance means test is linked to the maximum rate of the State pension (contributory). The applicant and their spouse can have a combined weekly household means of €120.00 above the maximum rates for State pension (contributory) and Increase for qualified adult and still be eligible for a fuel allowance.
According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has not applied for fuel allowance. I have arranged for an application form to be issued to them. On receipt of a completed application, the person’s eligibility can be determined by a Deciding Officer and they will be notified of the decision as soon as possible.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
1313. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on a carer’s allowance appeal by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41854/22]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 24 May 2022. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. Those papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 2 June 2022 and the case was referred on 16 June 2022 to an Appeals Officer.
The Appeals Officer will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral hearing.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1314. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received for additional needs' payments to date in 2022; the number that were successful; the average payment awarded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41868/22]
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. It provides supports and services to help support people on low incomes and facing financial hardship.
The additional needs payment is an overarching term for exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements paid under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme.
The Government has provided funding of €45.75 million for the provision of exceptional and urgent needs that are provided for as Additional Needs Payments in 2022. A further provision of €5.3 million has been provided for SWA Supplements in 2022 (excluding rent supplement). The scheme is demand led and is funded accordingly. The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income.
Additional needs 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.
Table 1 shows the number of Additional Needs Payment applications registered/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.
Additional needs payments can have a wide range value as the amount paid will depend on a person’s weekly household income, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed. Payments are made for large items, such as help provided in setting up a home for the first time and smaller weekly supplements to assist with ongoing costs. Average payments are not collated as they would have no meaning in these circumstances.
Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to a payment under the SWA Scheme is encouraged to contact their local Intreo Centre. 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 Additional Needs Payment applications registered/awarded to-date in 2022(to end of June)
|
Year |
Registered |
Awarded |
|
2022 (to end of June) |
41,388 |
37,361 |
Note: These figures in table 1 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.
1315. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to increasing the tax credits available to family carers in budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41898/22]
View answerThe Government acknowledges the crucial role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy.
The key role of the Department of Social Protection is that of income support. My Department is charged with identifying where a person has an income support need and providing that income support in the form, for instance, of a jobseeker’s payment, disability allowance or carer's allowance.
My 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.
The provision of tax credits is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance, and the Revenue Commissioners.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
1316. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will amend the qualifying criteria for fuel allowance payments in order that those in receipt of illness benefit also receive the payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41899/22]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist qualifying households with their energy costs.
Qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance are those payments that are considered long term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants.In the majority of cases, Illness Benefit is a short-term payment for those who are certified by their GP as needing to take time out from their employment due to illness and, accordingly, is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance.
People who are permanently incapable of work may be eligible for the non-means-tested Invalidity Pension, subject to satisfying the relevant social insurance and medical criteria. Those who are substantially restricted in undertaking suitable employment arising from a medical condition may be eligible for the means-tested Disability Allowance, subject to meeting the relevant medical criteria. Recipients of both of these payments, subject to satisfying all qualifying conditions, may be eligible for Fuel Allowance.
Any decision to allow those in receipt of a short-term payment such as Illness Benefit to receive the Fuel Allowance payment would represent a fundamental change to the nature of the scheme and, as such, it would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.Finally, my Department 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.
1317. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of all properties in cases in which they were leased by State bodies under her aegis; the list of all State bodies under her aegis that are or could be currently acting independently of the OPW to acquire their own property; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42030/22]
View answerWith the exception of the Department headquarters, Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, which is held by the Minister on behalf of the Social Insurance Fund, all buildings and property occupied by the Department of Social Protection, are owned or leased by the Office of Public Works. The same applies to the agencies under our remit: the Citizens Information Board and the Pensions Authority.
Neither the Department nor its agencies engages in the acquisition of land or buildings, through purchase or lease.The Office of Public Works is responsible for the delivery of office accommodation to meet the operational needs of Government, including the Department of Social Protection and can provide details of all buildings owned or leased.
1318. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will report on the use of modular accommodation to provide emergency accommodation for Ukrainian refuges; the number of sites that have been made available to date by local authorities for this purpose; the timeline for delivery of the modular units on these sites; and the number of families to be accommodated. [41625/22]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the Government tasked the Office of Public Works (OPW) to lead on the design, development and delivery of any accommodation to be produced through modular/volumetric construction including associated site enabling works on available and suitable State land. My Department is the Approving Authority for the Programme and has responsibility for the ownership of the modular units and their future use. The OPW is the Sponsoring Agency for the purpose of rolling out the Programme.
The OPW's plan envisages the installation of up to 200 modular units on site by year end with a further 300 units to be installed in early 2023. The 200 units, to be installed before the end of 2022, will provide accommodation for 800 Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection, with a further 1,200 Ukrainians being accommodated in early 2023.
The first tranche of five to seven prioritised sites are being identified which have the capacity for the installation of the first 200 units before the end of 2022, subject to detailed survey results. A second tranche of sites, for the installation of the balance of the Units, will be finalised before the end of the month following completion of further suitability assessment work on them.
The OPW is on target to have a main contractor engaged shortly.
The expected timeframe for the construction of the modular units is 8-10 weeks. Site enabling works and modular manufacturing process will be underway simultaneously with the order and production of modular units. The programme is on track for the commencement of the installation process in early November 2022.
1319. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the criteria by which food supply contracts are awarded for persons in temporary accommodation whether or not cooking facilities are included; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39624/22]
View answerFood supply contracts for persons in temporary accommodation are on a fully catered basis, i.e. cooking facilities are not provided. These services contracts are directly awarded in reliance on the derogation contained in Regulation 32(2)(c) of the European Union (Award of Public Authority Contracts) Regulations 2016 (“2016 Procurement Rules”) (S.I. 284/2016) and as referenced in the European Communications. Criteria used when directly awarding contracts include: ability to meet urgent timelines, cost.
1320. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to calls by various section 56 bodies for additional resources to ensure pay restoration for staff employed by bodies contracted by the State to provide vital services to children and young persons; if his attention has been drawn to anomalies between the treatment of section 56 bodies and certain organisations that are engaged by the State through service level agreements under section 39 of the Health Act 2004 in respect of the question of pay restoration, arising from an agreement reached between the HSE and trade unions at the Workplace Relations Commission in 2018; if he plans to request additional resources from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in budget 2023 to support the process of pay restoration for workers in section 56 organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39641/22]
View answerAs Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth I highly value the work of the community and voluntary sector across the country that provide services funded by Tusla under Section 56 of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013. I am extremely conscious of the impact these organisations have on improving outcomes for children, young people and families all over Ireland.
The Minister for Health is best placed to respond on arrangements in place for organisations funded under section 39 of the Health Act 2004.
Under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, funds service providers in over 600 Community and Voluntary sector bodies to deliver services on its behalf. The service providers operate independently of Tusla and are responsible for the recruitment of employees and the terms and conditions under which they are employed. The remuneration of these staff is a matter for these organisations as employers. Section 56(14) stipulates that 'an arrangement under this section shall not give rise to an employment relationship between a service provider, its employees or agents on the one hand and the Agency on the other'.
Neither my Department nor Tusla is the employer of staff of organisations providing services and these staff are not public sector employees. In this regard, the remuneration of these staff is a matter for their own employers to determine.
My Department is determined to strengthen early intervention and family support services through the proactive expansion of services that have strong outcomes for children and their families. The Government greatly appreciates the valuable work of the community and voluntary sector to assist Tusla with its statutory remit for family support.
In Budget 2022, additional funding was provided to enable Tusla to increase its supports to the community and voluntary sector.
Negotiations for Budget 2023 are ongoing at this time and as Minister with responsibility for this area I will seek a level of resources that will allow Tusla to adequately support the Community and Voluntary sector.
1321. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to increase the foster care allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39647/22]
View answerThe Child Care (Placement of Children in Foster Care) Regulations, 1995 and the Child Care (Placement of Children with Relatives) Regulations, 1995, stipulates that the allowance payable to foster carers and relatives shall not be less than an amount specified by the Minister.
The foster care allowance was last increased on January 1st 2009. Foster carers are paid a weekly allowance, which is a payment to meet the needs of the child in their care. The foster care allowance is currently €325 per week for a child under 12 years of age and €352 per week for a child aged 12 years and over. It is paid in respect of the child and provided in order to allow foster carers to meet all of the child's daily living needs, including food, clothing, basic travel, education costs and hobbies and sports activities. The allowance is not considered as means for social welfare purposes, and is not subject to tax.
If required, Tusla can also provide additional financial supports to foster carers through either additional or enhanced payments. These payments relate to additional needs of the child, and specific criteria apply.
Tusla have advised that they have recently engaged with foster carers in a consultation to inform the development of a Strategic Plan on Foster Care. Through this consultation, foster carers highlighted their view that the foster care allowance should be reviewed in light of inflation and increases in social welfare allowances. When the Strategic Plan on Foster Care is finalised by Tusla, it will then be considered by the Department. Any decision to review the current rate of the foster allowance shall be informed by the Tusla Plan and the consultations that have preceded it.
1322. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of social workers currently working with Tusla; the average case load per social worker; the number of social workers working in Tusla in each of the past five years; the average case load per social worker in each of these years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39648/22]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that my officials have asked Tusla to respond directly to you on this matter.
1323. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has plans to increase the number of social workers employed by Tusla; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39649/22]
View answerThe need to increase the number of social workers employed by Tusla is an ongoing concern for my Department. Efforts to address this concern are undertaken in the broader context of an acute shortage of social worker graduates.
While my Department does not have a national remit with regard to education, policies, regulations
or workforce planning governing social workers’ employment in Ireland it has actively engaged with Tusla and other stakeholders with regard to addressing issues relating to the supply, recruitment and retention of social workers.
Foremost among these efforts was the establishment of the Social Work Education Group (SWEG), which was established in 2019 for the purposes of increasing the supply of social work graduates and featured representatives from a range of key stakeholders including Higher Education Institutes (HEI), the HSE, Tusla and the Probation Service. SWEG activities included:
- the inclusion of social workers on the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment’s Critical Skills Employment Permit list;
- the provision of seed funding intended to support the HEIs to put in place structures that streamline the placement process for social worker graduates; and,
- the circulation of a questionnaire to HEI academic coordinators responsible for social work courses regarding the barriers to increasing the number of social worker graduates.
Based on the findings of the questionnaire, my Department, Tusla and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are reviewing a draft list of proposed joint actions to be finalised shortly.
In addition, Tusla have recently launched its new People Strategy 2022-24, which includes a range of actions focused on staff recruitment and retention.
With regards to social workers, the Strategy commits to:
- developing new career pathways for social workers and other staff grades in short supply or where turnover is high, including rotational placements;
- strengthening collaboration with Higher Education Institutions in taking a strategic approach to graduate supply, education, and practice placements;
- engaging with the education system at secondary level to promote careers in Tusla through Transition Year Programmes/ Young Social Innovators and Junior Achievement Ireland;
- commence overseas initiatives to attract and secure Social Workers from qualification-comparable territories overseas and working with CORU and Department of Business & Enterprise to streamline this initiative under the critical skills visa procedure.
1324. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the Child and Family Agency has guidance or a standard operating procedure for assessing a person’s age in the context of assessing their age under section 24 of the International Protection Act 2015; and if so, if that procedure has been published.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39667/22]
View answer1325. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the International Protection Office has guidance or a standard operating procedure for assessing a person’s age in the context of assessing their age under section 24 of the International Protection Act 2015; and if so, if that procedure has been published. [39668/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1324 and 1325 together.
I wish to advise the Deputy that statutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. There is an obligation by law that Tusla is independent in its work.
The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
