Written Answers Nos. 417-430
417. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the weekly recipient numbers for each social welfare payment since February 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10016/23]
View answerThe number of individuals that received at least one Social Welfare payment from Q1 2022 to Q4 2022 are shown in the table below. Household benefits recipients include recipients of cash payments only. Recipients who had payments made directly to their energy supplier as credit against their bills are not included.
Table 1: Recipients of the main weekly Social Welfare payments, by scheme and quarter
|
Scheme |
Q1 2022 |
Q2 2022 |
Q3 2022 |
Q4 2022 |
|
State Pension Contributory |
474,487 |
479,717 |
484,822 |
488,587 |
|
State Pension Non Contributory |
96,132 |
96,418 |
98,331 |
99,270 |
|
Widow(er)'s Contributory Pension |
125,784 |
126,149 |
126,439 |
126,629 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
146,518 |
166,809 |
171,823 |
171,586 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
82,526 |
81,776 |
82,229 |
67,414 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed) |
942 |
1,323 |
1,363 |
1,307 |
|
Pandemic Unemployment Payment |
84,934 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
30,301 |
28,449 |
27,108 |
29,339 |
|
Paternity Benefit |
7,259 |
6,352 |
6,992 |
7,416 |
|
Parents Benefit |
15,560 |
19,082 |
24,806 |
24,033 |
|
One Parent Family Payment |
42,227 |
43,897 |
44,683 |
45,164 |
|
Widows Non Contributory Pension |
1,176 |
1,166 |
1,155 |
1,140 |
|
Carer's Allowance |
93,382 |
93,185 |
94,000 |
94,409 |
|
Carer's Benefit |
4,063 |
3,964 |
4,165 |
4,121 |
|
Disability Allowance |
157,837 |
158,382 |
159,308 |
160,134 |
|
Illness Benefit |
335,004 |
174,876 |
157,433 |
129,466 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
59,196 |
59,015 |
58,308 |
57,887 |
|
Back to Work Scheme Family Dividend |
3,249 |
3,172 |
3,264 |
3,225 |
|
Child Benefit |
638,000 |
649,142 |
646,443 |
656,074 |
|
Working Family Payment |
50,223 |
50,103 |
50,991 |
51,186 |
|
Rent Supplement |
13,042 |
11,660 |
10,669 |
9,987 |
|
Household Benefits |
225,012 |
233,884 |
238,279 |
252,233 |
|
Additional Needs Payments |
13,252 |
24,617 |
29,352 |
31,009 |
418. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will advise on the forthcoming tender for EmployAbility services; when the terms of reference will be published and applications accepted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10017/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, Employability provides support to people with disabilities to secure and maintain paid employment in the open labour market. It is a state-wide service, funded by my Department.
Planning for the tendering process for the procurement of new EmployAbility services is at the initial stages within my Department. It is intended to publish a Request for Tender (RFT) in the coming months with a view to having a new employment service model in place from 2024.
Officials have recently met with all current EmployAbility service providers to advise them of the forthcoming procurement and to seek their input on possible improvements to the service.
The procurement will provide an opportunity to enhance the EmployAbility service, incorporate international best practice, move to multi-annual contracts from the current annual process, and increase the accessibility and visibility of the service State-wide.
This approach will be fully consistent with the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities (2015-2024) and will build upon the 2016 Indecon Evaluation of the EmployAbility Service and Pathways to Work Strategy 2021-2025.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
420. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection what financial assistance can be provided to parents with children attending pre-school, who must purchase uniforms for said school, but are not eligible for the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10048/23]
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.
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.
Applications which fall outside the normal rules of the scheme may be considered for an Additional Needs Payment. Additional Needs Payments are administered by the Community Welfare Service of my Department and are available to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. The schemes are demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
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 Service Contact Centre in place – 0818-607080 – which will direct callers to the appropriate office.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
421. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection the position with social protection payments when a Ukrainian person takes up employment; if, upon commencing employment, they have to pay towards the cost of their accommodation and food, which is being provided by the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10083/23]
View answerIn accordance with the Temporary Protection Directive implemented in March 2022, people fleeing the war in Ukraine have been granted the status to avail of supports and services from my Department. This means that they can work in Ireland and access the full range of social welfare supports if eligible, including jobseekers payments, pensions, child benefit, and rent supplement. My Department places the highest priority on ensuring that those arriving in Ireland having fled the reprehensible war in Ukraine are given the supports and services they need. Accordingly full employment support services are available to those who have arrived in Ireland. As of February 17th 2023, employment services staff have engaged with 21,725 people covered by the Temporary Protection Directive.
People who take up employment are entitled to social protection payments on the same basis as an Irish citizen. For instance, people with families who start work may be entitled to Working Family Payment. People who are in receipt of a Jobseekers payment can work for up to 3 days per week and may receive a jobseekers payment for days of unemployment provided that they satisfy the qualifying conditions, including a means test for Jobseekers Allowance. The means test for Jobseekers Allowance incudes a daily earnings disregard. They must inform their local Intreo Centre before taking up employment. People who are in receipt of a One Parent Family Payment, or a Carers payment, or Disability Allowance can avail of an earnings disregard if they start work.
The making of a contribution towards the cost of accommodation and food while in accommodation provided by the State is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
422. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Social Protection the awards made both with and without a tender process to management consultancy firms (details supplied) by her Department and aegis bodies for each of the years 2018 to 2022 inclusive, in tabular form and classed by firm; the purpose and a brief description of the awards; the value of the awards and the total amounts paid; the timeline or timeframe of the contracts; and the desired or completed output. [10120/23]
View answerInformation on contracts awarded by the Department over €25k are published every quarter on www.gov.ie. In addition, details of expenditure each year under Consultancy, IT External Provision and eGovernment are published annually on www.gov.ie as well as the Department's Policy on Procurement. The Department has an ICT framework in place and procures IT services from Accenture, Deloitte and EY who are members of the framework. Their services are used to provide support to deliver the Department's ICT applications infrastructure. The Department did not hold any contract with McKinsey's for the period in question. The Citizen Information Board (CIB) held contracts with the organisations concerned for the period in question but other bodies under the aegis of the Department did not hold any contract with the organisations concerned for the period in question.
The information in respect of the Department and the CIB requested by the Deputy is set out in Tabular form in the attached document.
423. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Social Protection the awards made both with and without a tender process to an organisation (details supplied) by her Department and aegis bodies for each of the years 2018 to 2022 inclusive, in tabular form; the purpose and a brief description of the awards; the value of the awards and the total amounts paid; the timeline or timeframe of the contracts; and the desired or completed output. [10138/23]
View answerThe Department and the Citizen Information Board (CIB) procure licenses and support through a licensed vendor, Micromail. All other bodies under the aegis of the Department did not hold a contract with the organisation concerned for the period in question.
The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the Department and the CIB is set out in tabular form in the document attached.
424. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) had her fuel allowance stopped [10146/23]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April to assist households with their energy costs.
Under the current qualifying conditions for fuel allowance a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria including the household composition criteria. Fuel allowance is not payable if an applicant lives with any person, including a family member that is not covered by the household composition criteria outlined below.
- a qualified spouse / civil partner / cohabitant or qualified child(ren); (if the qualified spouse is in receipt of half rate carers, in addition to the IQA payment, they may qualify for fuel allowance, subject to a means test) or
- a person in receipt of a qualifying payment who would be entitled to the allowance in their own right or
- a person who is in receipt of carer’s allowance or carer’s benefit in respect of providing full-time care and attention to the fuel allowance applicant or their qualified spouse / civil partner / cohabitant or qualified child(ren) or
- a person receiving short-term jobseeker's allowance (JA) or basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) - i.e., less than 391 days for JA and less than 15 months/456 days for SWA).
According to the information provided to my Department by the person concerned, her household includes people who are not eligible for the purpose of fuel allowance. As a result her fuel allowance was stopped from the 10th February 2023. The person was notified in writing of this decision and advised if there were any changes in their circumstances to submit a new application.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, Additional Needs Payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off costs which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources, and this may include exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
425. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason persons (details supplied) do not qualify for fuel allowance. [10150/23]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April. One of the conditions for receipt of fuel allowance is that a person must satisfy a means test.
From January 2023, the threshold for the fuel allowance means test for those aged over 70 is €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple without the need to be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. In this case the threshold is €1,000 per week.
Following a means assessment, it was determined that the means are €1,036.51 which exceeds the permissible weekly means for fuel allowance qualification purposes. Where applicants exceed the permissible income limit, marginally or otherwise, there is no scope for discretion. The application was disallowed, and the person concerned was notified in writing on 03 January 2023.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, Exceptional Needs Payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources, and this may include exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
428. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Social Protection the social protection supports that are available for a person (details supplied). [10214/23]
View answerDisability allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and habitual residency conditions.
A completed DA application form must be submitted to the Department in order to establish if the person concerned has an entitlement. An application form was posted to the person concerned on 24 February 2023.
The person in question can apply to the Community Welfare Officer for the means tested supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) if he is in need of financial assistance while waiting for his DA application to be processed.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
429. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection when a payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10226/23]
View answerDisability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions.
I can confirm that no communication from the person concerned was received by my department, requesting an Increase for Qualified Child Allowance (IQC) in respect of the child, Kai.
On foot of your request, I can confirm that IQC has been awarded in respect of Kai effective from 14 September 2022. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 23 February 2023.
Arrears of payment due from 14 September 2022 to 27 February 2023 issued to her on 23 February 2023 by her chosen payment method. A letter notifying her of this decision also issued to her on 23 February 2023.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
430. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the consideration that has been given to bringing the job initiative rate of payment in line with the minimum wage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10230/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware Job Initiative (JI) is an employment support scheme which was designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities. Recruitment onto the scheme ceased from November 2004.
The Department funds wages for JI team leaders and JI participants along with a grant contribution towards the running costs of the scheme in respect of administration, materials, overheads, training and development. The Department is not the employer of JI team leaders or of participants.
Participants on JI are employed full time for 39 hours per week. The current rate for JI participants is €495 per week which breaks down to €12.69 per hour which is above the minimum wage of €11.30 per hour (from January 2023).
The JI rate benefits from any budgetary increase in the relevant social welfare payments along with any increase in the top up payment for participants on employment support schemes. The 2023 budget increases, effective from January increased the JI weekly rate from €461 to €495, when the increase in weekly social welfare payment rates and the increase in the top up payment are taken into account. It is also worth noting that the JI rate has increased by €75 per week since 2016.
In addition, JI participants also receive social welfare benefits such as the annual Christmas Bonus and also received the Autumn Cost of Living double week payment in October 2022.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
