Written Answers Nos. 164-176
164. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people currently in receipt of the widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's (contributory) pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11913/23]
View answerThere are currently 124,706 persons in receipt of widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's contributory pension.
The Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partners Contributory Pension is paid to the spouse or civil partner of a deceased person. It is a weekly pension, available to those who satisfy the necessary PRSI contribution conditions, either on their own record or on that of their deceased spouse, subject to certain criteria.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
165. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify in relation to periods spent on illness benefit, or on Covid supports, such as the temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme and Covid illness benefit whether such periods count in terms of paid contributions in relation to calculating a person's contributory record for the purposes of the State pension and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11963/23]
View answerThe Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Act 2020, provided, amongst other provisions, for the attribution of social insurance contributions to insured persons who were beneficiaries of certain Covid-19 income support payments.
These payments included the pandemic unemployment payment and the temporary wage subsidy scheme.
The attribution of contributions measure ensured that the social insurance records of the employees or former employees involved have, for the period they were beneficiaries of these payments, social insurance contributions attributed to them at the same value as they were paying while employed immediately before going on the payments concerned.
The measure means that people who lost their jobs or were supported to remain in employment arising from the Covid-19 pandemic were not disadvantaged in accessing social insurance benefits in the future including the State Pension (Contributory).
Persons in receipt of pandemic unemployment payment, temporary wage subsidy scheme, illness benefit or Covid-19 enhanced illness benefit have the continuity of the social insurance record maintained through the attribution of contributions or the awarding of credited contributions.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
166. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify, where a dispute exists between an employee and an employer as to the status of the person regarding being self-employed or an employee, how such a dispute impacts the person's contributory record if it is subsequently found that the person has been incorrectly categorised as self-employed; if the period spent is calculated as a period of paid reckonable contributions for the purpose of calculating future benefits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11965/23]
View answerMy Department’s Scope Section deals with decisions relating to PRSI insurability, including employment status.
Where it is determined that a worker has been misclassified as self-employed for some or all an employment, PRSI arrears to reflect the correct contribution class are assessed against the employer for the entire period of the misclassification, and the employee record is amended accordingly by my Department. Entitlement to a social insurance benefit will then be decided in accordance with the amended contribution record. Where the reclassification decision is the subject of an appeal, the contribution record will be updated once the appeal has been decided.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
167. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on the carers review requested by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11969/23]
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 such a disability that, as a result, they require that level of care.
I confirm that my Department received an application for CA from the person concerned on 2 September 2022.
Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment for a child aged under 16 with a severe disability, who requires on-going care and attention, substantially over and above the care and attention usually required by a child of the same age.
Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) must be in payment in order for a care provider to be eligible for CA in respect of a care recipient under 16 years of age. As DCA was not in payment in respect of the care recipient, a Deciding Officer decided that the person concerned was not entitled to CA.
The person concerned was notified on 28 September 2022 of this decision, the reason for it and of the right of review and appeal.
As DCA has now been awarded in respect of the care recipient, the person concerned requested a review of this decision on 5 December 2022. Following that request, a review of the application for CA commenced. A request for further information was issued to the person concerned on 20 December 2022. However, one of the items requested was omitted by the person concerned when making their submissions.
On 6 March 2023, correspondence requesting the above has re-issued and once the requested information has been received, the CA claim can be assessed.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
168. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on an application for disability allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11994/23]
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 confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 18 January 2023. The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.
The person concerned was contacted to supply additional supporting documentation to determine her eligibility for DA on 26 January 2023. A response was received on 03 February 2023.
A further information request letter was sent to the person concerned on 15 February 2023 to supply additional supporting documentation and I can confirm that the requested information was received on 27 February 2023.
Following a review of the application and additional documents, the application for the person concerned was then referred to a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) on 06 March 2023 by a Deciding Officer (DO) for a report on the person’s means and circumstances.
Once the SWI has submitted their report, a decision will be made on the application as quickly as possible and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
169. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated annual additional cost of extending the free travel scheme to people with disabilities who have a long-term illness card but not a medical card and who do not receive any qualifying social welfare payments; if she will provide a breakdown of the relevant data and assumptions underpinning the estimate; if no estimate can be provided at this time, if she will provide a breakdown of as much of the relevant data that is known; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11997/23]
View answerThe Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2023 is €95 million.
Providing an accurate projection of the cost of extending the Free Travel scheme to those who have a long-term illness card is very difficult as the cost is determined by the usage of the extra passes provided and not by the number of newly qualified people. The cost of the measure would also depend on the type of free travel pass issued and the duration any such pass is issued for.
Furthermore, my Department does not hold data on the number of people who have a long-term illness card or how many of this cohort already have a free travel pass.
Therefore, my Department is not able to provide an accurate estimate cost of the measure outlined by the Deputy.
It is important to note that, in general, access to a free travel pass for those aged under 66 is a secondary benefit linked to a person being in receipt of certain primary Social Protection payments such as Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Carer’s Allowance, Blind Pension and Partial Capacity Benefit.
Extending the eligibility of the free travel scheme to the cohort of people the Deputy has suggested would change the nature of the scheme and would require additional funding and administrative staff for the free travel scheme and would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers and include help towards recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
170. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated annual additional cost of extending the free travel scheme plus a free travel companion card to all children in receipt of domiciliary care allowance; if she will provide a breakdown of the relevant data and assumptions underpinning the estimate; if no estimate can be provided at this time, if she will provide a breakdown of as much of the relevant data that is known; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11998/23]
View answerThe Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2023 is €95 million.
Providing an accurate projection of the cost of extending the free travel scheme to all children in respect of whom a Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is being paid is very difficult as the cost is determined by the usage of the extra passes provided and not by the number of newly qualified people. The fact that many operators have reduced fares for children and that in some cases children under five years of age can travel for free would also have to be taken into account.
Therefore, my Department is not able to provide an accurate estimate cost of the measure outlined by the Deputy.
Any decision to extend the Free Travel scheme to all children in respect of whom a DCA is being paid would require additional funding for the free travel scheme and would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
DCA is a monthly payment to the carer of a child with a disability. The allowance may be used for the additional costs involved in caring for the child and this may include additional transport costs. In Budget 2023 the rate of DCA payable was increased from €309.50 to €330 a month. In addition, all recipients of DCA qualify for the Carer's Support Grant in June of each year. The current rate is €1,850 per year for each carer.
Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers and include help towards recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
171. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated annual additional cost of extending the free travel scheme to all recipients of the carer’s support grant; if she will provide a breakdown of the relevant data and assumptions underpinning the estimate; if no estimate can be provided at this time, if she will provide a breakdown of as much of the relevant data that is known; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11999/23]
View answerThe Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2023 is €95 million.
Providing an accurate projection of the cost of extending the free travel scheme to those in receipt of the Carer's Support Grant is very difficult, as the cost is determined by the usage of the extra passes provided and not by the number of newly qualified people. The cost of the measure would also depend on the type of free travel pass issued and the duration any such pass is issued for. Therefore, my Department is not able to provide an accurate estimate cost of the measure outlined by the Deputy.
It is important to note that, in general, access to a free travel pass for those aged under 66 is a secondary benefit linked to a person being in receipt of certain primary Social Protection payments such as Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Carer’s Allowance, Blind Pension and Partial Capacity Benefit.
The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers who get Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA). It can also be paid to certain other carers providing full-time care. The Carer's Support Grant is therefore not a primary Social Protection payment and is in many cases linked to the payment of other Social Protection payments.
Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers and include help towards recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
172. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is a decision regarding an appeal for an invalidity pension by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12000/23]
View answerThe 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.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 30 July 2022. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were returned to the Appeals Office on 23 September 2022 and referred on 3 October 2022 to an Appeals Officer. I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the Appeals Officer's decision will issue to the person concerned in the very near future.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
173. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will urgently intervene to ensure that payments owed to a company (details supplied) in respect of accommodating Ukrainian refugees are made. [11653/23]
View answerMy Department has engaged over 700 properties to provide accommodation for Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. In line with the Department’s commitment to substantially clear the backlog at the end of 2022, I temporarily re-assigned staff from other parts of the Department in December, doubling the size of the payments unit. The enlarged team approved more than €100 million worth of payments.
My Department is prioritising maintaining a practice of more timely payments, including providing more resources to address any issues. Any delays in making payments are deeply regretted and my Department is according this issue very high priority, including outsourcing more tasks to improve turnaround times. My Department will continue to press on to eliminate the backlog while ensuring appropriate governance is in place to safeguard the proper spending of Exchequer funding.
I am advised by my officials that the outstanding invoices for this supplier are being processed as a matter of priority, with payment expected to issue within two weeks, pending final checks.
174. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will examine the level of payments made by a person (details supplied) for their residential care received; if this payment will be examined to ascertain if it is in keeping with the fair deal scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11691/23]
View answerAs this relates to an operational matter , I am referring it to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
175. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has considered the vacant former HSE site on a site (details supplied) for the purpose of accommodating IPA applications and or Ukrainian refugees. [11736/23]
View answerSince the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, and the invoking of the temporary protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis.
The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx of displaced persons like the one that we have seen over the past months.
My Department’s role is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here. To date, more than 76,000 people have arrived in Ireland and in excess of 56,000 of those have been referred to us seeking accommodation from the State.
Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, a broad range of accommodation types have been contracted. The priority is to place people fleeing the conflict in safe and secure accommodation.
The Government is committed to delivering a humanitarian response to welcome people seeking protection in Ireland as part of the European Union's overall response. The scale of response to this crisis has been unprecedented and Irish people have displayed an incredible level of generosity in their support and pledges of accommodation.
The suggestion for accommodation purposes is greatly appreciated.
In terms of reference to HSE properties, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is coordinating the Emergency Refurbishment (Ukraine) Programme. There are currently 61 projects being progressed with expected capacity for approximately 2,700 people once delivered. These are complex projects requiring significant levels of renovation in order to be habitable for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. I understand that a small number of these projects include large HSE properties, though it should be noted that large numbers of the properties forwarded by the HSE required significant refurbishment and/or utilities provision works and thus were not suitable for immediate use by this Department. There is, however, no record of the particular property mentioned by the Deputy being offered or progressed.
In addition to the refurbishment works underway, the Department of Housing has confirmed that it would be willing to consider new refurbishment proposals, which can be forwarded through the Ukraine accommodation offers portal on Gov.ie.
176. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will meet with a group (details supplied) to discuss the National Report of Children’s Disability Networks Team Staff Census and Workforce Review for 2022 and to ensure that progress is made. [11754/23]
View answerThe Government is enhancing children’s disability services to better support children with special needs and their families across the country. Children with complex special needs access therapy services through the Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs). The Government and the HSE both acknowledge the challenges in meeting the demand for these disability services and are acutely aware of how these challenges impact on children and their families.
Though the 2022 CDNT Staff Census notes an average vacancy rate of 34% across CHOs, this is to be understood in the context of an increase in approved posts. An overall analysis of the data from 2021 and 2022 demonstrates an increase of 11% in the number of approved posts and a 2% increase in the CDNT workforce. This increase has been achieved in a context where there is an average turnover rate 9.6% in health and social care professionals each year. The report of the 2022 CDNT Staff Census and Workforce Review is currently with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for consideration.
There is an acknowledgment that supply challenges exist in the context of recruitment and this lack of qualified staff to work in the service is impacting the capacity to deliver services to families and children with complex needs in a timely manner.
However, the HSE and the various Lead Agencies are experiencing ongoing challenges recruiting staff across a range of disciplines and grades to fully staff each team to maximum capacity. This is reflective of current recruitment issues being faced by the wider health service.
The HSE has an extensive Recruitment and Retention campaign underway, specifically to support the development and enhancement of CDNTs, with particular efforts including:
- Targeted National Recruitment for CDNTs
- Targeted International Recruitment for CDNTs with an agreed relocation allowance
- Sponsorship Programme for therapy grades
In addition, the following options are being explored:
- Apprentice Programme for therapy grades
- Employment of graduates as therapy assistants as they await CORU registration
- Expansion of therapy assistants in the system with HSE supporting individuals to return to education to quality as therapists.
In the interim, the HSE continues to drive a number of initiatives to reduce waiting times for children and families. These include sourcing therapy assessments and interventions externally via private service providers, the use of private providers enhancing CDNT capacity to support increased therapy interventions.
Conscious that recruitment will only be beneficial if current staff are retained, the HSE and partner Lead Agencies are committed to providing ongoing training and development for CDNT staff supporting their professional development and retention, and promoting CDNTs as an attractive place to work.
Any requests for meetings should be referred to my office in Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for consideration. I try to meet as many stakeholders as possible but each request must be considered in the context of availability and existing diary commitments.
