Written Answers Nos. 818-843
818. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide her response to a recommendation in a report (details supplied) concerning energy poverty calling for the benchmarking of social welfare rates against what it costs to live a dignified life in Ireland. [12804/23]
View answerThe Government is committed to protecting vulnerable households from the impact of energy costs through a combination of supports, energy efficiency awareness initiatives and investment in programmes to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock.
Whilst policy on energy poverty and the Government's energy poverty strategy is primarily a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, my Department provides a range of schemes to assist with energy costs subject to satisfying the relevant qualifying conditions.
These include -
- The Fuel Allowance which is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (giving a total per recipient of €924 each year) from late September to April (estimated to cost €412 million in 2023).
- Electricity or gas allowances under the Household Benefits scheme.
- A special heating supplement under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.
- Exceptional needs payments to help meet an essential once-off cost, which an applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources.
Furthermore, in Budget 2023, the Government provided an unprecedented response that aims to ease the financial pressure on households throughout the State.
As part of the Government's cost of living measures in Budget 2023, an Autumn Cost of Living Double Payment was paid to Social Protection recipients in October. In November, a €200 Lump Sum Payment was paid to pensioners and people with a disability receiving the Living Alone Allowance, a €500 lump sum was paid to people receiving Carer’s Support Grant and a €500 lump sum was paid to people in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension and Blind Pension. A €400 additional Lump Sum payment was made to all households in receipt of the Fuel Allowance Payment.
In December, a Christmas Bonus Double Payment was paid to 1.3 million Social Protection recipients including pensioners, carers and people with disabilities.
From January 2023, the maximum rate of core Social Welfare rates was increased by €12 per week. There were proportionate increases for qualified adults and for people getting a reduced rate. The weekly full rate for a qualified child was increased to €42 for children under 12 years of age and to €50 for children aged 12 years and over.
Also, from January 2023, a new means threshold for the Fuel Allowance scheme was introduced for people aged 70 years and over. The new means threshold is €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple. The weekly means threshold for those aged under 70 was increased by €80 to €200 above the appropriate rate of State Pension (Contributory). Similarly, the allowable means for HHB purposes for those aged between 66-69 not in receipt of a qualifying payment was increased by €80 to €200 above the appropriate rate of State Pension (Contributory).
The enhanced electricity credit of €600 is another important Government measure announced in the Budget. This will also benefit all households. The first €400 was applied to electricity bills in November and January.
The Government recently announced further supports for people over the coming months, including a €200 lump sum payment to be provided to people on long-term Social Protection payments, on the same basis as the Christmas bonus, and including Working Family Payment recipients.
819. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she has taken in response to the recommendation in the Report of the Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation to Persons in the International Protection Process that full basic supplementary welfare allowance be given to asylum seekers who are not in direct provision and give asylum-seeking children access to the child benefit. [12805/23]
View answer821. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if, following report of the the Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation to Persons in the International Protection Process, the full basic supplementary welfare allowance can be paid to asylum seekers who are not in direct provision and give parents of asylum-seeking children given access to the child benefit. [12885/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 819 and 821 together.
The provision of material reception conditions, including food and health services, for applicants for International Protection who are awaiting a decision on their application is the responsibility of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS).
My department administers the daily expenses allowance (DEA) which is paid to protection applicants who reside in accommodation provided by IPAS in order to meet incidental, personal expenses.
The current weekly rates of payment are €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child. There are approximately 10,600 adults and 2,300 children residing in IPAS provided accommodation in respect of whom daily expenses allowance is being paid.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is leading the implementation of the commitments contained in the White Paper to End Direct Provision, adopted by the Government in February 2021.
My Department is committed to supporting this process and my officials will continue to work with colleagues in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to implement change.
The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system. The basic supplementary welfare allowance provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment or do not qualify for payment under other State schemes. This assistance is subject to the person having the right to reside and satisfying the requirements of the Habitual Residence Condition.
Child Benefit is a monthly payment to support parents and guardians and is also subject to the person having the right to reside and satisfying the condition of being habitually resident in the state.
Applicants for International Protection do not satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition while they are waiting for a decision on their application for international protection.
Persons granted refugee status have the right to the same social welfare benefits as an Irish citizen, including access to a basic SWA payment and child benefit.
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.
820. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person in receipt of the livin- alone allowance on the State pension can relinquish this payment in order to avail of the fuel allowance and any other associated funding where being in receipt of the fuel allowance is necessary in order to successfully apply; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12848/23]
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 €412 million in 2023. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household.
While it is open to any customer to inform my Department that they no longer wish to receive the Living Alone Increase, it will not change the outcome of the customer's Fuel Allowance application.
In the case of applicants in receipt of the Living Alone Increase (LAI), the Fuel Allowance guidelines indicate that the rate of LAI received is disregarded when assessing means for Fuel Allowance purposes. This ensures that the LAI does not affect a person's entitlement to Fuel Allowance.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
822. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if, following the report of the Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation to Persons in the International Protection Process, there are plans to increase the direct provision allowance. [12886/23]
View answerThe provision of material reception conditions, including food and health services, for applicants for International Protection who are awaiting a decision on their application is the responsibility of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS).
My department administers the daily expenses allowance (DEA) which is paid to protection applicants who reside in accommodation provided by IPAS in order to meet incidental, personal expenses.
The Government has provided €20.15 million for the allowance in 2022. The current weekly rates of payment are €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child. There are approximately 10,600 adults and 2,300 children residing in IPAS provided accommodation in respect of whom daily expenses allowance is being paid.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is leading the implementation of the commitments contained in the White Paper to End Direct Provision, adopted by the Government in February 2021.
Any increases to the rate of daily expenses allowance, pending the implementation of the White Paper to End Direct Provision, would have to be approved by Government and considered in an overall budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
823. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made by her Department in respect of targets and goals set out in sustainable development goals of the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development under the policy remit of her Department; and if these targets and goals will be met by their respective deadlines. [12910/23]
View answerIn Ireland, a whole-of-Government approach has been adopted for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with each Minister having specific responsibility for implementing individual SDG targets related to their Ministerial functions.
The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has overall responsibility for promoting the SDGs and overseeing their coherent implementation across Government, including the development of the National Implementation Plans and reporting frameworks.
The SDG National Implementation Plan 2022 – 2024 was published on www.gov.ie in October 2022. A Policy Map was also published that sets out which Department leads on the delivery of each of the 169 targets. My Department is identified as the lead Department in relation to five specific targets under three separate goals. My officials recently attended the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands to update on progress in implementation of our SDG targets.
Under Goal 1, which relates to poverty, my Department leads on targets 1.2 and 1.3.
Target 1.2 relates to reducing poverty as nationally defined. In Ireland, the national social target for poverty reduction is to reduce consistent poverty to 2 per cent or less. In the 2020 survey, the rate of consistent poverty was 4.7 per cent. This reduced to 4 per cent in the 2021 survey and increased to 5.3 per cent in the 2022 survey. While it is disappointing to see this increase in the consistent poverty rate, as it had been steadily declining since it peaked at 9 per cent in the 2013 survey, some caution must be exercised in interpreting the figure as it is based on 2021 income, a period when the Covid pandemic significantly impacted incomes. In addition, measures from Budgets 2022 and 2023 are not reflected in the incomes data.
In terms of Target 1.3, which relates to implementing social protection systems with substantial coverage of the poor and vulnerable, Ireland continues to have one of the most effective systems of social transfers in the EU in terms of poverty prevention. In the 2022 survey, the at risk of poverty rate before social transfers would have been 36.5 per cent. After social transfers, it was 13.1 per cent, which is a poverty reduction impact of 64 per cent.
Related to this is Target 10.1, which is to increase the incomes of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a higher rate than the national average. In this regard, the 2020 SILC found that the bottom 40 per cent of the population had a 22.69 per cent share of equivalised income. This increased to a 22.85 per cent share in the 2022 survey, which represents an increase in income. The data demonstrates that those in the bottom 40 per cent of the income distribution experienced higher levels of income growth than the national average.
In terms of Goal 8, which relates to employment, my Department is the lead on Target 8.6 which is to substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training. There was a sharp increase in 2020 in this rate with the onset of the pandemic. However, there has been a steep decline from the beginning of 2021, a trend which has continued. Ireland’s rate is now well below the European average standing at 6.8 percent and 8.4 percent at Q3 2022 for 15 – 24 year olds and 15 – 29 year olds respectively (compared to EU averages of 9.3 per cent and 11.4 per cent EU respectively).
Finally, my Department is also the co-lead on Target 8b on developing a youth employment strategy. Pathways to Work 2021 – 2025, which is the national employment services strategy, contains a number of commitments to support young people into training, education and employment, many of which have been delivered. This includes extending the JobsPlus financial incentive to employers recruiting jobseekers under the age of 30; job fairs with a focus on young people who are unemployed; and implementing the EU Reinforced Youth Guarantee so that it applies to young people under the age of 30. In this regard, the latest Labour Force Survey for Q4, 2022 reports a youth unemployment rate of 9.1 per cent, which is well below the pre-pandemic average of 12.5 per cent.
824. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has given consideration to introducing a young carer’s grant, similar to the one introduced in Scotland in 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12924/23]
View answerThe Government acknowledges the important role played by family carers, including young carers, and is fully committed to supporting them in that role.
This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy. This cross-departmental strategy, led by the Department of Health, commits to supporting children and young people with caring responsibilities and to protect them from adverse impacts of caring. The Departments of Education, and of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the HSE are tasked with actions such as raising awareness among education providers of young carers and identifying support services needed by young carers.
My department provides a comprehensive package of income supports for carers including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending in 2023 is expected to amount to almost €1.6 billion on these payments.
The annual Carer’s Support Grant is available to family carers who provide full-time care and assistance regardless of means or social insurance contributions and may be paid to carers from the age of 16. This grant can be used for any purpose at the discretion of the carer, and it is not taxed. This is not available for any other grouping. In Budget 2021, I increased the Carer’s Support Grant by €150 to its current rate of €1,850. In addition, Carer’s Benefit payment may be applied for from the age of 16.
As the current system of grant payments does already recognise young carers, there are no plans to introduce an additional grant specifically for this group.
I can assure the Deputy that I am very aware of the commitment and challenges faced by young carers, and I will continue to keep the range of supports available to carers under review.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
825. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if the living alone allowance can be backdated to July 2021 for a person (details supplied) on a discretionary basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12983/23]
View answerThe increase for Living Alone is an extra payment for people on social welfare payments who are living alone. The allowance is €22.00 per week.
The person concerned applied for this allowance on 31 January 2023. They were awarded the allowance from 1 August 2022, allowing for the maximum backdating period of 6 months from date of receipt of the application in accordance with legislation.
A Deciding Officer has reviewed the award date for the increase for Living Alone. Having considered the extenuating circumstances, the increase has been backdated to 23 July 2021. This decision has issued to the person concerned and any arrears due will issue without delay.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
826. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people who applied for the fuel allowance from October 2022 to February 2023; the number of those applications that were granted; the number that were refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13085/23]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance scheme is a means tested payment to assist pensioners and other long-term social welfare dependent householders with their winter heating costs. The payment is a contribution towards heating costs; it is not intended to meet these costs in full. The payment is made over the winter season at the weekly rate of €33.00 or, if preferred, by way of two instalments. Only one Fuel Allowance is payable per household. Those who qualify for the payment do not need to reapply annually.
The Department generally collates data on an annual basis. As of the end of December 2021, the Fuel Allowance scheme supported approximately 375,000 households. By the end of 2022, the number of households supported had increased to almost 394,000. It should be noted that the number of recipients fluctuates as people join and exit the scheme, as their circumstances change.
The Fuel Allowance is paid, in conjunction with primary social welfare schemes, across a number of IT systems with differing functionality for recording processing activity, and consequently precise information on approved and disallowed applications is not available. As the Department upgrades these systems, it is expected that this data will become available in the future.
As a result of the new measures introduced as part of Budget 2023, effective from January 2023, particularly for those aged 70 and over, my Department has seen an increase in applications for the Fuel Allowance. Additional resources were assigned to process these applications and a telephone service is in place to support customers. There is a more streamlined process in place for applicants aged 70 and over. A new online Fuel Allowance application service was made available from 5 December 2022, which makes it easier and quicker for customers to apply for the payment at a time and place that suits them. A short over 70s paper application form is also available to download from the Government website, gov.ie or by contacting the Sligo Fuel Allowance phone service.
Where an application for fuel allowance is awarded, it will be back-dated as appropriate and there will be no loss in payment to the qualified households concerned.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, discretionary payments can be made to help people with the cost of heating their homes. A Heating Supplement may be paid to assist people with exceptional heating costs due to ill health or infirmity who cannot meet those costs. My Department also provides discretionary Additional Needs Payments to people who face difficulties in meeting their fuel bills.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
827. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an application for an old age contributory pension by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13124/23]
View answerThe person concerned was awarded the state pension (contributory) from 3 January 2023, the date they reached pension age, at the maximum weekly rate of €265.30. They were notified in writing on 10 March 2023.
As the person concerned is currently in receipt of the carer's allowance and has qualified for state pension (contributory), their entitlement to half-rate carer’s allowance with their state pension (contributory) will be examined by my Department. They will be notified of the outcome in writing.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
828. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will issue on an application for an invalidity pension by a person (details supplied). [13137/23]
View answerInvalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
The Department received a claim for IP from the person concerned on 8th February 2023. The claim was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. The person concerned was notified on 14th March 2023 of this decision, the reasons for it and of his right of review and/or appeal.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
829. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of individual payments of €800 made under the pledged accommodation scheme for Ukrainian refugees; the number of own door units that are being provided under the initiative; the total cost of the scheme to date; the estimated total number of people being accommodated under the scheme; the number of payment recipients in receipt of payment in respect of more than one property; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13224/23]
View answerThe Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) is a monthly payment available to you if you are providing accommodation to a person or people who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. The monthly payment from 4th March 2022 to the end of November 2022 was €400. The monthly payment increased to €800 per property from 1st December 2022.
To date, there have been almost 31,000 Accommodation Recognition Payments made with an estimated cost of €22.7 million. Of these, there has been an estimated 14,000 payments of €800. Cases where an individual is being paid in respect of more than one property are counted as a single payment. Cases where an arrears payment of €800 have been made are not included in this estimated number of payments.
A total of 5,244 individuals are currently in receipt of the Accommodation Recognition Payment. Of these, 107 individuals are in receipt of a payment in respect of more than one property. The number of own door units being provided is not available to my Department due to cases where individuals may be housed in accommodation that is separate to the main living quarters of the host. These types of accommodation may not have an Eircode that differs from that of the host.
Currently, 11,275 individuals are being housed under the scheme.
830. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Social Protection if a self-employed person who pays S contributions and was in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment during 2020 and 2021 will have a S contribution recognised on their record for those years, retaining their full entitlement to apply for invalidity pension; the steps that self-employed persons need to undertake to retain their social welfare entitlements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13269/23]
View answerInvalidity Pension (IP) is payable to a person who satisfies certain Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions and who is permanently incapable of work due to an illness or incapacity and for no other reason.
A person is regarded as being permanently incapable of work if:
- for the period of one year immediately before the date of application the person had been continuously incapable of work and a Deciding Officer is satisfied that the person is likely to continue to be incapable of work for at least another year; or
- a Deciding Officer is satisfied that the likelihood is that the person will be incapable of work for life.
Eligibility for IP can only be established on receipt of a completed application form. It is at this stage that the PRSI record for the applicant will be examined to establish if the contribution conditions are satisfied. If it is found that contributions in respect of Social Welfare payments such as the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) have not been updated on his or her insurance record, this will be rectified by my Department before a decision is made on the IP claim.
A self-employed person, as with all recipients of IP, must have ceased their employment before applying for IP and must not be engaged in any form of employment while in receipt of this payment.
If the Deputy is aware of a specific case, he could provide the details to my Department for review.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
831. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has plans to streamline the system for early years educators who have to undertake a full application for jobseeker's support each time the school is closed for a break; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13326/23]
View answerThe process in respect of all jobseeker's payments including part-time workers and early years educators in the educational sector is kept under review. In general, there is no delay in processing jobseeker benefit claims if the relevant claim application forms and supporting documentation are completed by the customer in a timely manner.
Seasonal workers including early years educators workers should apply for jobseeker’s benefit as soon as they become unemployed.
Every person who finds themselves unemployed and wishing to apply for a jobseeker's payment completes the full application form at the time of their initial claim and a repeat jobseeker's form for any subsequent claims until that jobseeker 's claim period of entitlement ends. Applications can be made online and the online channel can be a more convenient and timely method for many applicants.
Educational sector workers, who are employed on a temporary basis and who have previously been in contact with the Department, are issued with a repeat jobseeker’s application form and holiday form in advance of the school holiday periods. This advance process facilitates an efficient service to these customers and allows for speedy processing of their claim when the period of unemployment actually arises.
However, it is important to note that educational sector workers including early years educators are still required to sign on for each period of unemployment and satisfy all the qualifying conditions for jobseeker’s benefit including the 3 waiting days at the start of the claim if it does not link to a previous jobseeker's claim.
I want to assure the Deputy that all Scheme areas are monitored on an on-going basis and processing procedures are reviewed to ensure that claims are paid to customers as quickly as possible.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
832. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason her Department has taken seven months to give a person (details supplied) in Tipperary a decision on their disability allowance application. [13341/23]
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 31 August 2022 and the person concerned was subsequently notified in writing of this decision on 28 October 2022.
Based on the evidence supplied in support of this person’s application, her application for DA was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition was not satisfied and they were given the right to a review or an appeal.
The person concerned requested an appeal with the independent social welfare appeals office (SWAO) on 21 November 2022. The file of the person in question was forwarded to the SWAO for consideration on19 December 2022.
The person will be notified directly regarding the outcome of the appeal by the independent SWAO.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
833. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection the social protection supports available to an individual who drops from full-time hours to part-time hours, working two to three days per week, due to the inability to continue enduring the physically taxing nature of the job on a full-time basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13394/23]
View answerThe main social welfare schemes for people who are unable to find full-time employment are the social insurance contribution-based Jobseeker's Benefit and the means-tested Jobseeker's Allowance. These schemes allow a person to work up to three days per week, where they are fully unemployed for at least four in any seven consecutive days. Among the qualifying conditions for both schemes are that a person must be available for and genuinely seeking full-time work.
Jobseeker's Benefit is available to people under 66 years of age who become fully or partly unemployed, irrespective of the nature of their previous employment, and who have paid enough social insurance (PRSI) contributions.
Jobseeker's Allowance is a social assistance payment for unemployed people who have not paid enough social insurance contributions and who are seeking full-time work. A person can take up employment for three days and may still qualify for the support. Earnings from employment are assessed as part of the means assessment.
If a person leaves their job or reduces their days of employment they may be regarded as having deprived themselves of an income. In these circumstances they may be disqualified from payment for up to 9 weeks as they have reduced their days of employment voluntarily. However, as all cases are decided individually, based on the facts provided by the person, the Deciding Officer may find that the reason for the reduction in days of employment is reasonable. The person is still required to satisfy all of the qualifying conditions to receive the payment, including being capable of work, available for full-time work and genuinely seeking work.
If the Deputy has a specific case in mind, the person concerned should be advised to contact their local Intreo Centre to discuss the appropriate support for their particular circumstances.
Additionally, in September 2022, I secured Government approval to explore the design of a scheme to modify the current Benefit Payment for 65-year-olds to provide a benefit payment for people who, following a long working life, 40 years or more, are not in a position to remain working in their early 60s. The introduction of such a payment will be considered by officials in my Department as part of series of reforms being implemented to the State Pension System.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
834. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has received a request for a review of a domiciliary care allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if her Department will look favourably on this application given the provision of the additional supporting documentation. [13411/23]
View answerDomiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is payable in respect of a child aged under 16, who has a severe disability or condition and requires ongoing continual or continuous care and attention in the home, substantially in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age and the child must be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 consecutive months. Eligibility for DCA is established primarily by reference to the degree of ongoing additional care and attention required by the child rather than the child's disability.
An application for DCA in respect of their child was received from the person concerned on 10 January 2023. Their application was disallowed as per decision dated 13 February 2023, as their child was not considered to satisfy the conditions for DCA based on the information, including medical evidence, that was provided by the person concerned in their application.
There is no record of a request for a review of this decision to date and the person concerned has not provided any new or additional supporting documentation to date for consideration. The Social Welfare Appeals Office has also confirmed that there is no record of a request for an appeal of this decision to date.
If requesting a review of the deciding officer's decision, the applicant may provide any further new information or documentary evidence, medical or otherwise, that was not previously available with the initial application for re-consideration by a deciding officer.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
835. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure all social welfare payment officers will refrain from advising and encouraging people to have their payment paid by EFT to a nominated bank account rather than through the post office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13413/23]
View answer844. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department corresponds with recipients of weekly social protection to suggest they can receive these payments directly into a current account rather than accessing the payments through the Post Office; if she will provide the rationale for this approach; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13721/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 835 and 844 together.
My Department provides two main payment options for its customers: payment in cash at post offices or payment directly into customer accounts by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT). Last year, 70% of all Social Welfare payments were made by EFT and 29.5% were by cash collection at post offices. A small number of ad hoc payments were also made by cheque, which represented 0.5% of all payments.
Customers are offered a choice of payment method for most Social Welfare schemes and their wishes are facilitated where they choose to receive their social welfare payment at a post office. This is a matter of customer choice and preference and my Department has a duty to inform customer's of their rights. However, for control reasons, choice of payment method is restricted for a small number of Social Welfare schemes.
During the Covid pandemic, the rules governing choice of payment method for Social Welfare schemes were greatly relaxed. Customers who previously were required to collect their payment from a post office were given the option to receive their Social Welfare payment directly into an account in a financial institution, whether that be a bank, a credit union or An Post.
This was done to help customers comply with health guidelines on social distancing. The rules around payment collection by an agent were also relaxed.
As the pandemic receded, pre-Covid rules were reinstated on a phased basis. This has led to a migration of Jobseeker payments back to post offices over the last year. There is also currently a review of agent arrangements for customers in receipt of Carers’ Allowance payments.
The reinstatement of cash collection at a post office as the default payment method for Jobseekers has resulted in an increase of almost 25% in the number of Jobseeker payments transacted by An Post in the last year.
The current review of agent collection arrangements for those people in receipt of a Carer’s Allowance payment has involved my Department writing out to customers to check whether they still require an agent to collect their post office payment. In the vast majority of cases, these customers have told my officials that they no longer need an agent and can continue to collect their payment themselves at a post office. A very small number of customers have indicated that they still require an agent.
Any carer not able to collect their payment at a post office could indicate an inability to provide care. For this reason, the use of an agent is only allowed in exceptional circumstances. All customers in receipt of Carer’s Allowance who had an agent were also given the option to have their payment made directly into an account in a financial institution.
Payment by EFT is permitted for the Carers Allowance Social Welfare scheme and my Department has a responsibility to ensure that customers are made aware of all of the payments options available to them.
It is not proposed to limit the freedom of Social Welfare customers to be paid directly at a post office. Neither is it Departmental policy to advise or encourage customers to favour one financial institution over another.
With the exception of a small number of schemes, due to control reasons, my Department remains committed to providing social welfare recipients with a choice of payment method. My Department will respect customer choice as appropriate and make payments in line with customer preference where choice is available.
836. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on putting in place a grant to assist blind visually impaired people having difficulty accessing taxi services due to increasing costs [13472/23]
View answerI am very aware of the difficulties and additional costs that the blind and visually impaired face due to their disability. To help with these costs my Department already has a range of supports available, subject to satisfying the relevant qualification criteria.
The Blind Pension is one of these supports. The Blind Pension is a means-tested payment paid to blind and visually impaired people who are habitually resident in Ireland. To qualify for the Blind Pension, an applicant must supply an eye test from an opthalmic surgeon to verify their visual impairment. The payment is made up of a personal rate and extra amounts for a qualified adult and any child dependants. If a person is awarded a Blind Pension, they may also qualify for the Blind Welfare Allowance which is an additional payment paid by the HSE to help those who are blind and visually impaired with costs associated with their disability.
The Free Travel Scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. The free travel pass is available to all registered blind people regardless of whether they qualify for the Department's Blind Person's Pension or any other Social Protection payment. To receive the free travel pass, the person must meet the medical conditions for Blind Pension, or alternatively, be registered as blind with the National Council of the Blind Ireland or the League of the Blind of Ireland.
Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme are available 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. The support can either be on a once-off basis as an exceptional needs payment or as a supplement, where there is an ongoing need.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
837. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will amend the criteria for the free travel scheme to allow all persons over 66 years of age get free travel for a companion, regardless of martial/civil partnership status, as the current scheme discriminates against single persons. [13473/23]
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.
There are three types of free travel pass available under the Free Travel Scheme. The first is the single type pass which allows only the owner of the Free Travel Pass to travel for free. A spousal type pass is available to free travel recipients who are married in a civil partnership or co-habiting. This pass allows a person’s spouse or partner to join them for free when travelling. Finally, there is a companion pass available for incapacitated people who are unfit to travel alone. This type of pass allows any one person, aged 16 or over, to accompany them free, when travelling.
The type of pass a person receives from my Department is based on their circumstances and is in no way discriminatory. A person with a single type pass who is unable to travel alone can, of course, apply for a companion type travel pass. The companion type travel pass allows single people who are unfit to travel alone to be accompanied by a companion who does not need to be related to them.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
838. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a pensioner (details supplied) who is in receipt of other State supports such, as the household benefits package, does not qualify for the living-alone allowance, despite the fact that they are living alone; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13522/23]
View answerA living alone increase is an extra payment for people who live alone, are aged 66 years or over, and are receiving certain social welfare payments. These payments include state pension (contributory and non-contributory), widow(er)’s or surviving partner’s contributory pension, widow(er)’s pension under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, incapacity supplement under the occupational injuries benefit scheme and Deserted wife’s benefit.
The increase is also payable to people living alone, under age 66, who are in receipt of disability allowance, invalidity pension, incapacity supplement and blind pension.
An application for the living alone increase received from the person concerned on 13 October 2022 was disallowed as the person concerned is not in receipt of a qualifying payment (as listed above) and is therefore not eligible to receive this payment.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
839. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a fuel allowance payment will be backdated for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry who has been in receipt of the means tested State pension (non-contributory); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13530/23]
View answerAn application for fuel allowance was received from the person concerned on 1 March 2023. The payment was awarded with effect from 3 March 2023, the first Friday following receipt of the person's application. The person was notified of this decision in writing.
Backdating of the payment may be considered where the person concerned provides an explanation as to why they were unable until now to apply for Fuel Allowance (for example, if they were in hospital).
If the person concerned wishes to provide additional information in this regard, they should write to the Department of Social Protection, College Road, Sligo and their entitlement will be reviewed.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
840. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a fuel allowance payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will be backdated to 1 January 2023 when they became re-eligible for fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13536/23]
View answerFuel Allowance is awarded from the first Friday following receipt of the fuel application.
An application for Fuel Allowance was received on 7 February 2023. The Fuel Allowance was awarded from 10 February 2023, in line with current guidelines. The person concerned was notified in writing on 6 March 2023.
In relation to backdating of the Fuel allowance, payments may be backdated where an entitlement existed, and where there was good cause or extenuating circumstances for the late application. It is open to the person concerned to write to my Department requesting backdating of their entitlement outlining the reasons for their late application. Each case is considered on its own merits.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
841. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) is still waiting on an appeal decision for carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13541/23]
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.
I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The Appeals Officer's decision letter issued to the person concerned on 14 March 2023.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
842. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason it has taken over ten months for a decision to be made on an invalidity appeal claim by a person (details supplied). [13568/23]
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 invalidity pension appeal by the person concerned was received in that office on 24 October 2022. The appeal was the subject of some correspondence between the Department, the Appeals Office and the Deputy's office in order to determine that it could be registered as a valid appeal. The appeal was subsequently registered on 26 January 2023.
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. In light of the circumstances of this case, the Appeals Office has requested those papers urgently and, once received, the appeal will be assigned as a priority case 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.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
843. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether counting gross income instead of net income in fuel allowance means assessment is fair, given that net income is a fairer representation of the actual weekly income of a person; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13700/23]
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 €412 million in 2023. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household.
Fuel Allowance operates as part of an overall system of social protection supports which provides assistance payments based on a system of means testing. The means test ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most.
By its nature, the means test takes account of the income a person or couple has in terms of cash, property - other than the family home - and capital. It does not take account of a person’s expenditure commitments or income tax circumstances.
If net rather than gross income was assessed for Fuel Allowance, it would mean that changes in tax rates or tax reliefs could change the claimant’s entitlement. In addition, to deduct outgoings such as mortgage or rent payments would significantly increase the complexity of the means assessment. It would also have significant budgetary implications and would give rise to inconsistencies in how means tests are applied across schemes.
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.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
