Written Answers Nos. 439-451
439. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of students at primary and post-primary who were provided with free school meals in 2022, 2021 and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [26193/23]
View answer440. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of providing school meals per child in primary school and the cost per child in post-primary schools. [26194/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 439 and 440 together.
The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
Budget 2023 provided €94.4 million for the programme. The Government recently approved an additional €14.5m to allow access to the Hot School Meals scheme for all remaining DEIS schools from September 2023.
Funding under the school meals programme can be provided for breakfast, snack, cold lunch, dinner, hot school meals and afterschool clubs and is based on a maximum rate per child per day, depending on the type of meal being provided.
According to information contained on the Department of Education’s website there are 3,231 primary schools and 727 secondary schools with a combined enrolment of 964,590 students (558,133 in primary schools and 406,457 in secondary schools).
The cost of providing a hot school meal at a rate of €3.20 per child, per day to all primary pupils is approximately €321m for a full school year (September to June).
The cost of providing a cold lunch at a rate of €1.70 per child, per day to all post primary pupils is approximately €114m for a full school year (September to June).
The number of students at primary and post-primary who were provided with free school meals in 2022, 2021 and to date in 2023, is contained in the following tabular statement.
I am committed to continuing to expand the School Meals Programme and building further on the significant extension of the programme that has taken place in recent years. In this regard, I intend to roll out the Hot School Meals to all remaining DEIS primary and Special schools from September 2023, benefiting more than 60,000 children.
As part of significant plans to extend the Hot School Meals to all children in the coming years all remaining primary schools have been contacted and have been asked to submit an expression of interest form if their school is interested in commencing the provision of hot school meals. From 2024, I intend commencing the roll-out of Hot School Meals to all remaining primary schools on a phased basis.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Tabular Statement
The number of students at primary and post-primary schools provided with free school meals in the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 academic years
|
School Type |
2020-2021 |
2021-2022 |
2022-2023 |
|
Primary |
138,157 |
135,279 |
170,389 |
|
Post Primary |
70,208 |
74,226 |
92,356 |
441. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the Government has plans to review the criteria for home care workers' entitlement to DSP payments (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25551/23]
View answerThe Government is conscious of the recruitment and retention challenges in the home and community care sector and is supportive of properly informed measures to increase capacity in the sector. Towards this end, it established a Strategic Workforce Advisory Group to look at the labour force challenges facing providers of home-care services. The Group’s Report was published in October 2022, following extensive consultation, and found a range of issues impacting on the shortages in home carers and nursing home healthcare assistants, including the need for improvements in recruitment processes, pay and conditions of employment, training and career prospects, and wider sectoral reform.
My Department supports part-time working through a number of schemes, including casual and systematic short-time work arrangements for people on jobseeker payments. Under the current system a person can work up to three days and still receive a partial jobseeker payment. This provision applies to all recipients, regardless of the type of employment or profession. In addition, the Department provides the Working Family Payment for working families on low incomes, which is not based on days worked. However, in providing these supports, we also need to be careful not to allow the social welfare system to be used to subsidise unsustainable employment practices.
In line with Programme for Government commitments, I have launched a Strawman proposal for public consultation which is currently underway in relation to a new Pay-Related Jobseeker's Benefit payment and, in doing so, set out the parameters of a new Working Age Payment. Rather than using hours or days worked thresholds, this approach would utilise Revenue Commissioner real-time earnings data to adjust payment levels in line with a person’s weekly earnings. In this way it would guarantee a basic income floor and ensure that in all cases a person’s income increases when they work. This would represent a significant change and would address concerns around thresholds for days or hours worked.
My department is currently considering the responses received as part of the consultation process, which will help to inform next steps.
I trust that clarifies the position for the Deputy.
442. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork who had been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance and who has since transitioned to illness benefit, does not qualify for the €200 cost-of-living support. [25570/23]
View answerAs part of the overall Government response to the cost of living crisis, the cost of living bonus was paid to Illness Benefit customers who had been receiving Illness Benefit for a year or more.
Illness Benefit is available for a defined period and it does not link to most other social welfare payments. If these payments were linked, this may result in the number of days that Illness Benefit is payable being reduced, adversely affecting customers who may need support from Illness Benefit in the future.
I trust the above clarifies the position.
443. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection how many others she was referring to in her letter dated 9 May 2023 in relation to a customer who “like others, did everything right in keeping her Department informed” of their participation on the basic income for artists scheme but have had their claims for social protection stopped as a result; and how many customers have been asked to repay social protection payments as a result of participation in the basic income for artists scheme. [25572/23]
View answerThe Deputy will appreciate that the Basic Income for Artists (BIA) scheme was introduced as an alternative income stream for participants and is not intended to be payable concurrently with social welfare supports such as Jobseekers Allowance. Payment is made at a weekly rate of €325 which is significantly higher than the personal rate of Jobseekers Allowance of €220.
Participants on the scheme were strongly advised at application stage that if they were receiving a social welfare payment that they should advise my Department of the payments from the BIA scheme. My Department also provided advice on its website on Gov.ie outlining clearly that successful applicants for the BIA scheme must inform the Department as the payment may affect the person’s current social welfare payment.
The case which was the subject of the letter to which the Deputy refers relates to an overlap where Jobseekers Allowance and Basic Income for Artists were paid concurrently. The Deputy will appreciate that overlapping payments of this nature are not in keeping with either social welfare legislation or the intended aim of the Basic Income for Artists Scheme.
Where overpayments of social welfare benefits occur, there is an onus on my Department to seek to recover any amounts due. Decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements are made by statutorily appointed Deciding Officers. Where a person is dissatisfied with the decision of a Deciding Officer they have the right to request a review of the decision and they may also appeal the decision directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
Due to the number of overpayments raised each year, it is not possible to readily establish how many overpayments have occurred due solely to the participation in the BIA scheme.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy
444. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of the working family payment for a person (details supplied); when a decision will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25575/23]
View answerWorking Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them.
An application for WFP has been received by the department and this was examined by a deciding officer. Further information was requested by the deciding officer and the claim is currently under review. Once this review has been completed, the person concerned will be advised in writing of the claim decision and, if awarded, any payments owed will be issued as arrears to their nominated bank account.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
445. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider reducing the qualifying period for community employment schemes from 12 months on the live register to nine months for all qualifying social welfare recipients, in line with the reduction to nine months' qualifying time applied to Ukrainian nationals in receipt of a social welfare payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25604/23]
View answerCommunity Employment schemes across the country play a vital role in providing essential services to local communities.
A number of reforms and enhancements have been introduced to the scheme over the past 18 months , including most recently the extension of the criteria of those who can participate on CE to the adult dependents of those in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance and in support of Ukrainian nationals living here, a reduction in the live register qualifying period from 12 to 9 months.
This reduction is designed to take into account the fact that many Ukrainian refugees spent a number of months on supplementary welfare allowance prior to transferring to their jobseeker payments. As a consequence, if the Department had not reduced the qualifying period many people who arrived last March would not be eligible of a CE placement until June 2023.
This change enables the Department and CE sponsor organisations to work with and provide further support and assistance to Ukrainians to improve their language skills, integrate within their communities while also supporting those schemes in continuing to deliver vital local services.
Community Employment is an active labour market programme designed to provide long term unemployed people and other disadvantaged people with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities. It is important that the scheme continues to be available for those who would benefit most from their participation, and this continues to be those who have been out of work for a year.
There are no plans to change the 12-month eligibility rule at present. The eligibility criteria for CE, continues to be kept under active review to ensure the best outcomes for individual participants, to support the vital community services and to take account of changes to the labour market.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
446. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she can detail the supports that are available for a public sector employee diagnosed with a serious illness (details supplied) who does not qualify for any payments from their employer, the HSE, because of previous use of critical illness benefit, and who has paid PRSI contributions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25610/23]
View answerA public sector worker who is certified by their GP as being unfit to attend work due to illness and who has paid sufficient Class A PRSI contributions in the relevant tax years can qualify for Illness Benefit.
In instances where the particular absence is expected to last for a period of at least 12 months, then the person may qualify for Invalidity Pension which is a PRSI contribution-based scheme or Disability Allowance which is a means-tested scheme.
If the person does not qualify for any of the schemes mentioned above and is encountering difficulties in meeting their basic financial commitments, it is open to them to contact the Community Welfare Service at their local Intreo Centre to see if they might qualify for assistance under the terms of the means-tested Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
447. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 229 of 11 May 2023, whether a decision to refuse a State pension takes into account employment from 2008 and from 2016 on a 'stamp 1 basis in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25621/23]
View answerState pension (non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, who have a legal right of residence and habitually reside in the State, and who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or only qualify for a reduced-rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record.
The eligibility conditions for state pension non-contributory do not require the taking into account of the social insurance record of an applicant, based on any periods of employment they may have held in the state (or in any EU Member State or country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement).
The person has not made an application for state pension contributory. If they wish to do so, they should complete and submit form 'SPC1' (providing full details, also, of insurable employment(s), if any, they have held outside of Ireland, the periods involved, and their residency address while in each employment). The person's entitlement to state pension contributory will be examined and they will be notified of the outcome in writing.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
448. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of a carer's allowance application for a person (details supplied); when a decision will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25633/23]
View answerCarer's Allowance 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.
Following a review of the entitlement, Carer's Allowance has now been awarded to the person concerned with effect from 10 November 2022. Correspondence issued on 24 May 2023 regarding the award of Carer's Allowance and any arrears due. The person's first payment will issue on 1 June 2023. Arrears from 10 November 2022 to 31 May 2023 have issued to the person's nominated bank account.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
449. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection the reasons for the delay in completing the reasonable accommodation fund review and consultation, due to be completed by the end of 2019 under commitments within the comprehensive employment strategy; when the review report will be published; if the report will include recommendations to address the concerns of deaf people who are often marginalised in the workplace due to a lack of communication support; and when recommendations in the report will be implemented. [25653/23]
View answerThe Reasonable Accommodation Fund aims to support the employment of disabled people by providing financial support to help make workplaces more accessible.
The review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund is near finalisation and I expect to publish it in the coming weeks. The aim of the review is to improve the effectiveness of the supports to employees and employers, to identify gaps in provision, and to improve the application and payment processes.
In Budget 2023 I announced an additional €1 million for improvements to the scheme, which will be informed by the recommendations in the forthcoming review.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
450. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider increasing the back-to-work enterprise allowance to those aged 18 to 24 years and not living independently, to the increased rate of €220 per week in year one and €165 in year two, in view of the increasing costs for businesses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25656/23]
View answerThe Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme offers support for people who have either been out of work for long periods or who are young unemployed people, and who wish to enter the labour market through self-employment. The scheme plays an important role in supporting the development of new enterprises. The Government has provided €34.8m for the scheme in 2023.
The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme provides a monetary incentive for people in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment to develop a business while allowing them to retain a reducing proportion of their payment over 2 years. A person retains 100% of their payment in year 1 and 75% in year 2. Income generated from self-employment is not assessed and does not impact the value of the payment.
The continued payment of social welfare support for up to 2 years during the start-up period of a new business is a valuable support and assists to provide an element of financial security as the business is developed.
In addition, the Enterprise Support Grant provides financial support to participants on the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance to assist with initial business start-up costs and a participant can avail of up to €2,500 over the 2-year period of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance claim.
Age-related rates for Jobseeker's Allowance recipients were introduced on a phased basis from 2009 to tackle high youth unemployment and to avoid long-term welfare dependency. In Budget 2023, I announced an increase of all core social welfare payments by €12 per week including the age-related Jobseeker's Allowance rate which has increased by €12 to €129.70 per week for jobseekers aged between 18 and 24 years.
The Pathways to Work strategy contains a range of provisions to support young jobseekers into both further education and training and employment and thereby reduce the risk of long-term welfare dependency. The aim was to use these measures to reduce the youth unemployment rate back to or below the 2019 average of 12.5% by 2023. According to the latest CSO data, the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate for April 2023 is already well below this target at 7.9%.
There are no plans to amend the level of payments under the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme.
I trust this clarifies the position.
451. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if cognisance can be taken in the case of a person (details supplied); if the status quo in respect of their payment will be maintained; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25726/23]
View answerState pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, legally and habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. For the purposes of the means-test, at application stage and thereafter, claimants must provide full and up to date details of any income(s), asset(s), savings and investment(s) held and notify the Department of any relevant changes that may affect their pension entitlement.
Following previous representations from the Deputy querying whether the person was in receipt of the correct rate of pension, a review questionnaire was issued to the person on 1 March 2023. The person concerned is required to complete and return a means questionnaire, along with any supporting evidence. As no response was received, two reminder questionnaires have since issued.
On foot of these representations, and the Deciding Officer taking into account the person's personal circumstances, a further period of three months is being afforded to the claimant to return the completed means questionnaire. If the person requires assistance completing their form, the Department can arrange for an Inspector to visit them, or they can attend their local Department's office or Citizens Information Service.
Pending the outcome of their means review, the person's rate of payment will remain unchanged. A letter has issued to the person concerned informing them of this temporary extension arrangement. Failure to reply within the extended timeframe may result in interruption, or loss, of pension payment.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
