Written Answers Nos. 452-464
452. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection when payment will issue to persons (details supplied) under the redundancy payment scheme from the Social Insurance Fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25740/23]
View answerThe Redundancy Payments Act 1967, as amended, provides for the making of payments by employers to employees in respect of redundancy. It is the employer’s responsibility in the first instance to pay statutory redundancy payments to all eligible employees.
The purpose of the Redundancy Payments Scheme is to compensate employees for the loss of their job by reason of redundancy in cases where the employer can prove, to the satisfaction of my Department, that they are unable to make the payment. Employers can access and submit applications on the Department’s online service WelfarePartners.ie
To date, no application for redundancy support has been received by my Department in respect of the persons concerned.
To access the service, employers require a certificate which is generated using the Revenue Online Service – ROS.ie
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
453. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason an unemployed person (details supplied) was not approved even a basic rate of social welfare considering that they have no income; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25741/23]
View answerThe person concerned applied for Jobseekers Allowance on the 9th of February 2023.
As the person is under the age of 25 and their parent is self employed an assessment of the parent's income needed to be completed to assess means from benefit and privilege.
For this reason the applicant was asked for additional information including a notice of assessment for the self employed parent and confirmation from their course provider of the date they last attended the course and also confirmation that they are no longer registered as a student. However the applicant failed to submit the requested documentation.
For this reason a decision was made by Deciding Officer on 6 March and a disallowance letter issued to the applicant on the same date. It is open to the applicant to seek a review of this decision but the information requested will need to be supplied. The Person Concerned has been informed that they can appeal this decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
454. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for carers allowance will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25742/23]
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.
My Department received an application for Carer's Allowance from the person concerned on 22 February 2023.
The application was referred to a local Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) on 3 March 2023 to assess all means and to confirm that all the conditions for the receipt of Carer's Allowance are satisfied. Following examination of the SWI report dated 25 April 2023, further clarification was required with regards to another property owned by the person concerned. This information was returned from the SWI on 25 May 2023.
On examination of the claim, a Deciding Officer has decided that the person concerned does not qualify because they have been assessed with means which exceed the statutory means limit allowed. The person concerned was notified of this decision on 25 May 2023 and of their right to appeal or request a review.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
455. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on an application for a disability allowance for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25743/23]
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, a means test and the Habitual Residency condition.
My Department received an application for DA in respect of the person concerned on 22 February 2023. The person concerned was awarded DA with effect from 11 January 2023 and the first payment was made to their chosen payment method on 26 April 2023. Arrears of payment due from 11 January 2023 to 25 April 2023 were also issued to the person concerned.
The person concerned was notified of this decision in writing on 27 April 2023.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
456. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if she received correspondence from the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in relation to concerns raised by a campaign (details supplied); if she has responded on the matter; if so, the date on which she responded; and what the content of her response was. [25759/23]
View answerI am aware of the issues being raised by the Disabled Artists Disabled Academics group, and officials from my department have met with the group directly.
It is acknowledged that income for artists may be irregular and comprise income in the form of once-off payments such as grants and bursaries. Therefore, if an artist in receipt of Disability Allowance receives such income for a piece of work, that income is divided by the number of weeks allocated for the work and then assessed, taking into account the income disregards that apply.
In addition, self-employed income is taken to be the gross profit, less allowable work-related expenses, but not drawings. Where the person has taken drawings from the business which are greater than the level of income thus calculated, the drawings are assessed as cash income. All expenses directly related to self-employment of the artist can be offset against income.
I introduced a number of measures as part of Budget 2023 to support people to mitigate the impacts of the rising cost of living:
- Cost of living double payment paid in October 2022,
- €500 cost of living disability support grant paid in November 2022
- €200 cost of living payment for people who receive the Living Alone Increase,
- €400 lump sum Fuel Allowance payment,
- Christmas Bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment,
- €200 cost of living payment in April 2023.
Also, as part of Budget 2023, I introduced the following increases to weekly payments and income thresholds, which took effect in January 2023:
- An increase of €12 in the maximum rate of weekly disability payments, with proportionate increases for qualified adults and for people getting a reduced rate.
- Disablement Benefit is now disregarded in the means assessment for Fuel Allowance.
- A €1 million expansion of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund.
- The earnings disregard for Disability Allowance and Blind Pension increased from €140 to €165.
- The means assessment threshold for Fuel Allowance increased from €120 to €200.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
457. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) is not being paid disability allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25775/23]
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 years. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and the Habitual Residency conditions.
I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 19 September 2022. Based on the evidence supplied in support of this person’s application, the application for DA was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition was not satisfied.
The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 8 November 2022 and they were given the right to a review or an appeal. They requested an appeal with the independent social welfare appeals office (SWAO). The file of the person in question was forwarded, by the Disability Allowance section, to the SWAO for consideration on 2 March 2023.
The person will be notified directly regarding the outcome of this appeal by the independent SWAO.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
458. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of payments made under additional needs payments relating to energy bills in 2022 and to date in 2023, by month. [25856/23]
View answerUnder the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income.
Additional Needs Payments are demand led and made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
Table 1 shows the number of Additional Needs Payments awarded in relation to household bills and heating costs, by month, for 2022 and 2023 (up to the end of March).
A heating supplement can be paid where a person has need for additional heating due to ill health or infirmity. Heating supplement is not restricted to the fuel season and can be paid throughout the year.
Table 2 shows the number of Heating Supplements recipients each month from January 2022 to March 2023.
In addition, the Fuel Allowance scheme is a means tested payment to assist pensioners and other long-term social welfare dependent householders with their winter heating costs. Significant changes were made to the scheme in the Budget which have already resulted in more than 35,000 additional households in receipt of this payment when the scheme ended.
Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office. In addition, applications can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Tabular Statement
Table 1 – number of Additional Needs Payments awarded in relation to household bills and heating costs, by month, for 2022 and 2023 ( up to the end of March).
|
Month |
Number of payments |
|
|
2022 |
2023 |
|
|
Jan |
177 |
682 |
|
Feb |
225 |
575 |
|
Mar |
355 |
614 |
|
Apr |
226 |
|
|
May |
213 |
|
|
Jun |
276 |
|
|
Jul |
404 |
|
|
Aug |
762 |
|
|
Sep |
880 |
|
|
Oct |
1,026 |
|
|
Nov |
937 |
|
|
Dec |
980 |
|
|
Total |
6,461 |
1,871 |
Table 2- Number of Heating Supplements recipients by month, January 2022 to March 2023
|
Month |
Total Number of Recipients |
|
Jan-22 |
969 |
|
Feb-22 |
959 |
|
Mar-22 |
961 |
|
Apr-22 |
946 |
|
May-22 |
946 |
|
Jun-22 |
946 |
|
Jul-22 |
950 |
|
Aug-22 |
946 |
|
Sep-22 |
945 |
|
Oct-22 |
959 |
|
Nov-22 |
983 |
|
Dec-22 |
994 |
|
Jan-23 |
981 |
|
Feb-23 |
985 |
|
Mar-23 |
990 |
459. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the due diligence and background checking that was undertaken in respect of the hiring of a person (details supplied) by her Department; and if the person remains an employee of her Department. [25877/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware the recruitment and employment of staff as civil servants across Government Departments is a day to day matter for each individual Department and the Public Appointments Service. I have no function in the matter.
460. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision on a review of a decision sought in relation to a carer's allowance refusal (details supplied) will issue; the reason for the delay with this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25879/23]
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.
It is a condition for receipt of Carer's Allowance that every claimant shall furnish such certificates, documents, information, and evidence as may be required for the purposes of deciding their claim including that requested by a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI).
A Carer's Allowance application was received from the person concerned on 30 June 2022. The application was referred to a local SWI on 4 July 2022 to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of Carer’s Allowance are satisfied.
A Habitual Residency Condition (HRC) application also issued to the concerned person on 4 July 2022 and a reply was received on 19 July 2022.
The SWI requested further financial and employment information on 1 September 2022. As the person concerned failed to provide the requested information to the SWI and also failed to supply further HRC information to a Deciding Officer, it was not possible to determine if they are habitually resident in the state and that all conditions for receipt of Carer's Allowance were satisfied. The claim was therefore disallowed. The person concerned was notified on 30 November 2022 of this decision, the reason for it and of their right of review and appeal.
Following receipt of email correspondence from the Deputy's office on 22 December 2022, a review of the decision dated 30 November 2022 was initiated on 30 December 2022. The outcome of this review was that there was no change to this decision.
The person concerned was notified on 24 May 2023 of this decision, the reason for it and of their right of appeal.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
461. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25925/23]
View answerThe purpose of the ENP is to assist people with essential expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their available resources. The ENP scheme is demand led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. Applications for ENPs are made under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme administered by Designated Persons in the Community Welfare Service (CWS) in the Department.In general, where ENP applications are made for assistance with the repair or replacement of kitchen appliances and as officers are not qualified in assessing the technicalities and mechanisms of kitchen appliances, a technical expert report may be required in some cases in support of these applications. The need for a customer to provide a report is made by a CWO on an individual case basis, taking into account the age of the item and the immediate need or urgency of the applicant.If the CWO considers that a technical report is needed, the applicant can apply for a separate ENP to meet the cost of the report, and a payment can be made to the customer in advance of the report being completed. According to the records of the Department, the person concerned applied for an ENP for assistance with the replacement of kitchen appliances. A request for further information subsequently issued. A member of the CWS Team will contact the person concerned in the coming days to discuss how this application can be progressed. I trust this clarifies the matter.
462. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has considered what it would cost to extend the fuel allowance to persons who have been six months on an assistance payment, and to those in receipt of the working family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25958/23]
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.
Because of the household and seasonal nature of the fuel allowance payment, it is difficult to provide an accurate estimate of the cost to extend the fuel allowance to persons who have been six months on an assistance payment, and to those in receipt of the working family payment.
Taking the above into consideration, the estimated cost of extending the fuel allowance payment to all those in receipt of the Working Family Payment (WFP) is €23.2 million. This estimate is based on a weekly fuel allowance rate of €33 and a payment period of 28 weeks.
With regards to the estimated cost to extend the Fuel Allowance to persons who have been six months in receipt of assistance type payments, this measure is expected to cost in the region of €19.7 million. This estimate is based on an additional 21,366 jobseeker allowance and basic supplementary allowance claims qualifying for fuel allowance at a rate of €33 and a payment period of 28 weeks.
The Fuel Allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social welfare payment for all or most of their income.
People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. It is for this reason that my Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources such as Fuel Allowance to this cohort of claimants.
A person in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance and Basic Supplementary Allowance for over 12 months can access the Fuel Allowance payment, subject to satisfying the relevant qualifying criteria.
The Working Family Payment gives extra financial support to families with children with rates depending on their incomes and family size. It is not considered a long-term Social Protection payment and recipients are in full time employment and are more likely to have additional resources.
While Working Family Payment is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance, people may receive Fuel Allowance while on Working Family Payment if they are in receipt of One Parent Family Payment.
In response to an amendment tabled at Committee Stage of the the Social Welfare Bill 2023, I have asked my Department officials to prepare a report on the potential extension of eligibility for the Fuel Allowance to those in receipt of the Working Family Payment. The work is ongoing and when finished, I will carefully consider its contents and any recommendations that it may contain.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
463. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department assists with, or makes a financial contribution to, the sourcing or provision of childcare or crèche facilities for the children of staff members of any grade or position; if so, the names of the providers; the costs incurred for the period 2020 to date in 2023; the number of staff who have availed of such assistance over this timeframe; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25980/23]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not make any financial contribution or provision of childcare or crèche facilities for the children of staff members of any grade or position.
464. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will issue on the social welfare appeal (details supplied) registered in the social welfare appeals office on 7 December 2022; if she can confirm the reason it took so long for the requested files to be sent to the appeals office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25984/23]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 7 December 2022. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 19 April 2023. The provision of these papers to the Appeals Office was delayed by the need for the Department to obtain a valuation of a house property relevant to the application.
The case was referred on 20 April 2023 to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral hearing.
Significant efforts and resources have been devoted to improvements in the appeal process in recent years. There is active engagement between the Appeals Office and the Department to ensure that the appeals process operates efficiently so that the appeal file papers are provided as quickly as possible to the Appeals Office for consideration by an Appeals Officer. The desire to process appeals quickly has to be balanced with the competing demand to ensure that decisions are consistent and of high quality and made in accordance with the legislative provisions and the general principles of fair procedures and natural justice. Improvements in appeals processing times are a priority for the Chief Appeals Officer.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
