Written Answers Nos. 790-805
790. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on removing means testing of a spouse's income for applicants to the rural social scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27207/23]
View answer791. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on enabling eligible and willing individuals to remain on the rural social scheme until 70 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27208/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 790 and 791 together.
The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support scheme that provides part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishermen and women in receipt of specified social welfare payments, and who are underemployed in their primary occupation.
RSS is specifically designed and delivered to qualified people of working age whose income falls below certain limits. The valuable work undertaken by participants draws on their existing skills which may be further developed and shared throughout their participation.
To qualify for RSS, a person must be actively farming or fishing, and satisfy the means test assessment required to qualify for the Farm Assist (FA) payment.
A review of the RSS has recently commenced, and all aspects of the scheme will be considered in the review process. The review will also examine the current and future role of the scheme and the changes required to ensure its continuing relevance in a changing economic and environmental landscape. A consultation process is currently under way as part of this review with an online survey having issued to scheme supervisors, participants, Implementing Bodies and placement providers. In addition, interested parties have been invited to make written submissions on a number of key themes that have been identified. It is expected that the review will be finalised before the end of the year.
In response to the recommendations from the Commission on Pensions, a set of new pension measures were approved by Cabinet in September 2022. The set of reforms agreed include maintaining the state pension age at 66 years and introducing a new flexible pension model, scheduled to commence from January 2024, whereby people will have the option to continue working up until the age of 70 in return for a higher pension. The new model, once implemented, will apply to workers across the state including RSS supervisors. It is not anticipated that this new model will support the funding of participants on working age employment schemes, such as RSS, beyond state pension age.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
792. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify if there is a limit on the amount of savings a person can have if they are to be successful in obtaining an additional needs payment; if she will clarify what this limit is; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27254/23]
View answerUnder the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the customer’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary.
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 in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
The payment amount, which can have a wide range value, will depend on an applicant’s weekly household income, their savings and investments, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed.
There is no prescribed limit on the amount of savings a person can have when making an application for an Additional Needs Payment, however, if a person has financial resources such as savings to meet the need, it would be expected that they provide for the need from that source.
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.
793. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection to indicate in the case of a person (details supplied) who has lived in this country for several years, who is an amputee and has no visible means of support, has only been supported by friends for several years, is being denied a basic payment and disability allowance if urgent steps can be taken to ensure that his urgent needs are being met on humanitarian and compassionate grounds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27257/23]
View answerThe Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system, helps eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs).
The basic SWA 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.
Departmental records reflect that the person concerned applied for a basic SWA on 15/05/2023 and was awarded a weekly payment of €218 pending the outcome of his Disability Allowance claim of 17/04/2023. An award letter issued to the person on 30/05/2023 and their first payment including arrears due was available for collection at their nominated post office on 02/06/2023.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
794. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of an invalidity pension application by a person (details supplied); when a decision will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27294/23]
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 30 March 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. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 20 April 2023 and the case was referred on 15 May 2023 to an Appeals Officer who has now made a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented.
The appeal has been allowed and confirmation of the decision was issued by post on Friday 9th June 2023.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
795. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a back payment for a person (details supplied). [27337/23]
View answerJobseeker’s Allowance (JA) is a means-tested payment made to people who are unemployed and seeking full-time work, who do not qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit. Amongst other qualifying conditions a person must be available for full-time work and be genuinely seeking work.
According to the records of my Department, the person concerned was paid JA at the full personal rate up to 03/01/2023. The person advised my Department in January 2023 that he had commenced part-time employment with effect from 04/11/2022. On the basis of this information, a review of the person’s entitlement to JA was undertaken and accordingly his weekly JA rate was revised to €182. Regrettably and due to a Departmental error, the person’s revised payment was not put in place. This error has now been rectified and a payment for the period 04/01/2023 to 21/03/2023 will issue to the person’s nominated bank account on 13/06/2023.
A decision letter for the person’s casual JA claim issued to him on 07/06/2023 together with casual dockets. Upon receipt of completed casual dockets, a payment will issue for the period 29/03/2023 to date. The person should continue to provide casual dockets on a weekly basis to ensure continuity of his payment.
An official from Parnell Street Intreo Centre contacted the person on 07/06/2023, to provide him with the update on his claim.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
796. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients of jobseekers' benefit or jobseekers' allowance who have been in receipt of either allowance continuously since 2019; the breakdown of these recipients by age; the number under each age category who are also in receipt of a disability payment from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27373/23]
View answerAs of the 4th June 2023, there were 29,494 people on the Live Register continuously in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit with a commencement date prior to 1st January 2020. Of these 6,121 are casual jobseekers, while 27 individuals are also in receipt of Disablement Benefit or Blind Pension.
These claims are inclusive of periods where pay may have been suspended for a recipient but their claim remained open. For example, casual jobseekers who subsequently received PUP payments while their jobseeker claim remained valid and open are included in the recipient figure.
The age breakdown of those with a claim commencement date prior to 1st January 2020, and those who are also in receipt of Disablement Benefit or Blind Pension are shown in Table 1 and Table 2 below.
Table 1: Continuous Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit claims since 2019, by age
|
Age |
Recipients |
|
Under 25 |
798 |
|
25-29 |
2,144 |
|
30-34 |
3,365 |
|
35-39 |
3,717 |
|
40-44 |
3,941 |
|
45-49 |
3,843 |
|
50-54 |
4,023 |
|
55-59 |
3,720 |
|
60 + |
3,943 |
|
Total |
29,494 |
Table 2: Continuous Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit claims since 2019 also in receipt of Disablement Benefit or Blind Pension, by age
|
Age |
Recipients |
|
Under 45 |
5 |
|
45-54 |
14 |
|
55 + |
8 |
|
Total |
27 |
797. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people who have benefitted from the carer support grant for 2022 and to date in 2023. [27393/23]
View answer814. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection how many people have benefited from the carer support grant for the years 2016 to 2022 in each year and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [27749/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 797 and 814 together.
The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers who get Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance. It can also be paid to certain other carers providing full-time care.
The number of individuals who received a Carer's Support Grant payment each year 2016 to 2023 (year to date) is shown in Table 1 Below.
Table 1: Carer's Support Grant recipients, by year
|
Year |
Recipients |
|
2023 |
125,098 |
|
2022 |
130,633 |
|
2021 |
121,613 |
|
2020 |
117,120 |
|
2019 |
112,373 |
|
2018 |
106,021 |
|
2017 |
99,890 |
|
2016 |
90,497 |
798. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of individuals receiving the supplementary welfare allowance in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [27394/23]
View answer799. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount paid out in supplementary welfare allowance in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [27395/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 798 and 799 together.
The supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single additional needs payments.
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.
Rent supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme ensures that those who were renting, but whose circumstances have changed due to temporary loss of employment, can continue to meet their rental commitments.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
Table 1 shows the number of recipients for Basic SWA, Rent Supplement and Other Supplements at year end for 2018-2022.
Table 2 shows the number of exceptional and urgent need payments made 2018-2022.
Table 3 shows expenditure on SWA schemes 2018-2022.
Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to Supplementary Welfare Allowance 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 recipients for Basic SWA, Rent Supplement and Other Supplements, at year end for 2018-2022
|
Scheme |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
Basic SWA |
17,470 |
16,884 |
12,324 |
10,824 |
12,694 |
|
Rent Supplement |
24,303 |
16,781 |
19,304 |
13,401 |
9,731 |
|
Other Supplements |
6,682 |
5,490 |
4,376 |
3,698 |
3,465 |
Table 2 - Number of exceptional and urgent need payments made 2018-2022
|
Scheme |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022* |
|
Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments |
112,514 |
92,198 |
67,589 |
55,552 |
97,224 |
* The reporting of this scheme was revised in 2022 to extract more complete information and to include reoccurring supplements in the overarching term of an Additional Needs Payment. The 2022 figure above includes 884 newly awarded supplements issued under the Additional Needs Payments scheme.
Table 3 - Expenditure on Supplementary Welfare Allowance schemes 2018-2022
|
Scheme |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
Basic SWA |
€111,818,000 |
€120,175,000 |
€115,212,000 |
€94,865,000 |
€121,595,000 |
|
Rent Supplement |
€175,000,000 |
€125,200,000 |
€133,100,000 |
€123,000,000 |
€75,200,000 |
|
Other Supplements |
€7,660,000 |
€6,600,000 |
€4,941,000 |
€4,066,000 |
€3,747,000 |
|
Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments |
€42,300,000 |
€43,200,000 |
€41,029,000 |
€43,089,000 |
€57,667,000 |
800. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of a State pension (contributory) claim increase for a qualified adult by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27415/23]
View answerThe person concerned requested a review of their increase for a qualified adult in March 2023. It had been in payment from 18 May 2018.
An increase for a qualified adult is a means-tested payment, payable to a claimant whose spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is being wholly or mainly maintained by them, and where that qualified adult’s personal means from any source does not exceed a means test income limit.
Upon receipt of the completed review form in April 2023, a review was carried out. It was decided, based on the information held by the Department, that the person concerned no longer had entitlement to this allowance as their spouse’s weekly means of €786.00 exceeded the statutory limit of €310.00 per week.
The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 18 April 2023 and informed of their right to review and to appeal.
The person concerned requested a review or appeal of this decision in May 2023. As no new information was provided, a review could not be carried out. Therefore, recent correspondence has been forwarded to the Appeals office for consideration.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
801. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of young persons under 25 years of age who are in receipt of the full rate of jobseekers' allowance of €220 per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27439/23]
View answer802. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of young persons under 25 years of age who are in receipt of the lower rate of jobseekers' allowance of €129.70 per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27440/23]
View answer803. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of young persons under 25 years of age who are in receipt of a rate of a jobseekers' allowance other than €129.70 and €220 per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27441/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 801 to 803, inclusive, together.
As of the 4th June 2023, there were 13,418 recipients of Jobseeker's Allowance aged under 25. Of these, 680 were in receipt of the weekly rate of €220, 10,025 were in receipt of the weekly rate of €129.70 and 2,713 were in receipt of a weekly rate other than €220 or €129.70.
804. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when an exceptional needs payment will issue in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27447/23]
View answerThe purpose of the Exceptional Needs Payment (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 in my Department.
According to the records of my Department, the person concerned applied for an ENP to assist with the cost of furnishing their new home. A request for further information subsequently issued to the person. This information was partly received by my Department on 17/05/2023 and the remaining documentation was received on 02/06/2023.
To further discuss the person’s needs, a Community Welfare Officer has arranged to visit the person at their home on Monday 12/06/2023. The person’s application will then be progressed and they will be advised of the outcome in writing.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
805. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if all relevant information in respect of an application for a working family payment in the case of a person (details supplied) has now been received; if any other information is outstanding; when payment is expected to issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27473/23]
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.
The person concerned ceased employment in October 2022 and returned to work in April 2023. Correspondence issued to the person concerned on 2nd May 2023 requesting confirmation that the minimum working hours of 38 hours per fortnight were met. The person concerned provided a recent payslip which stated that the person concerned was working less than 38 hours per fortnight.
A deciding officer contacted the customer on 15th May 2023 advising the customer of the qualifying conditions. Documentary evidence was provided by the customer on 30th May 2023 confirming that the minimum working hours are being met by the person concerned and the claim has been re-instated from 4th May 2023.
Arrears due to the person concerned from 4th May 2023 will issue to their nominated bank account.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
