Written Answers Nos. 437-454
437. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes introduced to the widowed or surviving civil partner grant since 27 June 2020; and if she will detail the number of recipients, by county, benefitting from these changes, in tabular form. [31127/23]
View answerThe widowed or surviving civil partner grant is a once-off payment of €8,000 and is available to widows, widowers or surviving civil partners who have one or more dependent children living with them at the date of death, or a widow or surviving civil partner whose child is born within 10 months of the date of death of her spouse or civil partner. The applicant must also qualify for certain Social Protection payments.
As part of Budget 2021, from January 2021 the rate of widowed or surviving civil partner grant was increased by €2,000 to €8,000.
My Department does not have a breakdown by County of the number of people who benefited from the measure readily available.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
438. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes introduced to farm assist since 27 June 2020; and if she will detail the number of recipients, by county, benefitting from these changes, in tabular form. [31126/23]
View answerFarm Assist is a statutory means-tested income support specifically for farmers on low incomes. There are just under 4,300 claims in payment at present. The Government has provided €49.4 million for the scheme in 2023.
I have introduced a number of improvements to the means test for Farm Assist since 27 June 2020.
Further to the commitment in the Programme for Government and in the Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, in 2021 my Department reviewed the means assessment disregards for Farm Assist. The report is available on the Government's website. One of the key recommendations of the report was to provide for an extensive expansion to the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for a disregard, which I introduced from June 2022. I further extended this list from April 2023. In Budget 2023, I announced an increase in the amount of income from these schemes that is disregarded to €5,000 from €2,540, with 50% of the balance assessed as means, and this measure took effect from January 2023.
In terms of the rates of payment for Farm Assist, I secured a series of increases in social welfare payment rates, including the Farm Assist scheme, in Budgets 2021, 2022 and 2023. The current maximum weekly rates of payment for the scheme are €220 for the personal rate, €146 for a qualified adult, €50 for a qualified child aged 12 years and over, and €42 for a qualified child aged under 12 years.
Any further changes to the Farm Assist scheme would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
The number of recipients by county, as of May 2023, is set out in the tabular statement below.
|
County |
Recipients |
|
Carlow |
31 |
|
Cavan |
132 |
|
Clare |
184 |
|
Cork |
303 |
|
Donegal |
908 |
|
Dublin |
54 |
|
Galway |
361 |
|
Kerry |
293 |
|
Kildare |
48 |
|
Kilkenny |
45 |
|
Laois |
40 |
|
Leitrim |
190 |
|
Limerick |
27 |
|
Longford |
87 |
|
Louth |
36 |
|
Mayo |
691 |
|
Meath |
26 |
|
Monaghan |
209 |
|
Offaly |
39 |
|
Roscommon |
146 |
|
Sligo |
103 |
|
Tipperary |
126 |
|
Waterford |
34 |
|
Westmeath |
48 |
|
Wexford |
95 |
|
Wicklow |
21 |
|
Total |
4,277 |
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
439. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes introduced to maternity benefit since 27 June 2020; and if she will detail the number of recipients, by county, benefitting from these changes, in tabular form. [31124/23]
View answerMaternity Benefit is paid for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed women who satisfy certain pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution and other conditions.
In Budget 2022 I provided for a €5 per week increase in the rate of Maternity Benefit bringing the rate to €250 per week from January 2022. In Budget 2023 I provided for a further increase of €12 per week, brining the rate of Maternity Benefit to €262 per week from January 2023.
The number of Maternity Benefit recipients by county, benefitting from changes I have introduced to Maternity Benefit, is set out in tabular form below.
|
- |
Recipients |
Recipients |
|
January 2022 |
January 2023 |
|
|
Carlow |
230 |
236 |
|
Cavan |
344 |
328 |
|
Clare |
518 |
421 |
|
Cork |
2,507 |
2,182 |
|
Donegal |
619 |
603 |
|
Dublin |
5,992 |
5,436 |
|
Galway |
1,210 |
1,059 |
|
Kerry |
597 |
497 |
|
Kildare |
1,153 |
1,059 |
|
Kilkenny |
401 |
419 |
|
Laois |
374 |
325 |
|
Leitrim |
156 |
127 |
|
Limerick |
778 |
781 |
|
Longford |
181 |
151 |
|
Louth |
603 |
548 |
|
Mayo |
538 |
512 |
|
Meath |
1,004 |
958 |
|
Monaghan |
351 |
266 |
|
Offaly |
322 |
275 |
|
Roscommon |
263 |
238 |
|
Sligo |
285 |
230 |
|
Tipperary |
729 |
602 |
|
Waterford |
485 |
454 |
|
Westmeath |
452 |
374 |
|
Wexford |
659 |
606 |
|
Wicklow |
616 |
573 |
|
Others |
166 |
140 |
|
Total |
21,533 |
19,400 |
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
440. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes introduced to adoptive benefit since 27 June 2020; and if she will detail the number of recipients, by county, benefitting from these changes, in tabular form. [31122/23]
View answerAdoptive Benefit is a payment made to a parent who is on Adoptive Leave from work and covered by social insurance (PRSI). Adoptive Benefit is paid for 24 weeks from the date of placement of the child.
The Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021 amended the Adoptive Leave Act 1995 to enable adoptive couples to choose which parent may avail of Adoptive Leave and Benefit. This rectified an anomaly in the legislation which had prevented married male same-sex couples from availing of these supports. The Act also removed the presumption that the adoptive mother be the primary caregiver, thereby facilitating families to choose the best option for their family. It further provides for the availability of Paternity Leave and Benefit to the parent who is not availing of Adoptive Leave. These provisions came into effect from April 2021.
In Budget 2022 I provided for a €5 per week increase in the rate of Adoptive Benefit bringing the rate to €250 per week from January 2022. In Budget 2023 I provided for a further increase of €12 per week, brining the rate of Adoptive Benefit to €262 per week from January 2023.
The number of Adoptive Benefit recipients by county, benefitting from changes I have introduced to Adoptive Benefit, is set out in tabular form below.
|
- |
Recipients |
Recipients |
|
January 2022 |
January 2023 |
|
|
Carlow |
||
|
Cavan |
||
|
Clare |
1 |
|
|
Cork |
1 |
|
|
Donegal |
1 |
|
|
Dublin |
2 |
5 |
|
Galway |
||
|
Kerry |
1 |
|
|
Kildare |
1 |
|
|
Kilkenny |
||
|
Laois |
||
|
Leitrim |
1 |
|
|
Limerick |
||
|
Longford |
1 |
|
|
Louth |
1 |
1 |
|
Mayo |
1 |
|
|
Meath |
||
|
Monaghan |
||
|
Offaly |
1 |
|
|
Roscommon |
||
|
Sligo |
||
|
Tipperary |
1 |
|
|
Waterford |
||
|
Westmeath |
1 |
|
|
Wexford |
1 |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
1 |
|
|
Others |
||
|
Total |
8 |
15 |
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
441. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes introduced to domiciliary care allowance since 27 June 2020; and if she will detail the number of recipients, by county, benefitting from these changes, in tabular form. [31121/23]
View answerDomiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly allowance payable in respect of a child aged under 16, who has a severe disability and requires continual or continuous care and attention in the home, substantially in excess of the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and the child must be likely to require this level of care for at least 12 months.
As part of Budget 2022, the period of time in which DCA remains in payment, where a qualified child is admitted to hospital on a full-time basis, was increased from 13 weeks to 26 weeks in any 12 month period. This measure took effect from January 2022.
As DCA is a demand led scheme, the number of children in respect of whom DCA is already in payment, who are admitted to hospital for periods in excess of 13 weeks but under 26 weeks will vary from year to year. However, based on the numbers of such cases advised to DCA administration in recent years it is estimated that over 100 children and their families will benefit per year from this payment extension.
Additionally, as part of Budget 2023 measures, DCA will also be payable in respect of a child (who is otherwise eligible for DCA) that remains in hospital immediately after birth due to illness or disability. DCA will also be payable in such cases, for up to 26 weeks in such circumstances. This provision has applied from January 2023, in respect of children where, immediately after birth of the relevant child, they remains in hospital or are transferred to another hospital.
Prior to January 2023, DCA was payable only in respect of children who were being cared for in the home or where in existing cases, DCA was already in payment before the qualified child was subsequently admitted to hospital. It is estimated that approximately 100 DCA families per year could benefit from the this measure.
Furthermore, as part of Budget 2023 measures, the DCA payment rate was increased by €20.50 to €330.00 per month with effect from January 2023. This rate increase will benefit over 55,000 children and their families.
As Information relating to the scheme is not collated on a county basis, the above figures are not available by county. However, for information, the following table sets out the number of DCA claims in payment, including the number of qualified children for year(s) ending 2020 to date.
|
Year ending |
Number of Recipients |
Number of Qualified Children |
|
2020 |
44,279 |
48,980 |
|
2021 |
46,211 |
51,373 |
|
2022 |
50,126 |
56,044 |
|
2023 to May 2023 |
51,662 |
57,825 |
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
442. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes introduced to the half-rate carer's allowance since 27 June 2020; and if she will detail the number of recipients, by county, benefitting from these changes, in tabular form. [31138/23]
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.
People in receipt of certain social welfare payments other than CA or carers benefit who are providing full-time care and attention can retain their main payment and receive another payment, depending on their means, up to a maximum of half-rate CA. Therefore, a person who may have an underlying entitlement to another social welfare payment, such as State Pension (contributory), can transfer to that payment and continue to receive up to a half-rate CA.
These arrangements apply to almost all weekly social welfare payments and to people in receipt of qualified adult allowances. Recipients of Jobseeker’s Allowance or Benefit are not eligible given the job seeking nature of these payments. However, a person may be a qualified adult on these payments and receive half-rate CA.
There have been a number of changes to the carers payments over the last number of years which would have also benefitted those carers in receipt of a half-rate CA Payment. These include:
• In Budget 2020, the number of hours that carers can work or study outside the home was increased from 15 to 18.5 per week with effect from January 2020;
• In Budget 2021, the Carer’s Support Grant increased by €150 from €1,700 to €1,850 per year.
• In Budget 2022, for carers who work, the weekly income disregard was increased from €332.50 to €350 for a single person, and from €665 to €750 for carers with a spouse/partner.
• In Budget 2023, the weekly rate of social welfare payments increased by €12 with proportionate increases for people receiving a reduced rate.
As there are a number of qualifying criteria for CA and the Department does not record each criteria met by individual recipients, it is not possible to produce the information you requested. I have attached a breakdown of the number of carers in receipt of half-rate CA by county in tabular form.
Table: Carers in receipt of half rate Carers Allowance May 2020 and May 2023
|
County |
Number of half rate Carers Allowance Claims May 2020 |
Number of half rate Carers Allowance Claims May 2023 |
|
Carlow |
686 |
747 |
|
Cavan |
580 |
662 |
|
Clare |
980 |
1,020 |
|
Cork |
4,563 |
5,037 |
|
Donegal |
1,747 |
1,816 |
|
Dublin |
9,090 |
10,010 |
|
Galway |
1,809 |
1,919 |
|
Kerry |
1,285 |
1,326 |
|
Kildare |
1,394 |
1,518 |
|
Kilkenny |
730 |
776 |
|
Laois |
728 |
798 |
|
Leitrim |
340 |
362 |
|
Limerick |
2,198 |
2,513 |
|
Longford |
563 |
601 |
|
Louth |
1,223 |
1,329 |
|
Mayo |
1,215 |
1,301 |
|
Meath |
1,055 |
1,262 |
|
Monaghan |
427 |
503 |
|
Offaly |
886 |
1,001 |
|
Roscommon |
658 |
673 |
|
Sligo |
591 |
633 |
|
Tipperary |
1,868 |
2,040 |
|
Waterford |
1,151 |
1,248 |
|
Westmeath |
869 |
998 |
|
Wexford |
1,678 |
1,905 |
|
Wicklow |
1,074 |
1,167 |
|
Total |
39,388 |
43,165 |
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
443. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to increase funding for school meals at second level, given that primary school children receive €3.20 and secondary school students only receive €2.50; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31144/23]
View answerThe 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 e.g. €2.50 per child per day where a dinner is being provided and €3.20 per child per day where a hot school meal is being provided. The dinner provides a hot meal to pupils, but is different from the hot school meal, in that the dinner tends to be provided by schools with onsite cooking facilities, whereas food for hot school meals is prepared offsite and either delivered hot or reheated in the school.
The hot school meal option was introduced in 2019 and is only available in primary schools.
Since my appointment as Minister for Social Protection, I have increased the number of schools with access to the Hot School Meal option from 37 to over 500. 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.
Any extension to the hot school meals to secondary schools will need to be considered as part of the budgetary process. I trust this clarifies the matter.
444. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to tackle the insurance issues that have arisen within the EmployAbility programme that are hindering people with disabilities from gaining employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31149/23]
View answerThe EmployAbility Service provides support to people with disabilities to secure and maintain paid employment in the open labour market.
Contracts for EmployAbility service providers are agreed on an annual basis to ensure that adequate funding is available for the level of service required by the Department. Any approved expenditure incurred by the service provider, including eligible insurance costs, is then claimed from the Department on a monthly basis.
When a participant is placed with an employer, any insurance costs are then the responsibility of that employer. My Department is not aware of any insurance issue that would hinder a participant on the EmployAbility program from gaining employment.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
445. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding an overpayment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31152/23]
View answerA disability allowance overpayment of €40,285.00 for the period 8/8/07 to 6/8/13 was incurred in this case. An appeal of the case to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office was disallowed in March 2018. The Appeals Officer, however, recommended that the Department be cognisant of the personal circumstances of the person concerned in seeking recovery. A figure of not more than €15 per week was suggested as an appropriate rate of recovery.
Recovery of the overpayment was suspended at the time of the appeal. Deductions of €30 per week were made from pension payments from 2/10/15 to 12/5/16. Following detailed information received from the customer in relation to both medical and financial difficulties, deductions were suspended to allow them time to resolve some of these issues, including the repayment of an outstanding loan.
A letter issued to the customer on 29/5/2023 proposing pension deductions of €20 per week for the recovery of the outstanding balance of the overpayment. Following contact made by the customer with the Department on 12/6/23, it was agreed that deductions would be reduced to €15 per week.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
446. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for a carer's support grant and a respite grant will be considered in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31165/23]
View answerThe Carer's Support Grant (CSG) is an annual payment made to carers by my Department.
I can confirm that my Department received two applications for CSG from the person concerned on 9 March 2023. The CSG was awarded in respect of one caree. The person concerned was informed of this decision in a letter dated 5 April, 2023 and the CSG was paid on 1 June 2023.
It is a condition of CSG that the care recipient must have a disability that meets the full-time care and attention requirements set out in the governing legislation such that a person shall not be regarded as requiring full-time care and attention unless the person is so incapacitated that he or she requires from another person:
(a) continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions, or
(b) continual supervision in order to avoid danger to himself or herself.
Having examined all the evidence presented in support of the claim for CSG, and taking account of the second caree’s disability, a Deciding Officer decided that they do not meet the full-time care and attention requirements. The person concerned was informed of this decision and of their right of review and appeal in a letter dated 5 April 2023.
A review request can be submitted to the Carer's Support Grant section, in writing, outlining their reason for a review and by submitting additional supporting documentation to support their application.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
447. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection what correspondence can issue from her Department confirming that a person (details supplied) is a named qualified adult dependent, for a defined period of time, for use as evidence of residency for an application for naturalisation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31198/23]
View answerThe partner of the person concerned is in receipt of a State Pension (contributory) payment from my Department which includes an Increase for a Qualified Adult for the person concerned.
I have arranged for a letter to issue to the partner of the person concerned confirming the details of the payment which includes the name of the person concerned, the address and duration of the payment.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
448. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31202/23]
View answerCarer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
I confirm that my Department received an application for CA from the person concerned on 3 February 2023. As the person concerned has farming income, their application was referred to a local Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) on 3 March 2023 to assess their means and to confirm eligibility with the conditions of CA.
The SWI requested a number of documents from the person concerned to confirm their eligibility to CA. Following this request, the documents were not provided and, therefore, the Inspector could not determine CA entitlement. A CA disallowance decision issued on 4 May 2023. This letter also informed the applicant of their right of review and/or appeal.
On 19 May 2023, a review was requested by the person concerned. On 22 June 2023, the matter was returned to the SWI for further investigation. Once the Inspector has completed their report, a decision will be made at the earliest possible date and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
449. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person's (details supplied) illness benefit payment will be affected if they apply for the carer's support grant. [31226/23]
View answerAn individual who is in receipt of Illness Benefit may, subject to satisfying the conditions for the Carer's Support Grant, receive that payment without impacting on their Illness Benefit payment.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
450. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person participating in the JobPath programme who declines to sign a consent form allowing Seetec to make contact with employers of perspective employers on their behalf, will be sanctioned or penalised in any way; how programme participants' personal data is stored, processed and shared; how this complies with Irish and EU data protection laws; if their data will be transferred out of Ireland to servers or software located in the UK or any other third-party entities; the safeguards that are in place to protect participants' data; what a participant is agreeing to when asked to sign the induction booklet; if this is mandatory under legislation; if it constitutes any form of a contract with Seetec that may affect their rights; if the participant will be sanctioned or penalised for refusing to sign; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31298/23]
View answerMy Department provides a range of employment services to support jobseekers in preparing for, securing, and sustaining employment. These services are either provided directly by my Department’s own staff, or on behalf of my Department through Intreo Partners and other service providers. Seetec currently operates employment services on behalf of my Department, including Jobpath services.
JobPath providers are required to offer in-work support to participants for up to twelve months while they remain in employment. This includes scheduled contact with the person as well as ad-hoc contact should they need immediate support or advice. A person is not under any obligation to provide employment or employer details to the JobPath provider but, if they wish to do so and avail of the in-employment support offered, all information provided is treated confidentially.
My Department’s contracts with the JobPath providers are in compliance with all relevant data protection legislation and any information shared is contractually-based and necessary to provide an employment service. JobPath providers are legally bound to observe and adhere to data protection requirements, including publishing the contact details of their data protection officers. Jobpath providers have also undertaken regular independent audits of their data processes and procedures as part of their contractual obligations.
Seetec provides participants on its Jobpath service with an information booklet. It is not a contract and it is not mandatory to sign it.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
451. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection if plans are in place to reform the carer’s allowance criteria for persons who were self-employed for some time prior to taking time out to care full-time for family members (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31341/23]
View answerThis Government acknowledges the important contribution that carers provide and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. Accordingly, the current State Pension (Contributory) system gives significant recognition to those whose work history includes an extended period of time outside the paid workplace, often to raise families or to provide another full-time caring role. PRSI Credits, Homemaking Disregards and HomeCaring Periods recognise caring periods of up to 20 years outside of paid employment in the calculation of a payment rate.
Class S contributors are not eligible for PRSI credits. There are a number of reasons why this is, for example, employees are only insured on a week by week basis, provided they earn at least €38 in any particular insurable week. For weeks not worked, no paid contributions are recorded. Hence the need for the current employment credits scheme to fill such daily gaps which occur because of unemployment, illness, etc. or weekly gaps where they are in receipt of specified payments. In contrast, Class S workers are insured on an annual basis. Class S contributors make a single annual payment which awards them the full 52 paid contributions for that year, regardless of when they worked to generate that income i.e. in one week or over the full year.
However, time spent outside the workforce caring for others can be recognised through HomeCaring Periods for the purpose of calculating rate of payment for the State Pension (Contributory). Up to 20 years HomeCaring Periods may be counted in the calculation. HomeCaring Periods are available to all, regardless of PRSI class.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
452. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Justice when a decision will be made for a visa applicant (details supplied) issued with a general employment permit in July 2022; if she is aware of the impact on businesses and employers waiting nine months for such decisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30490/23]
View answerThe visa application referred to by the Deputy was refused by the Visa Office in Manila on 19 October 2022. The reasons for this decision were set out in the refusal letter sent to the applicants at that time. An appeal of this decision was launched on 24 November 2022.
Appeals for applications of this type are processed in the order in which they are received, to be fair to all applicants. While every effort is made to process these applications as soon as possible, processing times will vary having regard to the volume of appeals received, their complexity, the possible need for the visa office to seek further information in relation to certain appeals and the resources available to process them.
All visa applicants are advised that the onus is on them to provide as much information in support of their application as they feel is necessary. Guidelines in this regard are posted on the Immigration Service website. When making an appeal, the applicant should take into account the reasons for refusal listed in the refusal letter. The appeal should include any further information or additional documentation they wish to have considered, and should be sent for the attention of the Visa Appeals Officer, in the relevant Visa Office, where the matter will be considered afresh.
Full consideration will be given to any appeals received on behalf of the applicants, however the onus is on applicants to satisfy the Visa Officer that visas should be granted. Processing times and decisions at the Overseas Visa Offices can be checked at the webpage for the relevant office.
The granting of an employment permit by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is not the sole determining factor as to whether a visa will subsequently be granted by my Department. These are two very distinct application processes with different checks and procedures in place in each respective Department.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
453. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice whether diplomatic passport holders from non-EU countries are permitted to access Ireland without a visa; if so, to identify which countries are so permitted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30491/23]
View answerThe requirement on the part of diplomatic passport holders to hold a visa for entry to Ireland corresponds with whether nationals of that country are required to hold a visa generally for entry to Ireland.
In addition, Ireland has a mutual diplomatic visa waiver agreement with China since 2015. This agreement is complementary to the British Irish Visa Scheme, which allows Chinese passport holders to travel to both Ireland and the UK on a single valid visitor visa issued by either Ireland or the UK.
While these matters are kept under review, there are currently no plans to introduce any additional waivers at this time.
454. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Justice the number of visa applications for those issued with general work permits that were processed each week in the past 12 months; if she is aware of the effect delays in processing have on businesses when employers are waiting over six months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30494/23]
View answerIn order to work in Ireland, a non-EEA national, unless they are exempted, must hold a valid employment permit, which is administered by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE).
In relation to the role of my Department, non-EEA nationals cannot work in Ireland unless they have an immigration permission. For non-EEA nationals that are not visa-required, they must register their permission with my Department within 90 days of their arrival in Ireland. For those who are visa-required, they must apply for a long stay employment visa, also called a 'D' visa, once they have been granted an employment permit from DETE.
Further details on long stay employment visas can be found on my Department's Irish Immigration website (www.irishimmigration.ie).
It is important to note that the granting of a work permit and the granting of a visa are two distinct application processes with different checks and procedures in place in each respective Department. I can assure the Deputy that my Department is aware of the time sensitive nature of employment visas and ensures that they are treated as priority applications.
Employment applications of this nature are processed by Department of Justice officials in the Dublin visa office and the seven dedicated Visa offices overseas, as well as by officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs under delegated sanctions in the many missions/Embassies located across the world. Processing times for visas in the overseas offices will vary by location but an average processing time of 4-6 weeks would be expected, no applicant should be waiting as long as indicated by the Deputy for a first instance decision on an employment application. The Visa office Dublin are currently processing first instance applications of this type received on the 20 May 2023.
Appeals of a negative first instance decision are not processed by DFA officials under delegated sanctions and come to Department of Justice staff, typically the Dublin visa office, for processing. As a result appeal decisions typically have a longer lead time. Currently the Dublin office is processing appeals which were received in 29 August 2022. Applicants can keep up-to-date with the dates the Visa Office in Dublin are processing by checking the following page; which is updated weekly:
www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions/
I can further advise the Deputy that following Government approval in December last year, my Department has established an Inter-Departmental Working Group to prepare an implementation report for consideration by Government on the introduction of a single permit process for employment permit and immigration permissions.
The aim of such a single permit process would be to simplify the procedure for third country nationals wishing to migrate legally for work. This will improve the experience for people who want to move to and work in our country, as well as enhance the service provided to employers.
The below table outlines the number of Employment Visa applications received in each week for the past 12 months, the number of applications approved, refused, and the number granted on appeal.
|
Week starting |
Week ending |
Total received |
Total Granted |
Total Refused |
Granted on Appeal |
|
2022-05-30 |
2022-06-03 |
338 |
332 |
3 |
3 |
|
2022-06-06 |
2022-06-10 |
325 |
306 |
19 |
0 |
|
2022-06-12 |
2022-06-17 |
413 |
407 |
6 |
0 |
|
2022-06-19 |
2022-06-24 |
350 |
340 |
9 |
1 |
|
2022-06-26 |
2022-07-01 |
301 |
287 |
14 |
0 |
|
2022-07-03 |
2022-07-08 |
511 |
504 |
5 |
2 |
|
2022-07-10 |
2022-07-15 |
425 |
415 |
9 |
1 |
|
2022-07-16 |
2022-07-22 |
537 |
518 |
16 |
3 |
|
2022-07-23 |
2022-07-29 |
487 |
436 |
47 |
4 |
|
2022-07-30 |
2022-08-05 |
454 |
430 |
15 |
9 |
|
2022-08-08 |
2022-08-12 |
411 |
383 |
21 |
7 |
|
2022-08-15 |
2022-08-19 |
415 |
400 |
15 |
0 |
|
2022-08-21 |
2022-08-26 |
336 |
324 |
12 |
0 |
|
2022-08-29 |
2022-09-02 |
427 |
415 |
11 |
1 |
|
2022-09-05 |
2022-09-09 |
436 |
425 |
5 |
6 |
|
2022-09-10 |
2022-09-16 |
459 |
450 |
7 |
2 |
|
2022-09-17 |
2022-09-23 |
489 |
480 |
8 |
1 |
|
2022-09-25 |
2022-09-30 |
496 |
478 |
16 |
2 |
|
2022-10-03 |
2022-10-07 |
454 |
430 |
23 |
1 |
|
2022-10-08 |
2022-10-14 |
487 |
459 |
28 |
0 |
|
2022-10-17 |
2022-10-21 |
426 |
411 |
13 |
2 |
|
2022-10-24 |
2022-10-28 |
268 |
251 |
16 |
1 |
|
2022-10-30 |
2022-11-04 |
461 |
440 |
19 |
2 |
|
2022-11-07 |
2022-11-11 |
440 |
414 |
19 |
7 |
|
2022-11-14 |
2022-11-18 |
478 |
442 |
31 |
5 |
|
2022-11-20 |
2022-11-25 |
345 |
339 |
5 |
1 |
|
2022-11-27 |
2022-12-02 |
298 |
284 |
12 |
2 |
|
2022-12-03 |
2022-12-09 |
337 |
319 |
17 |
1 |
|
2022-12-12 |
2022-12-16 |
380 |
362 |
15 |
3 |
|
2022-12-19 |
2022-12-23 |
411 |
396 |
12 |
3 |
|
2022-12-24 |
2022-12-30 |
119 |
115 |
3 |
1 |
|
2023-01-02 |
2023-01-06 |
341 |
320 |
21 |
0 |
|
2023-01-09 |
2023-01-13 |
504 |
476 |
28 |
0 |
|
2023-01-16 |
2023-01-21 |
341 |
312 |
26 |
3 |
|
2023-01-22 |
2023-01-27 |
356 |
335 |
18 |
3 |
|
2023-01-29 |
2023-02-03 |
423 |
404 |
19 |
0 |
|
2023-02-05 |
2023-02-10 |
278 |
267 |
9 |
2 |
|
2023-02-12 |
2023-02-17 |
284 |
254 |
15 |
15 |
|
2023-02-20 |
2023-02-24 |
327 |
285 |
31 |
11 |
|
2023-02-27 |
2023-03-04 |
322 |
282 |
32 |
8 |
|
2023-03-06 |
2023-03-10 |
321 |
282 |
34 |
5 |
|
2023-03-12 |
2023-03-17 |
231 |
212 |
17 |
2 |
|
2023-03-20 |
2023-03-24 |
162 |
150 |
10 |
2 |
|
2023-03-27 |
2023-03-31 |
238 |
218 |
15 |
5 |
|
2023-04-02 |
2023-04-07 |
241 |
230 |
9 |
2 |
|
2023-04-10 |
2023-04-14 |
240 |
217 |
15 |
8 |
|
2023-04-16 |
2023-04-22 |
247 |
235 |
11 |
1 |
|
2023-04-24 |
2023-04-28 |
268 |
240 |
26 |
2 |
|
2023-05-01 |
2023-05-06 |
201 |
184 |
16 |
1 |
|
2023-05-08 |
2023-05-12 |
286 |
274 |
12 |
0 |
|
2023-05-14 |
2023-05-19 |
298 |
266 |
30 |
2 |
|
2023-05-22 |
2023-05-26 |
213 |
206 |
4 |
3 |
|
2023-05-29 |
2023-06-02 |
145 |
134 |
8 |
3 |
|
2023-06-05 |
2023-06-09 |
230 |
219 |
9 |
2 |
|
2023-06-11 |
2023-06-17 |
328 |
319 |
7 |
2 |
|
Total |
19339 |
18313 |
873 |
151 |
