Written Answers Nos. 323-354
323. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the total number of active HAP tenancies in each local authority for the most recent date available. [44965/23]
View answerThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme is a flexible and immediate housing support that is available to all eligible households with a long term housing need. At end Q2 2023, over 112,900 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, with 58,234 active tenancies being supported under the HAP Scheme.
Details of the number of active tenancies by local authority area at the end of Q2 2023 are set out in the table below.
|
Local Authority |
Active tenancies at end Q2 2023 |
|
Carlow County Council |
633 |
|
Cavan County Council |
424 |
|
Clare County Council |
1184 |
|
Cork City Council |
2918 |
|
Cork County Council |
3520 |
|
Donegal County Council |
1741 |
|
Dublin City Council |
5562 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council |
900 |
|
Fingal County Council |
2612 |
|
Galway City Council |
1946 |
|
Galway County Council |
1436 |
|
Kerry County Council |
1657 |
|
Kildare County Council |
1853 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
645 |
|
Laois County Council |
822 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
249 |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
2151 |
|
Longford County Council |
339 |
|
Louth County Council |
3105 |
|
Mayo County Council |
1177 |
|
Meath County Council |
1887 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
510 |
|
Offaly County Council |
666 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
403 |
|
Sligo County Council |
807 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
2712 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
1654 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
1759 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
961 |
|
Wexford County Council |
1307 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
1582 |
|
Dublin Region Homeless Executive* |
9112 |
|
Total |
58234 |
* DRHE is operating the HAP Homeless on behalf of the four Dublin local authorities
I am committed to decreasing our reliance on the HAP scheme and central to that is significantly scaling up our social housing supply. Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. As new build supply of social and affordable housing ramps up, there will be reducing reliance on the HAP scheme.
324. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the €250 million URDF funding announced in Budget 2024 by specific funding scheme, i.e. refurbishment grant. [44966/23]
View answerThe Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched in 2018 to support more compact and sustainable development. The Fund is providing part-funding for applicant-led projects that will enable a greater proportion of residential and mixed-use development to be delivered within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns, while also ensuring that more parts of our urban areas can become attractive and vibrant places in which people choose to live and work, as well as to invest and to visit.
As part of Budget 2024, €136 million is being provided for the URDF to allow for:
o The further advancement of 132 successful URDF proposals under Calls 1 & 2, comprising of nearly 400 projects, already approved under previous calls for proposals,
o Under Call 3, the delivery on an objective under Housing for All in terms of tackling vacancy and dereliction in URDF eligible towns and cities as part of the Town Centre's First approach, through the provision of dedicated funding to local authorities, and
o A further call for proposals, under Call 4, that will provide an opportunity for a number of ‘pipeline’ projects which have or will emerge from master planning exercises carried out under Call 1 or Call 2 to be considered for funding.
326. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the additional €10 million provided for planning matters in Budget 2024, indicating how much is for An Bord Pleanála, for local authorities and the training initiative; and if possible, to provide a further breakdown of posts being funded for ABP and local authorities. [44968/23]
View answer328. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total expenditure in 2022 and to date to date in 2023, on social and affordable housing funded through SHIP, CALF, CAS, AHF, CREL, AHB borrowing and LDA expenditure. [44979/23]
View answer333. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can provide the number of landlords registered with the Residential Tenancies Board in each of the past 5 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45135/23]
View answerThe Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as a quasi-judicial independent statutory body under the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA), to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants and as such numbers of registrations are a matter for the Board.
My Department does not collect the information sought. However, the RTB publishes information relating to the registration of tenancies on its websites at: www.rtb.ie/about-rtb/data-insights/data-hub/rtb-private-tenancy-registration-statistics .
Arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for the RTB in this regard is OireachtasMembersQueries@rtb.ie .
334. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the status of the Marine Protected Areas Bill 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45147/23]
View answerMy Department has been working in close collaboration with Parliamentary drafters over the past months to develop the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Bill. I anticipate that the Bill will be published before the end of the year.
The Government is committed to achieving 30% Marine Protected Area (MPA) coverage of Ireland's Maritime Area by 2030, in line with the Programme for Government, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and a number of International initiatives such as the UN post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. This proposed legislation will provide us with the tool to achieve this while, along with the Maritime Area Planning Act, ensuring sustainable use of the sea.
335. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will detail on a county or local authority basis the number of residential purchases in each that have been approved for support under the first home scheme, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45166/23]
View answerThe First Home Scheme, which launched on 7th July 2022, supports first-time buyers and other eligible homebuyers in purchasing new houses and apartments in the private market through the use of an equity share model. The Scheme was expanded in April to enable eligible renters who have received a valid notice of termination from their landlord to purchase the home they are renting under the Tenant Home Purchase Scheme. The Scheme was further expanded in September to include eligible applicants who wish to self-build their new home. Details are available on the First Home Scheme website, www.firsthomescheme.ie.
The First Home Scheme Designated Activity Company (DAC) is fully responsible for the operation of the First Home Scheme on behalf of all shareholders, including reporting on Scheme activity. The First Home Scheme DAC publishes its quarterly updates and annual reports on its website. These are available by accessing www.firsthomescheme.ie , and clicking on ‘About the Company’ in the menu.
Data on First Home Scheme delivery can also be found on my Department's website, which includes local authority level approval data for 2022, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery .
336. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason an additional €16 million for the Cork Event Centre was pledged under Budget 2024; what documentation was received by his Department to come to that decision; if he will publish that documentation; if he will detail all public monies currently pledged to the project following the decision in the Budget, in tabular form. [45232/23]
View answerThe Cork Events Centre was included as a commitment under Project Ireland 2040. This underlines the Government’s objectives for urban regeneration, enhanced amenity and heritage, associated quality of life standards, balanced regional development, and the regeneration and development of Cork City Centre.
It was agreed by Government in the context of Budget 2020 that responsibility for making the grant funding available for the project would transfer to my Department. However, responsibility for the advancement of the project remains, in the first instance, a matter for Cork City Council.
Cork City Council have advised my Department that the full detailed design of the Events Centre has been completed and that they are currently undertaking a full verification process and detailed cost analysis on the final project costings.
The €16m budgeted for the Cork Events Centre in 2024 is not additional funding for the project. It is the estimated funding requirement which will be necessary to meet financial commitments expected to arise during 2024 as the project progresses.
337. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline what the 2024 budget is for assisting families availing of the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme; if he is satisfied that this amount will be sufficient to cover the costs of all those who wish to avail of the scheme. [45233/23]
View answerThe Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 which contains the Enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks (DCB) Grant Scheme commenced on 22 June 2023 and the related Regulations were adopted on 29 June 2023.
The scheme is a major commitment by the State to help impacted homeowners to move on with their lives through a new remediation scheme. It is estimated that it will have an overall cost of approximately €2.2 billion (not including inflation) Budget 2024 provides funding of €70 million for the remediation of homes affected by building defects including DCB. This money will fund the operation of the Enhanced Scheme and support homeowners with dwellings damaged by the use of defective blocks during 2024. This allocation is based on an an analysis carried out by my Department and informed by regular engagement with local authority teams who operate and administer the scheme. In accordance with best practice, funding requirements are kept under continuous review but I expect that the amount allocated will be sufficient to adequately fund the Scheme next year.
338. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will provide the necessary funding to Donegal County Council to allow it to commence the process of remediating its housing stock affected by defective concrete blocks. [45234/23]
View answerSection 36 of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 provides that the Government may make a scheme for the purposes of enabling a designated local authority or an approved housing body to remedy damage caused to dwellings by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction. The grant rates for this local authority and approved housing body DCB scheme shall be the same as the enhanced DCB grant scheme.
My Department is working with the four designated local authorities to develop a scheme that can be rolled out to all of these councils. Given the level of impact of DCB in Donegal that Council have taken a leading and active role in this work. I expect to be in a position to provide full details of this scheme in the coming weeks.
339. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to conflicting information related to a planning matter as stated (details supplied); the analysis which he or his Department has carried out on the planning permission in question; how the conclusion was reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45248/23]
View answerIn the response given on my behalf in the Oireachtas on 21 September 2023 in relation to the matter raised, it was generally stated that:
"The ongoing maintenance of infrastructure such as lifts within private developments is not a planning matter, and furthermore the maintenance of lifts and communal spaces within or related to multi-unit developments or other private developments is a matter for the relevant management company."
This statement was made in the context of the operation and responsibilities of management companies not falling within the remit of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended (the Act) and its associated regulations. In this connection, the role of management companies falls under the Multi-Unit Development Act 2011, which is under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Justice, and sets out the responsibilities of management companies in the ongoing maintenance and operation of multi-unit developments.
My officials are aware of the issue at hand and it is recognised that the wider site has a complex planning history. However, under section 30 of the Act I, in my role as Minister for Planning, shall not exercise any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or the Board is or may be concerned. Therefore, I cannot comment on individual cases in which a planning authority may be involved.
It is important to note that where there is a potential breach of the planning code, for example where a condition attached to a planning permission is not adhered to, it is a matter for the relevant planning authority to investigate the matter and to take enforcement action where appropriate in accordance with Part VIII of the Act.
341. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans through further resources to aid Dublin City Council in dealing with its significant backlog in conveyancing works (details supplied). [45277/23]
View answerFor 2023, the Government has agreed that there will be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire at least 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions will be focused on properties where a tenant in receipt of social housing supports has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. My Department issued a circular letter to all local authorities setting out details of these arrangements and each local authority was provided with a provisional target for social housing acquisitions in 2023 and these allocations are being kept under review.
Details of social housing acquisitions will be published as part of the comprehensive programme level statistics published by my Department on a quarterly basis. This data is available for all local authorities to the end of Quarter 2 2023 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
Conveyancing services are strictly a matter for the Local Authority. Dublin City Council have advised that they have completed two hundred and forty eight acquisitions. Currently there are over two hundred individual property transactions at conveyancing stage. Of these properties one hundred and fifty six of these being tenant in situ acquisitions.
The conveyancing stage of these transactions can take from eight to twelve weeks to complete, and Dublin City Council has for operational reasons outsourced some of its standard conveyancing work to a number of Solicitors firms.
This decision does not imply a lack of internal resources within Dublin City Council. Outsourcing forms part of the usual work of the Law Department as and when the need arises.
The decision to outsource in this case was to streamline a process for tenant in situ acquisitions which are naturally time bound transactions, based on the notice of termination date served by the Landlord. Outsourcing this work has allowed DCC the flexibility to significantly scale up within a short period of time the number of property acquisitions which can progressed through the system, without effect on the other legal work carried out by directly by in house DCC legal teams.
342. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the capital works projects that were carried out in each of the national parks under the remit of his Department in 2021,2022 and to-date in 2023; and the further capital works projects that are scheduled to be carried in each of the national parks in 2024 and in 2025, in tabular form. [45294/23]
View answerThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
343. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 364 of 3 October 2023, if he will provide detail on the nature of the data breaches suffered by his Department; the severity of the breaches; if all individuals whose information was compromised were notified of the breach; if the Data Protection Commission was notified of all data breaches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45339/23]
View answerThe nature of the personal data breaches identified by my Department fall into the following general categories: personal data being shared accidentally with unintended recipients; the loss or theft of equipment (phones/laptops); the accidental exposure of personal data to unauthorised persons; or systems being compromised.
All breaches are dealt with in line with my Department’s Data Breach Management Policy, and as required under Articles 33-34 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The majority of personal data breaches identified by my Department are unlikely to result in any risk to individuals and, in accordance with Articles 33-34 of the GDPR, do not require notification to the Data Protection Commission or communication to the individuals concerned. On five occasions where some level of risk was identified the Data Protection Commission was notified and on one occasion the individuals concerned were formally informed. My Department fully complies with its obligations under Articles 33-34 of the GDPR which are based on the level of risk to notify the Data Protection Commission and inform individuals where a personal data breach is identified.
344. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will respond to correspondence from a person (details supplied) seeking urgent clarification in relation to assurances from Irish banks and financial institutions that homes that are remediated under the enhanced defective concrete blocks grant scheme will be mortgageable or re-mortgageable for existing homeowners or potential buyers in the future. [45363/23]
View answerI can confirm that I have recently received this correspondence which is receiving attention. The matter will be responded to in accordance with my Department’s Quality Customer Service Charter.
345. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection when cuts made to contributory pension eligibility (details supplied) will be reinstated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45240/23]
View answerFrom September 2012, the rates of state pension (contributory) paid to those who had a yearly average of less than 40 contributions was lowered, as a step towards a fairer Total Contributions Approach to pension entitlement.
In recognition that these rate changes may have negatively impacted certain cohorts, in January 2018, the Government announced an Interim Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to calculate the entitlement of pensioners who reached state pension age on or after 1 September 2012 (i.e. those born on or after 1 September 1946) and who had a reduced rate pension entitlement based on those post Budget 2012 rate bands. HomeCaring Periods were introduced for the first time which allowed those who cared for children, or other dependent relatives, claim up to 20 years in lieu of contributions.
Work began on examining the social insurance records of over 94,000 pensioners in September 2018. Where these reviews resulted in an increase in the pensioner’s rate of payment, the increase was backdated to 30 March 2018 or the pensioners 66th birthday, as appropriate. As at the end of October 2019, with the project completed, 94,258 reviews had been finalised; of these, 53,092 (56%) were women and 41,166 (44%) were men. Of the 53,092 women reviewed 28,528 (54%) received an increase while the rest remained on their existing rate. Of the 41,166 men reviewed, 9,956 (24%) received an increase and the remainder continued to receive their same rate of payment. No pensioner had their pension payment reduced as part of this review.People whose pensions were decided prior to 1 September 2012 were not affected by the Budget 2012 rate band changes. As a consequence, people whose pensions were calculated under the 2000-2012 rate bands were subject to a significantly more generous regime than those who qualified before or afterwards, as a Yearly Average of only 20 contributions per year could attract a 98% pension.
One of the landmark reforms to the State Pension system that I announced in September of last year is a ten-year phased transition to the Total Contributions Approach and the abolition of the Yearly Average method. This was part of recommendations from the independent Pensions Commission following its in-depth analysis of the State pension system. I expect to bring the legislation required to introduce this, and other reforms, before the Oireachtas soon, with the phased transition commencing from January 2025.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
346. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a specific industry sector has been identified in the recent increase seen in unemployment figures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44426/23]
View answerI am pleased to state that the Irish labour market is performing extremely well. The employment rate has been rising and now stands at 74.2 per cent, the highest in the history of the series, with over 2.6 million people in employment.
Since Q4 2021 the unemployment rate has been below 5 per cent - beyond this level the economy is conventionally considered to be at full employment. Currently, according to the Q2 2023 Labour Force Survey, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the unemployment rate stands at 4.2%, up 0.1% compared to the previous quarter. Accordingly, there has been no recent increase in unemployment numbers once seasonal variations are taken into account. Unemployment data by sector is not available.
Looking at the changing sectoral profile of employment, compared to before the pandemic, Q4 2019, the number of people in employment has increased for almost all sectors, except Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Accommodation and food services, and Administrative and support services, which decreased by 7 percent, 1 percent and 1 percent respectively. The sectors which saw the largest proportional increases in employment were Information and communication, Professional, scientific, and technical activities, and Public Administration and defence, which increased by 36 percent, 24 percent and 21 percent, respectively.
It should be noted that there are a number of supports available to people who become unemployed. The Government’s national employment services strategy, Pathways to Work 2021-2025, commits to supporting those who are unemployed or face disadvantage in the labour market. My Department, which delivers public employment services through Intreo and Intreo partners, offers a range of employment supports to help people prepare for and secure employment. Among the services provided are one-on-one engagements where options are explored, including whether the person is seeking to move sector, and a personal progression plan is agreed. A range of employment supports are available including job search assistance, referral to training or educational courses, the payment of financial incentives for employers through JobsPlus, as well as the provision of work experience combined with training through the Work Placement Experience Programme.
Where IDA client companies are reducing headcount through redundancies, IDA Ireland works with client companies to understand if targeted training support could be an assistance in training and retaining impacted teams, thus mitigating losses, through the use of skills diagnostic tools and training support programmes. Where job losses are occurring, IDA seeks to understand the skills profile of impacted staff, so that there is good awareness of skills becoming available for any company that may be hiring. IDA Ireland client-facing teams have access to a central dashboard of companies that are laying off staff and the skill categories that may be available, to make other companies aware of available skills. This forms part of IDA’s day-to-day interaction with its clients. In addition, Ireland also has recourse to several training and support resources where employees are laid off, or where companies need to invest in employee training.
In this regard, I am confident that we have the appropriate supports in place across Government to support jobseekers and employers as required.
347. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline the inquiries, if any, which are undertaken by her or her Department to ensure that an applicant for a gender recognition certificate under the Gender Recognition Act 2015 has a settled and solemn intention of living in the preferred gender for the rest of their lives, as required by the Act; the steps taken to establish the veracity of statutory declarations made to that effect by applicants under the Act; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44637/23]
View answerThe Gender Recognition Act 2015 provides for a self-determination or self-identification model for legal recognition of a person’s preferred gender where that person is aged 18 or over.
The applicant must sign a statutory declaration indicating their settled and solemn intention to live in their preferred gender for the rest of their life, that they understand the consequences of the application, and make it of their own free will. The statutory declaration is made in accordance with the terms of the Statutory Declarations Act 1938, and must be witnessed by a Peace Commissioner, Notary Public, Commissioner for Oaths, or Solicitor.
Statutory declarations are used in a wide variety of regulatory settings in the State, and the requirement for a person to complete a statutory declaration for the purposes of declaring their preferred gender is intended to ensure the necessary degree of formality for such an event.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
348. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update directly to a person (details supplied) that has been waiting on a decision on an appeal. [44652/23]
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 on the 25th January 2023. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought.
These papers were received on 24th April 2023 and the case was assigned to an Appeals Officer on 9th May 2023, who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral appeal hearing.
The timeframe in which an appeal is processed can vary depending on the cases complexity, or if further clarification is required.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
349. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she plans to publish the report on the benchmarked/indexed rate of State pension payments which was introduced as an input to the Budget process this year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44699/23]
View answerLast September I announced a series of reforms to the State Pension system in response to the recommendations from the Commission on Pensions. As part of this, the Government committed that a smoothed earnings method to calculating a benchmarked/indexed rate of State Pension payments will be introduced as an input to the annual budget process and be submitted to Government each year.
My Department completed the benchmarking calculation and submitted this to Government as an input to the Budget 2024 process. This input was considered as part of the overall Budgetary discussions in the context of wider economic and environmental factors, Budget expenditure pressures across Departments, and taking into account once-off cost of living supports.
350. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of childcare career events held by the European Employment Services (ERS Ireland) in the Department of Social Protection held outside Ireland in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively; and the cost of each event and the outcome. [44712/23]
View answerEURES (EURopean Employment Service) was established by the European Commission to facilitate the free movement of workers within the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA). It is a European cooperation network of employment services which assists jobseekers to take up employment within the EU/EEA and assists employers interested in recruiting in the European job market.
EURES Ireland, which is part of the Intreo service of the Department of Social Protection hosts recruitment events each year to support employers with difficult to fill vacancies in finding suitable candidates for their vacancies, while also supporting the mobility of workers across the EU/EEA area. These events can be onsite, online or hybrid recruitment events supported by the European Commission and the European Labour Authority. The online events are hosted on the European online jobs fair platform www.europeanjobdays.eu and bring jobs opportunities with Irish employers to jobseekers and job changers in Ireland, across EU/EEA countries and further afield.
EURES Ireland held three onsite recruitment events outside Ireland in the period requested, for employers in the childcare sector, one in 2022 and two in 2023. These events were organised by EURES Ireland in collaboration with EURES Spain. EURES Ireland also facilitated at a single employer recruitment event for childcare in Madrid in 2023.
EURES Ireland costs relate to staff travel and accommodation only. Employers cover their own costs and there are no venue hire costs for EURES Ireland.
|
Year |
Event |
Cost |
Outcome |
|
2021 |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
|
2022 |
Bienvenidos a Irlanda 2022 - Irish Recruitment Day in Spain. (Multisector hybrid event, online with onsite event in Madrid on 17th November 2022) |
€2,800.26 |
Seven employers from the childcare sector registered for the event and one attended onsite. |
|
2023 |
Single employer childcare recruitment event in Madrid on 16th February 2013 |
€646.98 |
One employer attended onsite. |
|
2023 |
Irish Recruitment Day in Seville -Careers in Retail and Childcare. (Hybrid event, online with onsite event in Seville on 23rd February 2023) |
€3,433.14 |
22 employers from the childcare sector registered for the event and six attended onsite. |
|
2023 |
Bienvenidos a Irlanda 2023 - Career opportunities in Hospitality and Childcare(Hybrid event, online with onsite event in Malaga on 10th October 2023) |
€2,011.69 |
21 employers from the childcare sector registered for the event and six attended onsite. |
Full information in relation to placements is not available. EURES Ireland requests feedback from employers after each event. Feedback isn't received from all participating employers but from those that do, the feedback is very positive with employers indicating success in terms of securing additional staff and expressing interest in participating in future events.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
351. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Social Protection when section 6 of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 will can be commenced; the estimated timeframe for when technical amendments by way of primary legislation for civil registration will be brought before Dáil Éireann; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44720/23]
View answerSection 6 of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 introduces new provisions relating to the registration of the father where the parents are not married to one another. This section sets out that the mother is required to give the father’s details, with limited exceptions, and that the father is then required to acknowledge paternity.
This section requires technical amendments which are being brought forward in the forthcoming Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Bill. Pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the bill was undertaken by the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community & Rural Development, and the Islands. A draft of the bill is currently being finalised by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel prior to its publication and presentation to Dáil Éireann and I look forward to bringing the bill to the House shortly.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
352. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Social Protection when her Department is expected to pay the pension arrears and the exact amount to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44721/23]
View answerState pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, 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 initial application stage and throughout the lifetime of the pension claim, an applicant must provide full and up to date details of any income(s), asset(s), savings and investment(s) held, and notify any changes that occur that may affect their pension entitlement.
On 23 March 2022, a Deciding Officer commenced a review of the person’s state pension non-contributory to ensure that the person was in receipt of the correct weekly rate of payment. A review questionnaire issued for completion and return. As no response was received, a further communication issued on 15 April 2022, requesting that the questionnaire be returned within 14 days, as failure to do so may result in the suspension of the person's pension payment.
On 19 May 2022, the Deciding Officer attempted to contact the person concerned by telephone but was not successful. As the requested information had not been received, under standard procedure, the person’s payment was suspended. On 29 June 2022, after a further waiting period, under standard procedure, the person’s state pension entitlement was terminated, as they had failed to disclose their means by not returning the questionnaire as requested and by not having made contact with the Department.
Following later contact on behalf of the person concerned, the review questionnaire was re-issued on 10 July 2023. On 3 August 2023, following receipt of the completed review questionnaire, the person’s weekly payment was reinstated and their case assigned to a Social Welfare Inspector to investigate their means, so that their entitlement to the correct rate of pension could be properly assessed.
The Inspector has confirmed that the person concerned will be contacted in relation to the means investigation in the coming days. The Inspector has been requested to expedite the completion of their investigation, to enable a Deciding Officer to determine the entitlement of the person concerned to state pension non-contributory without further delay.
The person concerned will be notified in writing of the outcome of their state pension review and any due pension arrears will issued to them without delay.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
353. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection to give a progress report on the school meals programme and its successful expansion. [44780/23]
View answerThe School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations benefitting 300,000 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. In February, the Government approved an additional €14.5m to allow access to the Hot School Meals scheme for all remaining DEIS schools from September 2023. Budget 2024 has increased the funding by an extra €42.5m
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 1,100. 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, the roll out of the Hot School Meals to all remaining DEIS primary and Special schools began in September 2023, benefiting more than 60,000 children.
As part of significant plans to extend the Hot School Meals programme, all remaining primary schools were contacted and requested to submit an expression of interest form if their school is interested in commencing the provision of hot school meals. Expressions of interest forms were received from over 900 non-DEIS schools in respect of 150,000 children.
Budget 2024 provides for the extension of the Hot School Meals programme to these 900 schools in 2024.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
354. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if any financial assistance is available to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44789/23]
View answerJobseeker's Benefit for the Self-Employed (JBSE) is a payment for people between 18 and 66 who become fully or partly unemployed and have paid enough PRSI (Pay-Related Social Insurance) contributions.
To qualify for JBSE a person must:
• be under pension age (which is currently 66) • satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions • not be engaged in self-employment• be capable of working and available for full-time work• be genuinely seeking work• prove unemployment in the prescribed manner
A person who is receiving JBSE can work as an employee, in insurable employment, for up to 3 days a week and still get Jobseeker’s Benefit for the Self-Employed for the other days if they are available for full-time work.
Jobseekers Allowance (JA) is a means-tested payment made to people who are unemployed and who do not qualify for JB or who choose to apply for JA instead of JB. A means test is an assessment of all of the applicants household income, savings, shares, investments, or property that they own, apart from their own home. A means test will also include any income that their spouse, civil partner or cohabitant has. A self-employed person may be entitled to JA depending on their earnings from their business, as their income must be below a certain level in order to qualify for this payment. The earnings from the persons business will be assessed in the means test for JA. A self-employed person in these circumstances does not need to close their business or stop working as self-employed to get Jobseeker’s Allowance.
As the person concerned has not applied for a Jobseeker’s payment, my officials have sent a JBSE application form and a JA application form to their home address. The completed application form, along with any relevant supporting documentation should be returned to Clondalkin Intreo Centre for processing.
A person applying for a Jobseeker's payment must have authenticated their identity to SAFE Level 2 before their claim can be paid. The SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to validate a person's identity, is a face-to-face process which results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC). My officials have contacted the person directly and arranged for them to attend the Clondalkin Intreo Centre for a PSC appointment on 17/10/2023.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
