Parliamentary questions

Public Sector Allowances Review

Micheál Martin

1. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the progress made in relation to allowances in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42658/12]

Public Sector Allowances Review

Gerry Adams

2. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach the steps he has taken to deal with the issue of allowances paid to staff in his Department. [49774/12]

IFSC Clearing House Group

Gerry Adams

3. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach the number of times since the Dáil recess that the International Financial Services Centre Clearing House Group has met; the issues that were discussed; the actions that have been taken as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44100/12]

IFSC Clearing House Group

Micheál Martin

4. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the number of times officials from his Department attended Clearing House Group meetings in relation to the International Financial Services Centre; the main issues being discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44239/12]

IFSC Clearing House Group

Micheál Martin

5. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the progress made to date in his Department in relation to the strategy to create 10,000 jobs in the International Financial Services Centre sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44240/12]

IFSC Clearing House Group

Richard Boyd Barrett

6. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach the number of times the Financial Services Clearing House Group has met and the issues they discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48419/12]

IFSC Clearing House Group

Micheál Martin

7. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he has met representatives of the International Financial Services Centre recently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49613/12]

IFSC Clearing House Group

Joe Higgins

8. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Taoiseach the number of times officials from his Department have attended Clearing House Group meetings; and the issues that were discussed. [49712/12]

Child Benefit Rates

Willie O'Dea

100. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when she will publish the report of the advisory group on tax and social welfare; the conclusions of the report on child benefit rates; her future plans for child benefit rates; if the child benefit rate will be protected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49974/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Expenditure

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

101. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the findings of the Focus Ireland report, Out of Reach: The impact of changes in Rent Supplement, that persons are homeless as a consequence of the cuts to the rent supplement scheme; her response to the findings; and the steps she will take on foot of the report. [49977/12]

Social Welfare Appeals Delays

Seamus Healy

102. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to reform the social welfare appeals system in view of the recent FLAC report; her further plans to address delays in the issuing of decisions and the reductions in oral hearings; her views on the importance of consistency, transparency and proper access to legal advice and representation for applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50056/12]

Free Travel Scheme Administration

Willie O'Dea

103. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if the free travel pass scheme will be fully maintained in budget 2013; her future plans for the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49975/12]

Social Welfare Payments Waiting Times

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

104. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection the origins of the term "headline rates of social welfare" and the meaning of the term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50112/12]

Community Employment Schemes Funding

Charlie McConalogue

105. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans for community employment schemes in budget 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49883/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Payments

John Halligan

106. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will examine the cases of persons (details supplied) in relation to community welfare offices having flexibility in making payments. [49921/12]

Child Benefit Payments

Mary Lou McDonald

107. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection the options she is currently considering regarding child benefit including, the way and which vulnerable families would be compensated for any cut to the universal payment; if she is considering a top-up via qualified child increase, family income supplement and domicilliary care allowance or if a new means-test and income threshold will be introduced for the purposes of child benefit alone. [49837/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Payments

Sean Fleming

108. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether reductions in rent supplement has led to an increase in homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49901/12]

Child Benefit Payments

Dara Calleary

109. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider introducing flexibility to casual workers receiving social welfare benefit in budget 2013 with a hours based rather than days based system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49885/12]

Child Benefit Rates

Thomas P. Broughan

110. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that multiple birth families including twins and triplets will not be subject to further cuts in budget 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49772/12]

Carer's Allowance Eligibility

Peadar Tóibín

111. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending to 19.5 hours the number of hours a recipient of carer's allowance can work outside the home. [49846/12]

Pension Provisions

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

112. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she will take in response to the finding contained in her Department's report on pension charges that the private pensions industry is taking up to a third of the value of persons' retirement savings in charges. [49831/12]

National Advocacy Service

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

113. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether advocates working in the National Advocacy Service have no power to obtain information or attend meetings or consultations and can only operate on the basis of voluntary co-operation of service providers as shortcomings especially considering this co-operation is not always forthcoming and the steps she will take to extend the powers of the National Advocacy Service accordingly. [49844/12]

Free Travel Scheme Administration

Peadar Tóibín

114. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will extend the companion travel pass for persons in receipt of disability allowance to cover a companion on the portion of the round trip during which the disabled person may not be present. [49847/12]

Community Employment Schemes Funding

Willie O'Dea

115. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the impact of community employment scheme cutbacks in 2012; the number of schemes closed or that had hours reduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49876/12]

Home-makers Scheme

Seán Crowe

116. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to SIPTU's call for the home-makers scheme to be backdated from 1994 to 1964; if she will make arrangements to backdate it as suggested; the estimated cost of doing so; and the likely number of women who would benefit. [49848/12]

Social Welfare Appeals Status

Jonathan O'Brien

117. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that the option of a review in advance of an appeal is given greater prominence and explanation in letters sent out turning down applications with a view to reducing the number of cases that go forward to the more costly and time consuming appeals process. [49852/12]

Social Welfare Appeals Issues

Pearse Doherty

118. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will take legislative steps to introduce a public appointments procedure involving the publication of selection criteria and an open recruitment competition. [49842/12]

Child Benefit Rates

Michael Colreavy

119. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will arrange for a poverty and gender impact assessment to be conducted on all budget proposals relevant to her Department in advance of the announcement of budget 2013. [49858/12]

Child Benefit Rates

Mary Lou McDonald

120. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the report by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, The Human Face of Austerity; and her views on their assertion that those who depend on social welfare income supports must be protected from further cutbacks. [49838/12]

Sick Pay Scheme Expenditure

Barry Cowen

121. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps that she has taken to reform the sick pay scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49893/12]

Social Welfare Benefits Waiting Times

Robert Troy

122. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she has taken to address waiting times in social welfare payments and appeals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49911/12]

Social Welfare Code Review

John McGuinness

123. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to address lone parent family distress in budget 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49891/12]

Home-makers Scheme

Clare Daly

124. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in Budget 2013 for a backdating of the home-makers scheme from 1994 back to 1964 in order to ensure that workers with and interrupted PRSI record do not lose out on their contributory State pension. [49913/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Payments

Thomas Pringle

125. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will examine the cases of persons (details supplied) in relation to community welfare offices having flexibility in making payments. [49920/12]

Child Benefit Rates

Brian Stanley

126. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the call by Barnardos for pre-budget audits that examine the impact of proposals holistically and across Departments to ensure that they do not continue to erode family incomes to be conducted in advance of the finalisation of budget decision; and if she will engage with others in the conduct of same. [49857/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility

Billy Kelleher

127. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans for the future of rent supplement in budget 2013; its future operation and in particular its relationship with local authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49905/12]

Child Benefit Payments

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

128. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that persons in households with children are almost three times as likely to be in debt arising from ordinary living expenses compared with those living in households without children; if she has investigated the impact that any cut to child benefit would have on the level of debt amongst households with children; if so, her findings and if not, if she will arrange for this research to be conducted. [49835/12]

Disability Allowance Payments

Seán Crowe

129. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will arrange for a review of all agency arrangements for all persons in receipt of disability allowance living in residential care in view of concerns raised by Inclusion Ireland. [49849/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility

Sandra McLellan

130. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will bring forward her rent limits review scheduled to take place in June 2013 in view of reports of increases in rents since the start of 2012. [49839/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Payments

Richard Boyd Barrett

131. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will respond to evidence that new rent allowance limits are resulting in tenants becoming homeless and or living in overcrowded situations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49916/12]

Child Benefit Payments

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

132. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of child benefit recipients not in receipt of any means-tested social welfare payment. [49836/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Eligibility

Brian Stanley

133. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to concerns raised by the National Advocacy Service that community welfare officers are not willing to pay rent supplement to persons with disabilities who are leaving residential care; her views on whether this is making independent living impossible for some; and her response to same. [49856/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Applications

Michael Colreavy

134. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will re-introduce the freefone number for callers to the central rents unit and allocate case officers to specific geographic regions. [49840/12]

Social Welfare Code Issues

Dessie Ellis

135. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on any progress made and the nature of negotiations that she has had with energy and other suppliers with a view to receiving greater value under the household benefits package without cutting the scheme. [49855/12]

Child Care Services Provision

Mick Wallace

136. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Social Protection the outcome of her visit to Sweden to examine child care; her plans to progress the model and proposals of the interdepartmental subgroup on school-age child care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49914/12]

Child Benefit Rates

Clare Daly

137. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that there are no further cutbacks in budget 2013 in payment benefits or allowances to elderly citizens and that the cutbacks in the last two budgets for this category be reversed. [49912/12]

Child Benefit Rates

Bernard Durkan

138. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection having regard to the Estimates prepared by her Department and the likely competing demand arising, if she is satisfied that she can meet the needs of those with disabilities and others who are vulnerable in our society arising from the situation she inherited from her predecessors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49860/12]

Social Welfare Appeals Status

Pearse Doherty

139. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will take legislative or other steps to ensure that the decisions of social welfare appeals officers are implemented by her Department promptly and in full, including recommendations that the appeals officers may make with regard to the recoupment of past overpayments. [49843/12]

Early Retirement Scheme

Gerry Adams

140. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the impact that the early retirement scheme has had on the administrative functions of her Department; her plans to sanction the recruitment of additional staff; and if so, when, and the number of same. [49834/12]

Rent Supplement Scheme Payments

John Halligan

141. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will respond to evidence that new rent allowance limits are resulting in tenants becoming homeless and or living in overcrowded situations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49917/12]