Olivia Mitchell
Ceist:89. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the total annual cost in 2011 of public service pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41210/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraPublic Sector Pensions Expenditure
Ceisteanna (89)
Freagraí scríofa
The figures for the cost of public service pensions in 2011 are published in the Revised Estimates for 2012. Table 4A shows that the net exchequer pensions bill for 2011 is €2,216,792,000. Table 5 shows that the gross exchequer pensions bill for 2011 is €2,752,456,000.
Public Sector Staff Issues
Ceisteanna (90)
Joanna Tuffy
Ceist:90. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will explain the changes in public service numbers (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41225/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Data on pay ranges of public servants consists of estimated aggregate data across some 292,000 employees and is based on the best information available to my Department. The data included in Parliamentary Question No 39606/12 reflected updated, more detailed data received following the departure of a substantial staff cohort on the expiry of the “grace period” in February 2012. The greater numbers in the €20,000 - €40,000 pay bands in the latter data generally reflects the more detailed data received. The increase in the €150,000 plus pay band reflects additional medical consultant numbers. In contrast, the numbers in the €100,000 to €150,000 plus pay ranges show a reduction as a proportion of the overall workforce and a reduction of 983 or almost 14.5% on the earlier data.
Foreign Direct Investment
Ceisteanna (91)
Robert Troy
Ceist:91. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the consultation he has had with the Industrial Development Agency with a view to securing a new facility for County Longford. [41049/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
IDA Ireland is an autonomous agency whose statutory obligation is to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to Ireland and its regions. IDA Ireland’s strategy for Longford is to promote the county as part of an integrated Midlands Region. This is in accordance with the Agency’s Horizon 2020 Strategy, which aims to create 63,000 new jobs in Ireland over the period 2010 to 2014, with 50% of new investments to be in locations outside of Dublin and Cork. Traditionally Longford has been a centre of manufacturing for FDI and has been comprehensively marketed by IDA Ireland as such. Over time, with the move towards higher value added manufacturing, IDA Ireland has secured investments from 6 client companies who currently employ 692 people. These include companies such as Abbott Diagnostics, Cameron Ireland Ltd, Epicor Software Solutions Ltd and Scientific Games Worldwide. IDA Ireland has assured me that, in addition to seeking new FDI for Longford, it works with its existing company base in the area for the purpose of identifying new opportunities and maintaining competitiveness.
The Agency has pointed out; however, that as Ireland competes for high quality investments, the concept of scale is crucial. Leading global corporations require a significant population, a pool of qualified talent, world standard physical and digital infrastructure coupled with the availability of sophisticated professional and business support services. Ireland has only one Metro Region, the Greater Dublin area, so, in order to achieve regional economic development, IDA Ireland prioritises the marketing of Gateway locations within each Region as the areas of critical mass (i.e. sufficient scale of population/skills/infrastructure/companies/business services/etc.) and highlights the opportunities provided by Hub locations which are within commuting distances of these Gateways. In addition, IDA Ireland continues to promote other key locations as part of its marketing efforts and on an opportunistic basis in response to specific client requirements. In this regard, Longford currently has 0.94 ha marketable lands in the Longford Industrial Estate in Lisnamuck and 1.98 ha in Aghafad. There are a number of available industrial premises currently on the open market which might suit the needs of potential investors.
IDA Ireland has assured me that it will continue to seek to attract new FDI opportunities to County Longford in accordance with its Horizon 2020 Strategy.
IDA Site Visits
Ceisteanna (92)
Michael McGrath
Ceist:92. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the number of Industrial Development Agency sponsored site visits to Dublin on an annual basis since 2008 and of those that visited Dublin, the number that also visited Cork. [41116/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Details of the number of site visits by potential investors to locations in Dublin and Cork on an annual basis since 2008 are set out in the attached tabular statement. I am informed by IDA Ireland that the Agency does not have the facility to a provide an instant cross reference of site visits for companies that have visited both Dublin and Cork.
IDA Ireland’s strategy document, entitled “Horizon 2020”, sets out the Agency’s targets for the period 2010 to 2014. The investment targets set out in this strategy include the creation of 63,000 new jobs in Ireland during that period and also includes a target securing 50% of these investments in locations outside of Dublin and Cork.
The global economy and in particular the European economy, which is the primary target market for FDI clients in Ireland, is in a low growth phase. The challenge for IDA Ireland is to win FDI in this low growth environment. As Ireland competes for high quality investments, however, the concept of scale is crucial. Leading global corporations require a significant population pool, access to qualified talent, world standard physical and digital infrastructure coupled with the availability of sophisticated professional and business support services. Ireland has only one Metro Region, the Greater Dublin area, so, in order to achieve economic regional development, IDA Ireland prioritises the marketing of Gateway locations within each Region as the locations of critical mass (i.e. sufficient scale of population, skills, infrastructure, companies, business services etc.) and highlights the opportunities provided by Hub locations which are within commuting distances of these Gateways. The Agency has assured me that it also promotes other locations as part of its marketing efforts in response to specific client requirements.
Typically, a company is shown three or four locations within a Gateway Economic Region that can meet its requirements and, in certain cases; other locations are visited on an opportunistic basis. In selecting locations to market to client companies, IDA Ireland endeavours to include locations which have been affected by closures/job losses. Whilst IDA Ireland seeks to influence the selection of a location, the final decision on where to locate is taken in all cases by the investor.
Number of site visits by Potential IDA Ireland Client Companies to Dublin and Cork over the Period 2006- 2012
|
County |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 ( end of August 2012) |
|
Cork |
16 |
27 |
41 |
29 |
44 |
27 |
31 |
|
Dublin |
90 |
91 |
92 |
90 |
197 |
150 |
137 |
Pension Provisions
Ceisteanna (93)
Terence Flanagan
Ceist:93. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will respond to a query regarding the establishment of a national pension plan registry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41226/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Traditional employment practices where an employee works with the same organisation for their entire career through to retirement are no longer the norm and employees are more likely to accrue pension rights through a number of different employments during their working life. My Department recognises that worker mobility gives rise to the need to facilitate a mechanism which would assist a person trace their pension entitlements.
Pension schemes are obliged to make every effort to trace all members of a scheme when their entitlements become due. My Department supports this by providing a mail hosting service for pension schemes that are unable to locate scheme members. This service operates by sending a letter to a person’s last known address asking them to make contact with their pension company.
A group chaired by my Department and comprising of representatives from the Pensions Board and the Revenue Commissioners has considered ways of facilitating a more enhanced pension tracing facility and as a result my Department is working closely with the Revenue Commissioners to put in place an automated solution to capture the required data which will facilitate a person to trace his or her accrued pension rights in former employment.
The establishment of a dormant accounts type fund into which the accrued benefits of untraceable scheme members would be lodged will also be considered.
Social Welfare Offices
Ceisteanna (94)
Thomas P. Broughan
Ceist:94. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to have the social welfare offices in Kilbarrack, Dublin 5 and Coolock, Dublin 17 fitted with the technology to facilitate digital signing in of clients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41062/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Electronic certification (or digital signing) for fully unemployed clients was introduced in Kilbarrack on 23rd March 2012 and in Coolock on 21st May 2012. It is now fully operational in both of these social welfare local offices.
This functionality introduces greater flexibility to the signing process as it means offices can respond immediately to queues by opening and closing counters, as required, to deal with the volumes of clients on hand at any particular time, rather than being limited to a having a set number of counters open.
Another feature of this new initiative is that clients now receive a text (SMS) the day before they are due to sign to remind them to do so. This offers an enhanced customer service to clients and also helps to eliminate unnecessary work in offices.
Domiciliary Care Allowance Appeals
Ceisteanna (95)
Brendan Griffin
Ceist:95. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on an appeal for domiciliary care allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41065/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The person concerned applied for domiciliary care allowance on the 18th January 2012. The case was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors who found that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance.
The person concerned was notified of the decision on 22nd February 2012 and she has appealed the decision. As part of the appeal process, the case has been forwarded to another of the Department’s Medical Assessors for further consideration, including a review of any new information supplied. Upon receipt of the Medical Assessor’s opinion, the case will be further examined and forwarded for consideration by the Appeals Office, if necessary.
Social Welfare Code
Ceisteanna (96)
Billy Timmins
Ceist:96. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection if a student who is in receipt of the back to education allowance can also qualify for rent allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41071/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. The overall aim is to provide short-term assistance and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are currently approximately 90,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement, for which the Government has provided €436m in 2012.
Normally, persons in full-time education do not qualify for rent supplement. However, one of the benefits to those participating in the back to education allowance scheme is that their status as a full time student does not preclude them from receiving rent supplement. This ensures that persons currently in receipt of rent supplement can access educational opportunities under the back to education allowance scheme without affecting their on-going entitlement to this payment.
Similarly, customers who have been approved a back to education allowance may be eligible for rent supplement if they had not previously been in receipt of rent supplement subject to satisfying the other qualifying conditions of the scheme.
To qualify for rent supplement a person must be residing in private rented accommodation or accommodation for homeless persons (or any combination of these) for a period of 183 days within the preceding 12 months of the date of claim for rent supplement. A person may also qualify for rent supplement where an assessment of housing need has been carried out within the 12 months preceding the date of claim and the person is deemed by a local authority to be eligible for and in need of social housing support. In all other cases, a person who wishes to apply for rent supplement is referred, in the first instance, for an assessment of eligibility for social housing support by a housing authority. Only when the person has been assessed as being eligible for and in need of social housing support, does the person become eligible for consideration for rent supplement.
Customers applying for rent supplement should make their application to their local departmental representative.