Written Answers Nos. 133 - 141
133. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a claim for jobseeker's allowance can be reopened in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43554/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe jobseeker’s allowance application of the person concerned was closed as the deciding officer was not satisfied that she resided at the address provided on her application.
If she wishes to re-open her application she should call to her local social welfare office with proof of residency.
134. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the delay by her Department in processing reviews of family income supplement payments and the impact this is having on low income families that are already stretched to the last (details supplied); her plan to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43568/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.
The average waiting time for new family income supplement (FIS) claims at the end of August is 18 weeks and for renewal claims is 16 weeks. At the end of August, there were 7,137 new FIS applications and 7,511 renewal applications awaiting approval. The volume of FIS claims on hands and the delays in processing are a consequence of continued strong claim intake. An integral part of the FIS scheme is that once the level of payment is determined, it continues to be payable at that rate for a period of 52 weeks, provided that the person remains in full time employment.
Claimants must apply to have their payment renewed if they wish to receive payment for a further 52 weeks. At present, application forms for renewal of the payment of FIS for a further 52 weeks are issued one month in advance of the expiry of the current payment and are processed in order of the date of expiry of the current payment and not by the date of receipt of a completed renewal form. This is designed to facilitate the collection of the most up-to-date customer information to ensure the fairest calculation of entitlement for the next 52 week payment period of FIS.
An in-depth business process improvement (BPI) project has recently commenced for the FIS scheme. This project will focus on optimising output and customer service and the reduction of backlogs. Part of the project will be detailed examination of workloads and a full assessment of existing capacity within the area and what capacity is needed in order to process the volumes of claims, both new and renewal, being received.
Following the assessment phase of this BPI project, a plan will be devised and implemented which will allow the normal weekly new claim intake to be processed without delay and the backlog to be ring-fenced and eliminated over a specified target period. It is expected that the assessment phase of the project will be completed very shortly.
135. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Social Protection with reference to Page 20 Section 42 of the Pathways to Work strategy, her plans for contracting with the private sector; and if any cuts to existing local employment services are envisaged. [43590/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is currently engaged in a procurement process from which it intends to appoint expert advisor(s) to assist with the design and delivery of employment service provision, on a contracted basis with external providers, as envisaged under the Pathways to Work strategy. Given the urgent need to address unemployment, the intention is to enhance employment services at local level and not reduce such services. It is expected that the initial design will be completed in the first quarter of 2013.
136. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Social Protection when will a decision will issue on an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43591/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that the application is with a deciding officer for a decision. It will be processed as quickly as possible and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
137. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for redundancy payment will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wexford. [43598/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraA redundancy lump sum application in relation to the person concerned has recently been awarded. Payment will shortly be issued to the person’s chosen bank account.
138. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 814 of 18 September 2012, the position regarding a redundancy claim in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wexford; when payment will issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43623/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for a redundancy lump sum payment in respect of the person concerned was received in the Department in August 2012. It is expected that the claim will be finalised in the coming weeks.
139. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision will be expedited on a State non contributory pension appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43659/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 3rd April 2012. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 13th June 2012 and the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.
140. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the ongoing difficulty that workers are having in securing their holiday entitlements from the administrator (details supplied) if she will intervene and resolve the issue as a matter of urgency. [43661/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 27 June 2011 the High Court in the UK appointed joint administrators to the company to which the Deputy refers. Subsequently, in May 2012, liquidators were appointed. Another organisation, also UK based, has been appointed to act as an agent with respect to submitting claims under the insolvency payments scheme.
To date, insolvency claims have been paid in respect of 83 former employees of the company concerned. These represent all of the claims that have been correctly submitted under the scheme to date.
However, there are a number of other claims where additional information is required before they can be processed. The Department is in ongoing contact with the agent organisation in order to get these outstanding issues addressed. Once all of the required information is received these remaining claims will be processed and paid.
141. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Social Protection is there any consideration being given to applicants of the back to education allowance who have had to change careers due the downturn in the industry that were trained in to follow a new career and who now might not be eligible for the BTEA because they already have a qualification higher than the one for which they are applying; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43671/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe back to education allowance (BTEA) is a second chance education opportunities scheme designed to remove the barriers to participation in second and third level education by enabling those in receipt of certain social welfare payments to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course that leads to a higher qualification than that already held. A person wishing to pursue the back to education allowance will have to satisfy a number of conditions such as being a certain age, in receipt of a prescribed social welfare payment for a specified time period, pursuing a full time course of study leading to a recognised qualification in a recognised college and progressing in the level of education held by the client with reference to the national framework of qualifications among others.
Progression in education is a condition which is not unique to BTEA, indeed State support for education purposes is grounded on a student progressing from one qualification level to a higher one. This is necessary to ensure displacement does not occur, in that courses could be offered to students who are not progressing at the cost of students progressing from a lower education level. BTEA guidelines are, in the main, in line with the mechanisms in place for similar student supports administered by the Department of Education and Skills and require student progression from one qualification level to a higher one. Furthermore, the BTEA scheme is not intended to be an alternative form of funding for people entering or re-entering the third level education system.
My Department is currently reviewing a wide range of activation supports available to DSP customers, including BTEA, and it is my intention to canvass the views of stakeholders as part of the implementation process resulting from the review.
