Written Answers Nos. 142-150
142. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43766/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 23rd July 2012 and the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer decision when the appeal has been determined.
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.
143. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection when an appeal by a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will be heard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43768/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 10th May 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 4th October 2012 and the case will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the 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.
144. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the excellent service which Money Advice and Budgeting Service provides if a new MABS office will be opened in an area (details supplied) which would serve the needs of the wider district and particularly on account of the areas distance from existing MABS offices. [43769/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraSouth Galway Money Advice & Budgeting Service (MABS) is funded through the Citizens Information Board, to assist people living in Galway city and environs, including the area in question, who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems.
The main office for South Galway MABS is located in Galway city and there are two sub-offices – one in Loughrea and since July 2011, a sub-office in Carraroe, together with outreach facilities in a number of locations. The Carraroe sub-office provides a dedicated MABS service on a bilingual basis to the people of West Galway, Connemara and the islands.
I am satisfied that South Galway MABS provides a high quality service to assist people in overcoming their indebtedness and managing their finance.
145. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the current turnaround times for processing claims for all social welfare payment types in her Department; if she will provide in tabular form the average processing times for the various claims since May 2012; if she will provide information on the percentage of the various applications submitted to her Department that take longer than the average processing time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43799/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is committed to ensuring that claims are processed as expeditiously as possible. Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the differing qualification criteria. As can be seen from the data in the table below, schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of illness-related schemes, can take longer to process. Similarly, means-tested payments can also require more detailed investigation and interaction with the applicant, thereby lengthening the decision making process.
As part of the Department’s programme of service delivery modernisation, a range of initiatives aimed at streamlining the processing of claims, supported by modern technology, have been implemented in recent years. Operational processes, procedures and the organisation of work are continually reviewed to ensure that processing capability is maximised.
In addition, the staffing needs of the Department are regularly reviewed, having regard to workloads and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources. The Department will continue to source available staff to fill critical vacancies by way of redeployment, or transfer from within the Department and other Government Departments, taking account of the employment control framework (ECF) target, as determined by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
I wish to assure the Deputy that prompt processing of claims remains a priority for me.
Table: Claim processing performance, May to August 2012:
Average weeks to award
|
Scheme |
May |
June |
July |
August |
|
State Pension (contributory) |
4 |
5 |
8 |
7 |
|
State Pension (transition) |
6 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
|
State pension (non-contributory) |
12 |
12 |
11 |
13 |
|
Widow(er)’s Pension (contributory) |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
|
Widow(er)’s Pension (non-contributory) pension & one parent family payment (widow) |
9 |
7 |
11 |
9 |
|
One Parent Family |
17 |
15 |
14 |
12 |
|
Household Benefits |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
Bereavement Grant |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
38 |
32 |
31 |
33 |
|
Family Income Supplement - New Claims |
17 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
|
Disability Allowance |
28* |
17* |
17* |
17* |
|
Carer’s Benefit |
11 |
11 |
10 |
9 |
|
Carer’s Allowance |
28* |
28* |
28* |
28* |
|
Jobseeker’s Benefit |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Jobseeker’s Allowance |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Illness Benefit |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Child Benefit - Domestic |
3 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
7 |
7 |
7 |
9 |
|
Back to Education Allowance |
Applicants for BTEA are already in receipt of another social welfare payment before a decision is made on their entitlement to the Allowance. |
*Estimated for schemes which have recently been transferred to new IT platform
146. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Social Protection the expected total legal costs to be incurred in her Department in 2012; her proposals to reduce these costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44072/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department records expenditure on legal and compensation costs and fees under a single heading. The elements of these payments relating solely to legal fees are not recorded separately. The total expenditure on legal and compensation costs-fees from 1 January 2012 to 9 October 2012 was €202,092. As it is not possible to predict what settlements will be made in the future, a figure for total expected legal costs for 2012 is not available.
Costs relating to prosecutions arising from fraudulent claims made to the Department are borne by the Chief State Solicitor's Office.
147. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Arts; Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will confirm the details of the payments made to a person (details supplied) who recently retired as Secretary General of his Department. [43617/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised that, on retirement in May 2011, the person referred to by the Deputy received a lump sum payment of €332,896 and severance pay of €110,964. The person is currently in receipt of a pension of €100,889 per annum.
148. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Arts; Heritage and the Gaeltacht the actions, if any, he has taken on foot of the recommendations in the report by the Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht entitled Eight proposals urgently required to tackle flooding on the River Shannon, it's tributaries and the waters feeding into it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43613/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that I have received the report by the Joint Committee on Environment, Culture, and the Gaeltacht on the management and protection of the Shannon. My Department is considering relevant recommendations in the Report and, when this process is completed, will provide its views and observations to the Joint Committee.
149. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Arts; Heritage and the Gaeltacht the expected total legal costs to be incurred in his Department in 2012; his proposals to reduce these costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44060/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI assume the Deputy is referring to costs for legal fees or legal advice incurred by my Department. The total of such costs to date this year are €12,695.44. No further costs are expected to be incurred in 2012. My Department is aware of the need to minimise such costs and, in general, avails of legal services and advice from the Attorney General’s Office and the Chief State Solicitor’s Office.
150. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Communications; Energy and Natural Resources the way he intends to monitor the progress of the new national broadband plan; if he has contingency plans in the event of difficulties achieving targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43510/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) is a comprehensive strategy to deliver high speed broadband across Ireland and covers a wide range of policy actions. While the primary focus is directed towards the national mapping exercise that will determine the exact position in relation to existing and planned broadband investment throughout the country, there are also a range of other policy initiatives in the following areas:
- Publication of a National Digital Strategy aimed at stimulating greater adoption rates (for broadband-internet) among businesses and citizens;
- Reviewing-modernising national radio spectrum policy;
- Clarifying precise role that State-owned assets/infrastructure can play in deployment of broadband services;
- Examination of current regulatory framework to ensure that it can effectively support commercial investment in high speed broadband and,
- Significant review of processes and procedures around planning issues for telecommunications infrastructure (with the main objective of introducing greater consistency at Local Authority level in terms of how planning issues are dealt with and levied).
A High Level Implementation Group, chaired by my Department, is being established to oversee the implementation of the full range of deliverables identified in the NBP. This will include senior representatives from relevant Government Departments and agencies who will be tasked with driving the delivery of actions. This Group will report regularly to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Infrastructure on progress being made.
