Written Answers Nos. 370-395
370. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the issue of the public services card to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3749/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Social Protection, in conjunction with a number of other Government Departments, has developed a rules based standard for establishing and authenticating an individual’s identity for the purposes of access to public services. This programme of work, which is known as the Standard Authentication Framework Environment or SAFE for short, provides for a number of levels of identity authentication. An individual’s SAFE level is determined by the degree of assurance that can be provided as to his or her identity.
SAFE also provides for the introduction of a Public Services Card (PSC) to enable individuals to gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort. A PSC is currently issued following a registration process which involves the capture of an individual’s photograph and signature, the verification of identity and current address as well as the capture of additional data such as answers to security questions to be used in ensuring the future integrity of customers' data.
In order for an individual to be issued with a PSC they must satisfy a certain SAFE standard of identity assurance. In this particular case, the person concerned has not verified his identity to the required standard. I understand that the Deputy’s office has been advised of the appropriate action to be taken by the individual in order for him to so do.
371. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide additional social welfare inspectors in County Kerry to help with the enormous workload; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3762/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department has to operate within an employment control framework (ECF) target, as determined by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. In this context, the staffing needs for all areas within the Department, including those relating to the social welfare inspectorate in County Kerry, are continuously reviewed. This takes account of workloads, management priorities and the competing demands arising, to ensure that the best use is made of all available resources with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on the schemes operated by the Department.
I can assure the Deputy that the Department will continue to provide high quality service and, where necessary, source available staff to fill critical vacancies by way of redeployment, or transfer from within the Department and other Government Departments within its ECF target.
372. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify the situation regarding voluntary PRSI pension contributions for persons on career breaks from the public service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3763/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraA person under the age of 66 who ceases to be covered by compulsory PRSI may opt to become a voluntary contributor, provided certain conditions are satisfied. The Voluntary Contribution scheme can only be availed of by those who have ceased compulsory insurance (as an employed or self-employed contributor) and do not have an entitlement to credited contributions. Application to become a voluntary contributor must be made within one year of the last paid or credited contribution.
Voluntary contributions continue to provide cover for certain long term benefits such as pensions. They do not give cover for short term benefits such as jobseekers, illness or treatment benefits.
To become a voluntary contributor a person must:
- have at least 364 weeks PRSI paid under compulsory insurance in either employment or self-employment,
- apply within 12 months after the end of the contribution year during which they last paid compulsory insurance or during which they were last awarded a credited contribution ('credit') and
- agree to pay voluntary contributions from the start of the contribution week after the week in which they cease compulsory insurance.
The minimum contribution requirement will increase to 468 in April 2014 and to 520 in April 2015, to bring it into line with the minimum number of paid contributions required to qualify for State pension contributory.
A person on a career break from the Public Service who satisfies these conditions may be admitted as a voluntary contributor.
373. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans in respect of youth unemployment following the British-Irish Council. [53720/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe British Irish Council meeting, held in Jersey on the 15th of November 2013, discussed the current economic situation in the Member Administrations with a particular focus on youth employment. The Council, building on its previous discussions on youth employment, exchanged views and examined progress on the various policy initiatives and programmes aimed at helping young people into employment in each Member Administration and reviewed the latest relevant statistics.
The Government’s primary medium-term strategy to tackle youth unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity. Economic recovery will underpin jobs growth. Past experience suggests that youth unemployment, which tends to rise relatively rapidly in a downturn, can be expected to fall relatively rapidly during the recovery. There is evidence that this is already occurring – Eurostat estimates that the seasonally-adjusted rate of youth unemployment has fallen from almost 31% in late 2011 to just under 25% at the end of 2013.
In addition to promoting medium-term economic recovery, the Government recognises the need for interim measures to support the young unemployed and keep young jobseekers close to the labour market. To this end, youth unemployment is being specifically targeted through our Youth Guarantee initiative, which is being launched today.
374. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will report on the effectiveness of the domiciliary care allowance in caring for children with special needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53848/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraDomiciliary care allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment to the carer of a child, under 16 years, with a severe disability that requires care and attention substantially in excess of that needed by a child of the same age without the disability. The allowance is not means tested.
DCA is one of a range of supports provided for children with disabilities. The payment when first introduced in the early 1970s was intended as an acknowledgement of the extra care that parents/carers provided for their children with disabilities in their home. The scheme was administered by the HSE until 2009, when its administration moved to the Department of Social Protection. Over the years the scheme has been expanded to cover a wide age range of children and to include all disabilities.
Currently over 25,000 parents/carers receive the payment at a cost of over €100 m per year.
While there has been no formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in caring for children with special needs, a recent survey of 1,000 customers indicated that the payment was important in the provision of additional services, both therapeutic and recreational, for their children.
377. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for invalidity pension appeal will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3775/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to allow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision.
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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
378. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection when a domiciliary allowance appeal will be processed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3776/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for domiciliary care allowance was received from the person concerned on the 8th August 2013. This application was referred to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors whose opinion was that the child was not medically eligible for the allowance. A letter issued on the 11th September 2013 advising of the decision to disallow the application.
The person concerned subsequently lodged an appeal against this 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.
379. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a six weeks payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3811/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraDeserted wife's benefit (DWB) is a payment made to a woman deserted by her husband. A six week after death payment cannot be made in respect of a DWB customer.
A six weeks payment after death is made where a person who is in receipt of a benefit which includes an increase in respect of a qualified adult, or where the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is in receipt of any benefit in his or her own right, dies. This payment is paid automatically to the surviving spouse.
The customer in this instance does not qualify for such payment.
380. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if Intreo offices may make referrals to local employment services. [3828/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra381. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if the number of NEAP referrals by her Department to local employment services will be affected by the establishment of JobPath; the ongoing and future role of LESs in terms of categories and numbers of persons referred to them. [3829/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra382. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if funding from her Department to local employment services will not be reduced upon the establishment of JobPath. [3830/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 380 to 382, inclusive, together.
Intreo is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. Intreo offices provide a more streamlined approach with tailored employment services and supports for jobseekers and employers alike. Intreo offices currently refer jobseekers to Local Employment Services (LES) and will continue to do so when JobPath becomes operational.
Under the National Employment Action Plan (NEAP), people in receipt of jobseeker's benefit or jobseeker's allowance who reached three months duration on the live register were identified and referred for activation. Intreo clients are referred for activation at an earlier stage and as such these arrangements now supersede the NEAP arrangements.
JobPath is the Government’s new programme of labour market activation aimed specifically at the long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed.
JobPath will be delivered by third party providers of employment services under contract to the Department. It is important to note that the intention in establishing JobPath is not to displace existing resources either within the Department or the LES but rather to complement and augment these resources and thereby increase our capacity to provide supports to assist jobseekers in obtaining employment.
A request for tenders issued on 12 December 2013 with a closing date of 28 February 2014. Taking account of the time required for the tender evaluation process and the time required by contractors to set up operations it is expected that JobPath will commence operations towards the end of the year.
The LES contracting process for 2014 will be completed over the coming weeks. The funding provided for 2104 has been maintained at the same level as in 2013. The Department intends to continue its contractual arrangements with LES providers following the introduction of JobPath. I should also point out that LES providers are free to participate in JobPath should they so wish.
383. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision on an invalidity allowance appeal will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3840/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to convene an oral hearing in this case.
Every effort will be made to hear the case as quickly as possible and the appellant will be informed when arrangements for the oral hearing have been made.
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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
384. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for benefits across all headings that were refused by her Department after completing a means assessment of the applicant that resulted in means exceeding the allowed limit for the particular scheme by an amount of €4.30 per week or less; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3842/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department operates a range of means tested schemes and these schemes are administered through a network of local and central offices throughout the country.
Means testing is an integral part of the administration process to decide if there is an entitlement or a continuing entitlement to a payment and the amount of that payment for a range of schemes and allowances.
The means of the claimant, including where appropriate means of a spouse/partner, are established following an assessment of the claimant’s financial position. A means test may be carried out by desk assessments on the information provided by the customer or may involve referral to a Social Welfare Inspector/Community Welfare Officer to carry out a home visit. Once the means data are gathered the means are determined by the Deciding Officer/Designated Person in line with the schemes means rules and are used to adjust the amount of the payment, if any, a claimant will receive, subject to all the other conditions of the scheme being satisfied.
The Department does not, however, collate data on its systems in relation to means excess amounts and is therefore unable to provide such information at this time.
385. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 126 of 15 January 2014 her views on a family (details supplied) in County Wexford whose only income for a community employment scheme is now falling into tax liability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3852/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraEmployment under the Community Employment (CE) programme is subject to PRSI, which provides the employee with access to a wide range of long and short term social insurance benefits. CE participants are insured at Class A8/A9 PRSI, which gives them a paid contribution for each week, as with other Class A workers. Where the employee's weekly earnings exceed €352 per week, employee PRSI at 4% is payable on all income.
The person concerned is currently employed on a CE scheme and has weekly earnings of €422.20. Accordingly, employee PRSI is payable at a rate of 4% in line with all other Class A employees.
The charging of income tax is a matter for the Minister for Finance.
386. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection her Department’s policy in relation to data protection; the actions that have been taken to deal with fraud and illegal sharing of information from her Department to third parties; the current whistleblower protections in operation for staff in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3853/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department takes its responsibilities in relation to data protection and internal control very seriously. Every effort is made to ensure that personal customer data is used solely for business purposes and that it is not compromised in any way. Records of data accesses are kept and are subject to audits. All cases of suspected data breaches are investigated. The Department has data protection and information security policies, standards, procedures and guidelines in place governing the use of its computer systems and customer data. These are communicated on an ongoing basis to our staff and high standards are expected in relation to the handling and processing of personal client information. The policies, procedures and guidelines are kept under constant review and are updated as appropriate. Staff members are regularly reminded of their obligations under data protection and information security policies and of the penalties applicable in respect of any breach of these policies. Data protection obligations are also covered on induction programmes for new staff members and on management development programmes and in presentations given by the Department’s Business Information and Internal Control Support Units.
The Department treats all data breaches seriously, including reports from its own staff, and where appropriate data breaches are reported to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
Where instances or reports of illegal sharing of information with third parties by staff have come to light they have been thoroughly investigated and, where appropriate, sanctions have been applied. These include disciplinary sanctions such as loss of increment, loss of entitlement to enter promotional competitions and dismissal.
388. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of potential double insolvency pension schemes foreseen in the coming year by her Department; when guidelines will be issued to trustees of defined benefit schemes outlining how best to utilise the new legislative provisions as contained in the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013; if there are any defined benefit pension schemes which still have not submitted proposals to the Pensions Board; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3855/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is not possible to predict the number of double insolvencies. However, I can say that the number of double insolvencies arising in the last ten years is believed to be less than ten.
The Social Welfare and Pensions (No.2) Act provides for the issue of guidance in relation to the drawdown of State funding in the event of the wind up of an underfunded scheme, where the employer is insolvent and the scheme does not have sufficient resources to meet 50% of scheme benefits or benefits up to a maximum of €12,000. This guidance and the consequential changes to existing guidance impacted by the provisions in the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Act is being progressed.
Some 10% of defined benefit pension schemes have not yet submitted a funding proposal to the Pensions Board. The Board is in dialogue with each of the schemes involved.
389. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline any consultancy costs associated with the establishment of the Intreo services; if she will outline any other costs associated with the establishment of Intreo including office refurbishment, branding costs and website costs; if she is satisfied with the current operation of the service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3856/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo date Intreo Centres have been established at 44 locations. At some locations it has meant acquiring new premises and at others the refurbishment of one or more than one office in the town. The cost for physically fitting out the offices to provide for an integrated service consists of structural, mechanical, electrical and ancillary costs that include queuing systems, security, furniture and fittings. The total cost associated with the works is approximately €15.3 m and the overall branding cost, including both external and internal signage, is approximately €208,000.
Apart from signage, branding costs arising during the development of the new service identity related to the initial design, the design implementation, some translation costs, the cost of royalty free images and trademark search & registration. These costs totalled €59,516.
Prior to the establishment of the Intreo service the Department commissioned work under a 2009 contract on the design, development and implementation new processes to integrate the three previous services of the Department itself, the Community Welfare Service and the employment services units of FÁS. This work was delivered and completed in 2011 and it developed an integrated operating model for the three services, as required by the National Employment and Entitlements service provided for in the Programme for Government, and was an important input into the development of the Pathways to Work policy. The total cost of this consultancy was €186,563.
A particular effort was made to keep costs down during the development of the new service through procuring services via public tender from various suppliers to ensure cost effectiveness. I am satisfied that the costs incurred compare more than favourably with the costs of implementing similar service developments in other States.
390. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she intends to implement any further policy changes arising out of the report of the advisory group on tax and social welfare; if she will provide an indication of when the social impact assessment of budget 2014 will be published by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3857/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn line with commitments contained in the Programme for Government, I established an Advisory Group on Tax and Social Welfare, with the aim of harnessing expert opinion and experience to examine a number of specific issues. These include making cost-effective proposals for improving employment incentives and achieving better poverty outcomes, particularly child poverty outcomes.
The Group’s overall method of working is based on producing modular reports on the priority areas identified in the terms of reference. To date the Group has completed three modules of work on reform of child and family income supports; the Budget 2012 proposals relating to Disability Allowance (DA) and Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA); and on extending Social Insurance coverage for the self-employed. The core recommendations contained in the Advisory Group’s reports remain under my consideration. Their reports continue to assist the Government in considering the appropriate direction of policy, taking into account the complex issues involved, including fiscal, operational and legal. The Group is currently progressing its final module of work on the issue of working age income supports and the interaction of the tax and social welfare systems to determine how the social welfare system can best achieve its goals of supporting persons through periods of involuntary unemployment while incentivising work and dis-incentivising welfare dependency. I look forward to receiving the Group’s report on this issue once their examination of the various issues is completed.
The Department is currently preparing an analysis of the Budget 2014 tax and welfare packages. This Social Impact Assessment will include an analysis of the distributive and poverty impacts of these changes on different family types as well as the impact on at risk of poverty levels.
Social impact assessment is an evidence-based methodology which uses a tax/welfare simulation model developed by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to estimate the likely distributive effects of budgetary measures on income and social inequalities. The ESRI published its analysis of the distributional impact of Budget 2014 in December last. This analysis is innovative in that that it captures for the first time tax changes relating to DIRT, pensions reliefs, health insurance reliefs and capital gains taxes. This analysis will inform the social impact assessment being undertaken in the Department. I will be examining the social impact assessment when it is finalised and I will publish it in due course.
