Written Answers Nos. 116-134
117. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Taoiseach the total allocated budget for his Department in 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; the actual outturns in each of his Department subheads at the end of 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37665/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe table below details the total allocated budget for my Department from 2011 to 2014 and the actual outturns in each subhead.
|
Vote 2 - DOT |
2011 Budget Allocation |
2011 Outturn |
2012 Budget Allocation |
2012 Outturn |
2013 Budget Allocation |
2013 Outturn |
2014 Budget Allocation |
Outturn to end Sept 2014 |
|
|
A |
Subheads - Administrative |
€'000 |
€'000 |
€'000 |
€'000 |
€'000 |
€'000 |
€'000 |
€'000 |
|
(i) |
Salaries |
12,499 |
11,307 |
12,100 |
11,266 |
11,122 |
11,323 |
11,422 |
8,586 |
|
(ii) |
Travel and Subsistence |
275 |
227 |
325 |
333 |
390 |
350 |
385 |
283 |
|
(iii) |
Incidental Expenses |
1,517 |
1,360 |
783 |
664 |
775 |
427 |
1,072 |
374 |
|
(iv) |
Postal and Telecommunications Services |
370 |
310 |
360 |
355 |
360 |
329 |
360 |
219 |
|
(v) |
Office Machinery and Other Office Supplies |
900 |
792 |
971 |
695 |
960 |
658 |
960 |
424 |
|
(vi) |
Office Premises Expenses |
430 |
470 |
410 |
390 |
264 |
328 |
264 |
209 |
|
(vii) |
Consultancy Services |
50 |
13 |
20 |
1 |
18 |
0 |
18 |
4 |
|
EU Presidency |
2,200 |
1,351 |
2,485 |
2,030 |
|||||
|
Programme Subheads |
|||||||||
|
A3 |
NESDO |
2,325 |
2,280 |
2,220 |
2,027 |
2,012 |
1,950 |
1,990 |
1,683 |
|
Commemoration Initiatives |
85 |
76 |
|||||||
|
A4 |
Tribunal of Inquiry (Payments to Messrs CJ Haughey and M Lowry) |
3,500 |
1,601 |
650 |
1,593 |
1,612 |
2,513 |
1,460 |
3,575 |
|
A5 |
Constitutional Convention |
300 |
216 |
920 |
824 |
920 |
313 |
||
|
Referendum on EU Fiscal Stability Treaty |
4,200 |
3,471 |
|||||||
|
Referendum on the abolition of the Seanad |
2,100 |
1,193 |
|||||||
|
A6 |
EU Engagement |
250 |
118 |
||||||
|
A7 |
Irish Personnel in EU and International Institutions |
1,200 |
138 |
||||||
|
A8 |
Commission of Investigation |
2,000 |
284 |
||||||
|
Sub total |
21,951 |
18,436 |
24,539 |
22,362 |
23,018 |
21,925 |
22,301 |
16,210 |
|
|
Less A-in A |
-912 |
-837 |
-912 |
-881 |
-870 |
-960 |
-878 |
-706 |
|
|
Total |
21,039 |
17,599 |
23,627 |
21,481 |
22,148 |
20,965 |
21,423 |
15,504 |
118. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Taoiseach the timeframe for the debate of the remaining Constitutional Convention reports; and the timeframe for actions arising from reports already debated. [38070/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Convention produced nine reports in total, all of which have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
In response to the recommendations in reports of the Convention on the Constitution, the Government has already announced that it will bring forward proposals in 2015 for referendums on same-sex marriage, reducing the voting age to 16 and reducing the age of candidacy for Presidential elections to 21. In addition, the Government has announced it will bring forward proposals for a referendum on removal from the Constitution of the offence of blasphemy but no date has been decided as yet.
In addition, the Government decided to refer to the relevant Oireachtas Committee the question of a constitutional amendment to give citizens a say in the nomination process for Presidential candidates. The Government has also undertaken to look at making Article 41.2 of the Constitution on the role of women gender-neutral, and at including other carers both in and beyond the home. It has also undertaken to look at amending the Constitution to include the principle of gender equality, as well as the use of gender-inclusive language in the Constitution. Arising from the Fourth Report, the Government has agreed that work should commence on the establishment of an Electoral Commission. This was a central recommendation of that report.
Work is ongoing in relation to the remainder of the reports, which as the House will be aware, deal with such matters as giving citizens resident outside the State the right to vote in Presidential elections; Dáil reform; economic, social and cultural rights and the Convention’s conclusions and final recommendations. The Government expects to respond to all of them before the end of the current Dáil session.
119. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Taoiseach if he will provide information on the number of State agencies or organisations under the remit of his Department which are paid up members of IBEC; the names of each agency or organisation; the amount which each agency or organisation paid to IBEC in the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38731/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraNo State agencies or organisations under the remit of my Department are paid up members of IBEC.
120. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the progress of JobsPlus since its introduction; the number and locations, by county, of businesses participating; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38276/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe JobsPlus Scheme was introduced from 1 July, 2013. Monthly payments are made to employers who employ persons who have been at least twelve months on the Live Register. At the end of September 2014, payments were been made to 2,272 employers in respect of 2,999 new jobs.
Table 1 below shows the number of businesses, by county, who are receiving a JobsPlus payment for one or more employees.
|
County |
No of Businesses |
|
Dublin |
641 |
|
Cork |
198 |
|
Galway |
138 |
|
Limerick |
95 |
|
Louth |
90 |
|
Donegal |
85 |
|
Kerry |
80 |
|
Wexford |
78 |
|
Tipperary |
77 |
|
Meath |
76 |
|
Kildare |
72 |
|
Wicklow |
66 |
|
Mayo |
65 |
|
Waterford |
56 |
|
Westmeath |
53 |
|
Laois |
51 |
|
Clare |
44 |
|
Sligo |
44 |
|
Monaghan |
43 |
|
Kilkenny |
41 |
|
Offaly |
36 |
|
Cavan |
34 |
|
Longford |
34 |
|
Carlow |
32 |
|
Roscommon |
26 |
|
Leitrim |
17 |
|
Total |
2272 |
121. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when there will be a person allocated to work on the backlog in disability as a person (details supplied) has been waiting for a full payment from 22 May 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37669/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned requested a review of his rate of disability allowance (DA) which was already in payment at a reduced rate. Following a revised decision he has now been awarded an increase in his DA payment, with effect from 28 May 2014, to €188.00 per week which is the maximum weekly rate for a single person. Arrears of payment due will issue in the next few days to his nominated bank account.
Additional resources have been allocated to the DA scheme.
122. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a copy of the report issued as a result of a scooping exercise carried out in 2009 to assess the nature of employment relating to 14 ESB meter readers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37670/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is no report in relation to this issue. These cases are being dealt with on an individual basis and are the subject of ongoing investigation in my Department. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the likely outcome of these investigations at this stage.
123. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on increasing employer PRSI contributions on the portion of salaries above €100,000, as recommended by the Nevin Economic Research Institute; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37018/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn increase in the employers’ PRSI contribution rate payable on the portion of salaries above €100,000 could only be considered in a Budgetary context and would have to take account of the Programme for Government commitment to maintain the standard 10.75% rate of employer PRSI.
128. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of times in each of the past three years that her Department has been brought to the High Court regarding a social protection payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37821/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information in relation to this parliamentary question is currently being compiled in my Department and will be provided to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.
129. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection for the purposes of applications for a back to education allowance, if any or all of the time an Irish citizen has spent in prison in the UK may be taken into account when assessing whether an applicant has been the required minimum number of days on jobseeker's allowance, considering that such time can be taken into account for prison sentences served here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37828/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraA person wishing to pursue a course of study under the back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme 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.
The period for which a person is required to be on a jobseeker’s payment is 78 days for the second level option or 234 days for the third level option and linking of periods on social welfare payments may apply. Periods spent in prison in this State can count towards the qualifying period for BTEA once an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment has been established. There are no plans to extend this provision to include periods spent in prison outside of the State.
130. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in tabular form the number of 19 to 25 year olds disqualified from participation on social welfare training schemes as they are not in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment due to their parents' income. [37984/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraGiven the scale of unemployment levels, the key objective of activation policy and labour market initiatives is to offer assistance to those most in need of support in securing work and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This policy objective prioritises scarce resources to those in receipt of qualifying welfare payments, and in particular those who have been receiving such payments for extended periods. Accordingly the employment services and schemes provided by the Department are focused in the first instance on this cohort of unemployed people.
Persons who are unemployed but not in receipt of a social welfare payment are not, however, disqualified from receiving training and employment supports. A range of services are in fact available to such people.
For example employment services, such as advice on job-search activities and the use of online job search tools, are available to people if they register with the Department’s employment services offices, regardless of their social welfare status.
Further, unemployed persons not in receipt of payments may also be eligible to avail of up-skilling opportunities, for example through ETB (formerly FÁS) training for unemployed people, although they are not eligible to receive a training allowance while undertaking the course (they may receive some financial support for travel and meals).
The Work Placement Programme operated by my Department is also open to persons not in receipt of a social welfare payment, although the participant will not receive a payment while on the programme.
An unemployed person who does not qualify for a social welfare payment due to the assessment of their means may be eligible to sign for social insurance contribution credits. Persons who sign for credits for three months (78 days) of the last six months are eligible to participate in the JobBridge programme.
The number of young people who do not qualify for Jobseeker’s Allowance because of parental means is relatively low. In the most recent twelve-month period for which data are available, some 52,808 awards of JA were made to young people under the age of 25. Over the same period, 1,579 JA claims from young people were disallowed on the grounds that the applicant’s means (from all sources) were deemed to be in excess of the prescribed limits. Disallowances on grounds of means thus represented a maximum of 3% of the claims actually awarded to young people. This would include cases where the means involved were those of the applicant or the applicant’s spouse, not just parental means cases.
131. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8 will have rent allowance increased from €742 to €975 while waiting to be housed by Dublin City Council as the person's landlord has raised the rent. [38005/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned was in receipt of rent supplement from this Department from September 2012 until August 2014 on the basis of an assessable rent of €875 per month and income from her jobseeker’s allowance payments. In August 2014 the person concerned applied for an increase in rent supplement as the rent on her accommodation had increased to €975 per month. However, when her case was being reviewed it came to light that her income had also increased as she is receiving maintenance payments of €20 per week. Consequently, when assessing her new entitlement to rent supplement, the increase in her assessable income was taken into account, and this means the amount payable to her increased from €745.00 per month to €749.70 per month. This calculation is correct and was done in accordance with social welfare legislation; it is not therefore possible to further increase the amount payable as the Deputy has requested.
However if there are exceptional circumstances in this case, the person concerned may wish to contact Threshold to explore the possibility of obtaining suitable accommodation under the Interim Tenancy Sustainment Protocol (ITSP), the initiative between this Department, the 4 Dublin Local Authorities, and Threshold Ltd to tackle homelessness in the Dublin area. If the person concerned has any supporting evidence in this regard she should furnish this to her Local Office as soon as possible. Additionally it remains open for her to submit an appeal against this decision on her entitlement to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
132. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the scheduled reductions in her Department, or in agencies under her aegis, spend in 2015 and the areas of spending these reductions are scheduled to take place to show the amount of reductions by theme. [38019/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe allocations for the Department in 2015, including the allocations for Departmental agencies, are currently being considered as part of the budgetary and estimates process. The outcome of this process will be contained in the Budget Day estimates which will be published on Budget Day (14 October next).
133. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on a disability allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38037/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that the Department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from the above named person on 8 September 2014. On completion of the necessary investigations on all aspects of the claim a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the adequacy of the information they provide in support of their claim.
Any person who is awaiting a decision on their DA application may apply for means-tested supplementary welfare allowance from their local community welfare officer.
134. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a CSP application (details supplied) and if she will ensure funding is allocated for this project which would be of enormous benefit for tourism and to the local community. [38062/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe community services programme (CSP) is designed to address gaps in service delivery and disadvantage and to ensure that community facilities are utilised. The programme is funded by the Department with day-to-day management of contracts undertaken by Pobal. Contract holders must deliver tangible services that are capable of generating non-public revenues from their operations by way of charging fees, sales and/or fundraising and other public funds. Funding is provided on the basis of a contribution to the cost of a full-time position to support the delivery of the service and includes management and non-management positions. A business plan has been submitted by the organisation concerned and is currently being appraised by Pobal as to its fit and eligibility for funding under the CSP programme. The appraisal and decision making process is ongoing and a recommendation is expected within the next month. The organisation will be informed of the outcome of this process when completed.
