Written Answers Nos. 129-154
129. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her plans to address the ongoing lengthy waiting lists for north Donegal MABS at 9.8 weeks, four times the State average. [47775/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board (CIB), assists people who are over-indebted and need help and advice in coping with debt problems, in particular those on low incomes and people living on social welfare payments. In 2014 funding of some €18.6 million has been provided to MABS.
Information on the waiting times in each MABS office is compiled on a quarterly basis and posted to the www.mabs.ie website. The most recent statistics available, compiled to end of September 2014, record that the average waiting time from first point of contact to first appointment with a money adviser is some 2.53 weeks. This is a national average and can vary greatly between offices.
North Donegal MABS has its main office in Letterkenny with a sub-office in Buncrana and provides a service to the North and Eastern part of the county. There are two other MABS offices in the county, one in the Gaeltacht area (Derrybeg) and one in South Donegal (Donegal town). There has been a substantial improvement in the number of people waiting for an appointment with a money adviser in North Donegal MABS in recent months. The number has dropped from 132 in January of this year to 33 at the end of November. The waiting time has significantly reduced also from 24 weeks in January to the 9.8 weeks recorded at the end of September. The Service is currently offering appointments to clients within approximately 6 weeks.
The significant improvement in waiting times is due to the prudent allocation of resources and the on-going collaborative work with the two other MABS in County Donegal. CIB will continue to work closely with North Donegal MABS on all aspects of demand, capacity and resources with a view to further reducing waiting times.
I am satisfied that the ongoing monitoring of MABS services and the deployment of available resources to meet demand will continue to contribute to the reduction of waiting times across the MABS network of offices.
130. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a report into the ongoing investigation by her Department following the provision of a spurious P60 for the former employer of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7 and who has been unable to receive any social welfare assistance from her Department in approximately 12 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47784/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned made a claim for jobseeker’s benefit on 12th August 2013. As part of the approval process the matter of his PRSI contribution record has been referred to a Social Welfare Inspector for investigation. It is envisaged that this investigation will be progressed imminently, and as soon as it is, the person concerned will be contacted.
131. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her Department held meetings separate to the management advisory committee meetings that were attended by either her or the Minister of State and the management advisory committee; if so, if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of such meetings that occurred in 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47869/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra132. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of management advisory committee meetings that were held for each of the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of management advisory committee meetings that were attended by her, the Minister of State, the political adviser, the Secretary General and all other titles of attendees in the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47885/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together.
The Management Board of my Department currently meets on a fortnightly basis. In addition to these meetings there is a formal weekly meeting scheduled between myself and the Secretary General. Both the Minister of State and I meet regularly with the senior management of the Department in relation to its business and related developments and we both also meet periodically with a number of Programme Boards which are sub-committees of the Management Board that the Department has in place to focus on both policy and operational issues. However, records of the number of all such meetings are not available.
I attend approximately four Management Board meetings every year. There was no Minister of State assigned to the Department over the period January 2011 until July 2014 when a Minister of State was assigned. His attendance at Management Board meetings since July 2014 is also given in the table.
The Management Board (MB) of the Department comprises the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, Chief Appeals Officer and the Chief Medical Adviser, all of whom are civil servants. A secretary to the Board, a civil servant, also attends each meeting. Other officials from the Department and, on occasion, non-Departmental persons also attend MB meetings to assist in the discussion of agenda items. Their attendance is only for the agenda item being considered.
The number of Management Board meetings held in the years in question and the number of the various categories of attendees are listed in a table.
Number of Management Board Meetings January 2011 – 2014 Year to Date and number of attendee
|
Year |
Number of Meetings |
No. meetings attended by the Minister |
No. meetings attended by Minister of State |
No. meetings attended by Secretary General |
No. meetings attended by Deputy Secretary |
No. meetings attended by Assistant Secretaries |
No. meetings attended by Chief Appeals Officer |
No. meetings attended by Chief Medical Advisor |
No. meetings attended by Political Advisor/s |
No. meetings attended by Others for single Agenda Items |
|
2011 |
38 |
10 |
Not applicable |
35 |
34 |
38 |
29 |
12 |
12 |
25 |
|
2012 |
38 |
7 |
Not applicable |
36 |
34 |
38 |
30 |
29 |
22 |
36 |
|
2013 |
27 |
4 |
Not applicable |
26 |
22 |
27 |
23 |
18 |
18 |
23 |
|
2014 (To Date) |
22 |
1 |
3 |
18 |
15 |
22 |
14 |
14 |
8 |
21 |
133. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10 who is in receipt of jobseeker's allowance is entitled to the Christmas bonus. [47904/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo satisfy the eligibility criteria for the Christmas bonus, the person concerned must have been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for a minimum of 390 days on 26/11/2014, the commencement date of the payment week in which the bonus payment fell due. The person concerned had only been paid jobseeker’s allowance for 362 days up to this date and therefore does not qualify for payment of the Christmas bonus.
134. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that the changes made to the Christmas bonus are payable to all social welfare recipients and not just those on jobseeker's payments. [47928/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Christmas bonus was introduced in 1980 and was paid annually (at varying rates) until it was abolished in 2009. I was pleased to be in the position to partially restore the bonus this year. A 25% bonus was paid in the first week of December to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and the long-term unemployed, in recognition of the fact that the majority of these recipients are wholly or mostly dependent on their weekly payment.
The bonus was paid this year to the beneficiaries of all schemes to which the bonus previously applied. It should be noted that a Bonus was never payable to recipients of certain schemes such as jobseeker’s benefit and illness benefit and similar arrangements apply this year. The bonus was extended to long-term jobseekers in 1985 with the condition that the jobseeker must be in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment for 15 months in order to be eligible for payment. This condition continues to apply this year.
A list of the schemes eligible for the bonus this year is available on the Departmental website at http://www.welfare.ie/en/pages/christmas_bonus_2014.aspx.
135. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will review the contract with An Post to ensure that An Post is fulfilling its commitment under the service level agreement with reference to the 15 km buffer zone for social welfare recipients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47986/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the contract for the provision of cash payment services An Post are required to ensure that 95% of social welfare customers are within 3 kms of an Outlet in an urban area, and 95% of social welfare customers are within 15 kms of an Outlet in a rural area. I am advised that An Post, using the GeoDirectory database, verifies that this requirement is being met and even exceeded regarding the 95% coverage requirement.
136. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal for disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Offaly; and when the person may expect a decision. [48004/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 7th August 2014. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 11th November 2014 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
137. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal for disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Offaly; and when the person may expect a decision. [48005/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 29th September 2014. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question 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 appeal 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
141. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an appeal for invalidity pension in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Offaly; and when the person may expect a decision. [48014/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision on 23rd June 2014. Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of an Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed in the light of additional evidence or new facts.
I am advised that the person concerned has submitted additional evidence and that the Appeals Officer has agreed to review the case. The person concerned will be contacted when the review of his appeal has been finalised.
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.
142. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of all official foreign trips she and Ministers of State in her Department plan to take between now and the end of 2015; if she will provide the names of the persons she and Ministers of State in her Department will meet on these trips; the purpose of the trips; the duration of the trips; if there are plans to use all of these trips to promote Ireland as a good place for doing business and as a destination for foreign direct investment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48038/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt present neither myself nor the Minister of State have any travel plans from now until the end of 2015. However, I would expect that we will be represented at meetings of EU employment and social affairs Ministers (EPSCO) which are due to take place in 2015. Decisions in that regard will be made nearer the dates of the meetings as attendance will depend on the agendas and other business commitments which may arise at the time. EPSCO meetings would not be appropriate occasions for the type of promotional work envisaged by the Deputy.
143. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an estimated timeframe for when the youth guarantee scheme will be implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48051/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraImplementation of the Youth Guarantee is a medium-term policy of the Irish Government. It is envisaged that the guarantee as it affects those aged under 18 years will be implemented within 2 years, i.e. by the end of 2015. The guarantee of an offer of training, education or work experience for those aged 18-24 years after a four month period should be implemented on a phased basis.
Starting in 2014, and for completion by the end of 2015, processes and programmes will be progressively rolled out to ensure that all of those young unemployed people who need most support (i.e. are assessed as having a low probability of securing employment in the absence of support from the Public Employment Services) will receive a Youth Guarantee offer within four months.
These new and existing initiatives will provide 28,000 plus places for unemployed young people during 2014 (this figure excludes apprenticeship and PLC places).
Approximately 20,400 of these places had been taken up at the end of November. The table which follows to this reply details the total take-up for the year-to-date, together with the estimate for full-year intake provided in the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan.
Some of the initiatives planned under the guarantee required primary legislation to allow positive discrimination on age grounds in the provision of employment services and supports. This legislation was enacted as part of the Social Welfare Bill over the summer. Two schemes in particular, the Youth Guarantee developmental internship programme and the JobsPlus variant for young people (supporting young unemployed at risk of becoming long-term unemployed who have been signing on the Live Register for 4 months), were dependent on this legislation being passed. These schemes were announced in November and will be implemented in full during 2015. The legislation also permits the introduction of earlier and more intensive engagement by INTREO with the young unemployed that should also translate increased placement on schemes covered by the Youth Guarantee. Processes to give effect to this engagement are currently being implemented by the Department.
|
Programme |
Expected full-year intake |
2014 YTD |
Note |
|
Youthreach/CTC |
3,300 |
3,505 |
CTC starters – including Youthreach 1,800 persons |
|
JobBridge (including developmental internship) |
5,000 |
2,939 |
As of end November 2014 |
|
Tús |
1,000 |
1,410 |
As of end November 2014 |
|
JobsPlus |
1,500 |
357 |
As of end November 2014 |
|
Momentum |
2,000 |
631 |
As of end November 2014 |
|
BTEA (excl Momentum) |
3,300 |
2,319 |
As of 14th October 2014 |
|
BTWEA |
200 |
139 |
Including 5 persons on STEA |
|
VTOS |
500 |
672 |
Estimated U25 unemployed entrants |
|
FÁS/Solas |
9500 |
7,677 |
Based on SST, Traineeship, Bridging & LTI starters as of end November 2014 |
|
CEB youth Entrepreneurship Training and Mentoring supports |
700 |
Not yet commenced |
|
|
CEB/MFI micro-loans for young people |
150 |
2 |
As of 31st August 2014 |
|
International Work Experience and Training |
250 |
At client selection process |
|
|
Gateway |
450 |
173 |
As of end November 2014 |
|
Community Employment |
500 |
558 |
As of end November 2014 |
|
Total |
28,350 |
20,382 |
Excluding where figures are not available |
144. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection regarding the fact that the mortgage interest supplement scheme has been closed to new entrants since January 2014, the supports and payments available to home owners who are facing financial difficulties with mortgage interest payments and need the assistance which this scheme previously supplied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48072/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government’s strategy to assist those in mortgage difficulty is built around the following measures, as recommended in the 2011 Interdepartmental Mortgage Arrears Working Group (Keane Group), in four main distinct areas:
- Lenders providing sustainable and durable resolution options to their borrower;
- A social housing response sponsored by local authorities;
- Comprehensive advice to borrowers; and
- Personal Insolvency Reform.
In line with the introduction of the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP) provision was made for the discontinuation of entitlement to the mortgage interest supplement (MIS) scheme for all new applicants from 1 January 2014. The original intention of the MIS scheme was to provide short-term support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of residence. The supplement assisted with the interest portion of the mortgage repayments only. In the context of the overall strategy, the continued payment of MIS did little to assist recipients or lenders in improving the long term difficulty in addressing the mortgage problem.
Customers availing of this support prior to 1st January 2014 have been able to retain entitlement to the scheme up to 1st January 2018. There are currently approximately 6,100 people in receipt of the supplement for which the Government has provided almost €18 million in 2014.
It is expected that during the four year period, existing customers will no longer require this support through sustainable solutions being put in place with their lenders, securing employment or exit strategies sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. I am satisfied that the most appropriate way in which customers experiencing mortgage difficulties can be supported is through engagement with their lender.
145. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in respect of a determination of appeal for disability allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48073/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 5th December 2014. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question 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 appeal 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
147. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Offaly will receive a decision on an application for domiciliary care allowance. [48077/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 5th November 2014. This application has been forwarded to one of the Department’s Medical Assessors for their medical opinion. Following receipt of this opinion, a decision will be made by a Deciding Officer and notified to the person concerned. It can currently take 10 weeks to process an application for DCA.
