Written Answers Nos. 172-186
172. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 201 of 17 September 2014, if the review of personal pension vehicles has taken place; if the issue of extending the approved retirement fund options to holders of buy-out bonds derived from defined benefit schemes has been examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3477/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe current supplementary pension system which comprises a multiple of pension savings vehicles has evolved over time has become extremely complex and difficult to understand without investment of considerable time and effort of the engagement of professional advisors. The present system needs to be simplified so that it is more understandable to members, potential members and to the general public.
The issue you have raised regarding access to the Approved Retirement Fund option to owners of a buy-out bond arising from their membership of a defined benefit pension scheme will form part of a review of the personal pension vehicles. I expect that work will be undertaken during 2015 in this context.
174. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons on JobBridge; the average duration of a JobBridge placement; if participants in JobBridge are counted as employed or unemployed for the duration of the placement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3513/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department’s activation measures continue to play a major role in consolidating Ireland’s economic recovery. Jobseekers continue to choose JobBridge internships as a means of increasing their skills and work experience and improving their chances of returning to employment.
There are currently 6,271 individuals on JobBridge internships. The majority of internships are for a period of 9 months. During their internship, JobBridge participants are not included on the Live Register.
175. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she can offer any assistance in this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3545/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs detailed to the Deputy in reply to Parliamentary Question No 47 of 15 January 2015, the client concerned is in receipt of their full entitlement to Rent Supplement based on their monthly rent, weekly income and family composition. The Department has not made contact with this client regarding their on-going entitlement to Rent Supplement.
176. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will ascertain from the carers' allowance section of her Department when relevant departmental papers and comments regarding a carers' allowance refusal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be submitted to the Social Welfare Appeals Office in order to allow an appeal to progress considering that the appeal was registered on 27 November 2014. [3564/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing a medical review, the carer’s allowance (CA) payment of the person in question was stopped on 27 November 2014 as it was decided the care recipient no longer satisfied the medical criteria for CA. The person concerned submitted additional medical evidence in support of their appeal. This additional evidence has now been reviewed by a deciding officer who has revised the original decision and decided that the person in question continues to be eligible for CA.
A letter informing the person in question of the revised decision issued on 26 January 2015. The payment will be restored and any arrears due will issue shortly.
177. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason a driver's licence was retained by staff when a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 attempted to register for their public service card; the reason this person's passport was not accepted as proof of their Irish citizenship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3697/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Public Services Card (PSC) has been introduced to enable individuals gain access to public services more efficiently and with a minimum of duplication of effort, while at the same time preserving their privacy to the maximum extent possible. The PSC is designed to replace other cards within the public sector such as the Free Travel Pass and the Social Services Card (SSC) of this Department and to make it easy for providers of public services to verify the identity of customers.
A PSC is currently issued following a registration process. This involves the capture of an individual’s photograph and signature and the verification of identity data including the presentation of supporting documentation. Social Welfare legislation provides for an officer to retain such documentation for inspection for up to 21 days where required.
In the case mentioned, there is no record of an Irish passport having being presented. Rather the documents presented were a United Kingdom birth certificate, and an Irish Driving Licence. As the Driving Licence presented was quite worn, and most of the expected security features were no longer visible, it was retained by the officer handling the registration for proper examination, and a receipt in the prescribed form was issued to the person. That examination has now been completed and the licence is being returned.
179. Deputy Michael McCarthy 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 Cork. [3743/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 20 January 2015, 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.
180. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in determination of appeal for disability allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3797/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 11 December 2014. 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 12 January 2015 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.
181. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when the review for the domiciliary care allowance will be completed in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Laois; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3831/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for domiciliary care allowance was received on the 2nd October 2014 from the person concerned. The application was not allowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 7th January 2015 advising of the decision.
In the case of the application which was refused on medical grounds the applicant may submit additional information and/or ask for the decision to be reviewed or they may appeal the decision directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office within twenty one days.
A request for a review of the decision or an appeal of the decision has not be received to date.
182. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in determination of application for one-parent family allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare submitted four weeks ago to their local office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3836/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned submitted an application for One Parent Family Payment on the 30th of October 2014. The One Parent Family Payment scheme is subject to a means test and in order to carry out a means test a customer must be available for interview or contactable at a given address. The person concerned was recently invited for interview with a Social Welfare Inspector but failed to attend. The Social Welfare Inspector had also tried on a number of occasions to contact the person concerned by telephone and by way of a house call but again was unable to contact the person concerned. To date, no contact or explanation has been received from the person concerned. The application was recently closed and the person concerned was notified of this decision in writing.
183. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in tabular form the annual number of persons refused disability allowance on the grounds of insufficient medical evidence due to an unclear diagnosis between 2011 and 2014. [3852/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraDisability allowance (DA) is a payment for persons with a specified disability who are over 16 but under 66. As a result of that disability, which must be expected to last at least a year, they must be deemed to be substantially restricted in obtaining employment otherwise suitable to their age, qualifications and experience. Applicants must also satisfy a means test and be habitually resident in the State.
The onus is on the applicant to provide the Department with sufficient evidence to demonstrate their eligibility in relation to all conditionality. Insufficient medical evidence is not recorded as a reason for disallowance on medical grounds and I regret to confirm that my Department is not in a position to provide you with the specific information you request.
Although specific numbers are not available, the Department confirms that the quality and relevance of medical evidence supplied is a significant factor contributing to the number of applications which are disallowed in the first instance but allowed subsequently once additional evidence is supplied. The Department is happy to review its decisions in the light of additional supporting evidence but this causes delays for customers. It is in the interests of the customer, their doctor(s) and the Department that comprehensive evidence is furnished by the applicant in support of his/her application in the first instance.
It should be noted that in its assessment of a person’s medical suitability for DA, the Department does not dispute the diagnosis(es) of an applicant’s doctor(s). Rather, it considers the severity and expected duration of the condition(s) and the resultant care needs (where relevant) and assesses to what extent these match with the statutory conditionality of the DA scheme.
184. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection in view of recent Central Statistics Office figures that show 30.5% of persons experience enforced deprivation (details supplied), if he will increase the SICAP budget as it is one of the few measures that deals directly with social inclusion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3944/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe recently published CSO release on SILC 2013 shows that the basic deprivation rate was 30.5 per cent, an increase of 3.6 per cent on 2012. The rise in basic deprivation has affected all income groups and reflects the legacy of the economic crisis since 2008 on many low and middle income households.
The key measure of poverty from a policy perspective is consistent poverty, which is the combination of at-risk-of-poverty and basic deprivation. The rate of consistent poverty in 2013 was 8.2 per cent, a slight though not statistically significant increase on 2012. The Government remains committed to meeting the national social target for poverty reduction, which is to reduce consistent poverty to 4 per cent by 2016 and 2 per cent or less by 2020.
A key component of Government policy to tackle poverty is to provide adequate income support through the social protection system. In 2013, welfare payments and other social transfers (including pensions) lifted a third of the population out of the at-risk-of poverty, thereby reducing the rate from 49.8 per cent to 15.2 per cent, which is 1 percentage point lower that the 2012 at-risk-of-poverty rate.
Growing employment and providing the supports needed through activation to get people back to work will have a direct impact on poverty. While Government policies are restoring economic and employment growth, this recovery is not yet reflected in household living standards, as captured in the 2013 statistics. The Government is committed to delivering a new deal on living standards to ensure that the economic recovery is felt by low and middle income working families. Thus, Budget 2015 increases support for families raising children, assists unemployed families with children to return to work and improves the financial position of vulnerable welfare recipients, including those living alone. There were also significant reductions in personal income tax and the Universal Social Charge, and a major investment programme in social housing. I’m confident that these measures will be reflected in future poverty statistics.
The Deputy refers to the SICAP budget. He should note that responsibility for SICAP (Social Inclusion Community Activation Programme) lies with Minister for the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.
185. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Finance if he foresees any possible threats to the 12.5% corporation tax regime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3578/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs myself, the Taoiseach and other members of the Government have repeatedly said, the 12.5% corporation tax rate is settled policy. This position will not change.
A competitive corporate tax rate is a tool to address the economic limitations that come with being a peripheral country, as compared to larger core countries. Ireland's corporation tax rate plays an important role in attracting Foreign Direct Investment ('FDI') to Ireland and thereby increasing employment here.
Further, it is clear that the certainty around the rate of Irish corporation tax is one of its biggest strengths, underlying the Government's commitment to the rate. This certainty is important for business here, both domestic and international as companies plan investment decisions over the medium to long-term.
With regard to international tax issues more generally, the ability of some multinationals to lower the amount of corporation tax they pay world-wide using international structures is an issue that has attracted a lot of public and media attention over the past 24 months. The G20 have acknowledged that this is a global challenge that requires global action, and this is happening through the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting ('BEPS') project.
Ireland is actively engaged in this process and it is anticipated that BEPS will result in changes being made to the international taxation rulebook which countries rely on for international trade. Ireland has always played by these rules and played to win as is evidenced by our successful track record for attracting FDI.
This will not change in the post-BEPS environment, and I believe that the BEPS project will create opportunities for Ireland. For example, one of the key concepts of BEPS is the better alignment of substance with taxing rights. The alignment of substance with a competitive rate of tax has been the cornerstone of our CT policy since the 1950s so I believe that any change that may result from this process will lead to additional opportunities for Ireland.
186. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Finance the circumstances in which incapacitated persons applying for a primary medical certificate, can have their medical examination carried out in provincial centres, as opposed to travelling to Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin; his views that it is unfair to expect severely incapacitated persons to make such journeys; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3825/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, a Primary Medical Certificate is required to claim the tax reliefs provided under the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Scheme. The Senior Medical Officer for the relevant local Health Service Executive administrative area makes a professional clinical determination as to whether an individual applicant satisfies the medical criteria to receive a Primary Medical Certificate. An unsuccessful applicant can appeal the decision of the Senior Medical Officer to the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal, which makes a new clinical determination in respect of the individual.
Hearings of the Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal are held on average twice a month at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, which has the facilities to cater for people with mobility-impairing disabilities of the kind provided for under the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme.
I am informed by the Medical Board of Appeal that they do hold regional clinics as demand arises. Regional clinics were held at the Mercy University Hospital in Cork City in June 2012, August 2013 and October 2014.
The Deputy will appreciate that Regulation 6(1)(e) of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Regulations 1994 (S.I. 353 of 1994) provides that the Medical Board of Appeal is independent in the exercise of its functions.
