Written Answers Nos. 97-110
97. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when an appeal under the carer's allowance will be finalised in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14521/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 25th Mar 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
98. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when an appeal under the jobseeker's allowance will be finalised in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14523/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 13 March 2015. 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.
99. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the proposed changes to the special status of some community employment programmes; when these changes are intended to begin and what they will entail; the number of such programmes currently running; the impact analysis of changes that has been conducted; if reviews of outcomes have taken place on any of these programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14578/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraA Drugs Stakeholder Group chaired by the Department was set up in May 2013 to inform and advise on the delivery of the drugs rehabilitation response within CE. Membership includes representatives of the community and voluntary sectors, Drugs Task Forces and statutory organisations. A new Programme Framework is currently being developed for drug rehabilitation schemes. The Framework is focused on facilitating the participation of vulnerable adults who are very distant from the labour market and who need special supports. Participants will have access to multiple supports and specialist inputs from social, education and health mainstream services as part of the programme offered under CE.
Under the National Drugs Strategy (NDS), it is also recognised that the response to substance misuse is a cross-cutting issue. No single agency has the range of competencies or expertise to provide all the supports needed to assist drug users to complete their rehabilitation. The 2007 Working Group’s Report on Rehabilitation highlights the role of CE in relation to the recovery needs of participants in drug rehabilitation. It recommends that the impact of CE should be built upon by the complimentary support of the HSE, the Department of Education and Science and relevant agencies that play a key role in the overall integrated response to this client group in terms of rehabilitation.
The Framework is nearing completion and will greatly improve supports to the 1,000 drug rehabilitation places ring-fenced on CE. The Department intends to monitor the implementation of this new Framework and review the lessons of the implementation and good practice.
101. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if a family income supplement payment amount will be reviewed in the event that a person in receipt of the one-parent family payment transfers to the back to work family dividend; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14597/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraCustomers who are in receipt of both the one-parent family payment (OFP) and the family income supplement (FIS), and whose entitlement to the OFP payment ceases, will have their FIS claim automatically increased in order to offset their loss of the OFP payment. This re-rating compensates for approximately 60% of the loss of their OFP payment.
Lone parents who make the transition from OFP to FIS can also qualify for the back to work family dividend. The dividend is a new tapered income support that allows recipients of an OFP or Jobseeker’s payment to retain the qualified child proportion of their former social welfare payment when they move off welfare into employment. This equates to €29.80 per week per child (up to a maximum of €119.20 per week for four children), for two years, with full entitlement (worth €1,550 per child) in the first year and 50% entitlement (worth €775 per child) in the second year. It should be noted that the Back to Work Family Dividend is an additional top-up to a family’s entitlement to FIS. The payment of the dividend will have no impact on a family’s FIS entitlement.
103. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a personal public service number in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14665/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that the person concerned inadvertently had two PPS numbers. As no one person should have more than one PPS Number, one was purged in 2007 and the other retained. All of the person’s social insurance contributions are held under this latter number. However, it appears that the Revenue Commissioners have incorrectly been using the purged number for the purposes of their records.
The person presented at Killarney Intreo in September 2014, had her photograph taken, her details confirmed and a Public Services Card (PSC) issued under the retained PPS Number. The details confirmed during this process, including her retained PPS Number, form what's known as her Public Service Identity which other public service providers (e.g. in relation to drivers licence, passport, the health sector etc.) rely on in respect of the provision of services.
It is recommended that she contact the Revenue Commissioners and advise them of the fact that her contributions and identity details are held under this number and that they should amend their records accordingly.
104. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding pensions for community employment supervisors and assistant supervisors (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14672/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that the individuals concerned are the employees of private companies. In the circumstances, it is not possible for the State to take over responsibility for funding pension arrangements for employees of private companies, even where those companies are reliant on State funding. This position was confirmed by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform to this Department in recent weeks.
The provision of State funding for a CE pension scheme would result in potential claims from employees of other companies in the community sector. The State cannot afford this level of exposure to funding pension arrangements.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s position is that private companies contracted by the State to provide a service, including those in the community sector, must manage their expenditure pressures, including labour and pension costs, from within existing funding levels.
105. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection in view of the changes to age limits effective from 3 July 2015, when a one-parent family payment recipient must apply for the back to education allowance in order to be able to reapply for the one-parent family payment, based on the condition of the youngest child which applied at the time of the original application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14695/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Social Protection and the Department of Education and Skills have agreed procedures that ensure that all one-parent family payment (OFP) recipients who are participating in full-time education when their entitlement to the OFP payment ends will be able to complete their course with income support – subject to the normal OFP scheme conditions.
On foot of the July changes to the OFP scheme recipients who are in mid-course, and who are scheduled to transition out of the OFP scheme up to, and including on, 2 July, 2015, can remain on the OFP payment until their course finishes, and then transition to either the JA scheme or the JA transitional arrangement, as appropriate. Those who are also in receipt of the SUSI grant can retain both their OFP payment and their grant, including the maintenance portion of it, until their course finishes – subject to the normal Department of Education and Skills conditions for the grant. These individuals will not have to apply for the Back to Education Allowance.
All customers who are scheduled to transition out of the OFP scheme from 3 July, 2015, onwards, will have a youngest child who has just turned 7 years of age. For that reason, any of these customers who are in mid-course will be moved to the JA transitional arrangement, where they will have 7 years to complete their course. In addition, any SUSI grant recipients within this cohort will have their grant disregarded for means when moving to the JA transitional arrangement.
106. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an application under the farm assist scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14700/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that following an oral hearing of the case in question on 26 January 2015, the Appeals Officer requested that the person concerned submit further information in support of his appeal. The requested information was received on 10 April 2015 and the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the oral hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer’s 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
108. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if and when an oral hearing will take place in respect of an appeal for a carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14736/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer on 12th March 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 in relation to social welfare entitlements.
110. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the initiatives that the Pensions Council plans to undertake in 2015 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14760/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013 provided for the establishment of the Pensions Council. Its function is to advise the Minister for Social Protection on matters of relevance to pensions, with a particular focus on policies to support the sustainability and adequacy of pension provision. Its work will be advanced through discussion and research on pension policy development, either in terms of reports on the overall direction of pension policy, or more discrete pieces of work examining particular subject areas. It is an independent body, and I understand it intends to make its reports and recommendations publicly available.
The first meeting of the Pensions Council took place on the 25th March 2015. I have asked that the matter of pension charges be a priority item for consideration and I understand that the Council will commence consideration of this matter shortly.
