Written Answers Nos. 243-262
243. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will allow an appeal to be heard for an overpayment of rent supplement in respect of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15315/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that in the normal course, an appeal against the decision of a Deciding Officer must be made within 21 days of a decision being notified. While there is provision for late appeals to be accepted with the approval of the Chief Appeals Officer, it is not considered that this is an appropriate case for late acceptance of an appeal.
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.
244. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision on a disability allowance will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15316/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn order to determine the circumstances of the person concerned, his file was forwarded to his local Social Welfare Inspector who will arrange to meet with the claimant as soon as possible.
A final decision on his entitlement to disability allowance will be given on receipt of the Social Welfare Inspectors report. The person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
245. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a final decision on an application for a domiciliary care allowance will be made in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15317/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned was notified on the 20th April 2015 that her application for domiciliary care allowance was successful and that the allowance has been awarded from the 1st December 2014. The first payment of the allowance, along with arrears due, will issue on 19th May 2015.
246. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision on an application for a disability allowance will be made in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15318/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for disability allowance from the above named person on 6 March 2015. 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 disability allowance claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.
247. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons supported into sustainable jobs by the employability service and its precursor the supported employment programme each year for the past five years. [15361/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra266. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the total funding committed by her Department to the individual placement and support model being piloted by Mental Health Reform; the timeframe for same; her views on what this funding covers; what is covered by others; and the total capacity of the pilot in terms of the numbers of persons with mental health difficulties that it expects to support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15456/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra267. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of removing the 18-month time-limit on support from the employability service; her views on the matter including the average length of time that persons remain engaged with the service; and the number and percentage who remain engaged for the full 18 months. [15457/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra268. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of expanding the capacity of the employability service to support 1,000 additional persons; if she will provide a breakdown of the spending this would involve, for example, job coaches, administration and so on. [15458/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra269. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the average number of persons with a mental health condition availing of the employability service at any one time. [15459/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 247, 266 to 269, inclusive, together.
The Government recognises the importance of increasing participation in employment for persons with a disability. To this end, the Department provides a wide range of income and work related supports for people with disabilities, which play an important role in supporting increased participation in the labour force by people with disabilities.
Among these supports is the Employability service, which supports people with disabilities who wish to take up employment. The service currently comprises 23 limited companies, each with a specific geographical remit and each fully funded by the Department. The budget for 2015 provides €9.6 million to run the service. 80 per cent of these costs are attributed to staff costs while 20 per cent are related to overhead costs, such as accommodation.
The average cost of the Employability Service is €2,900 per client. If the service was expanded by 1,000 clients, the estimated additional annual cost would be €2.9 million. While the service supports around 3,000 people at any one time, on average, some 2,600 clients exit the service every year. Removing the 18 month time-limit on support would effectively represent an expansion of the service which would cost around €7.66 million a year compounding.
While the Employability service operates in the context of jobs in the open-labour market, data in relation to the sustainability of such jobs is not available as the service is not in a position to monitor persons’ economic activity after they have exited the service.
Employability is focused on supporting, through job coaches, people with disabilities in the open labour market. Participants must be motivated to work and be able to work a minimum of 8 hours per week. The service is open to people between the ages of 18 to 65 years. The duration of the support is 18 months – the person’s underlying medical condition is not directly relevant to the provision of the service so it is not possible to state how many clients would have a mental health condition.
The pilot project - Integrating Employment and Mental Health Support - to which the Deputy refers is being led by Mental Health Reform. The Department is facilitating the project by providing funding to the order of €250,000 to allow each of the four Employability companies participating in the pilot to recruit an additional job-coach for the two-year period covered by the pilot project.
248. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if her Department is currently profiling recipients of disability allowance; the form this profiling is taking, including any link with the probability of exit scores used for the live register and its rationale; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15362/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department does not currently profile recipients of disability allowance (DA).
However, the Department is planning to ask those currently in receipt of DA to supply information relating to educational attainment levels, employment history etc.
This exercise will get under way in the latter half of this year and the information obtained will better inform the planning and delivery of employment and training supports to people with disabilities in the future.
249. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on the fit for work Ireland initiative; her Department's response to the initiative; the steps taken to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15363/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI welcome the approach being proposed under the “Fit for Work” initiative. Early interventions and developing return to work practices in the case of people with musculoskeletal incapacities is consistent with the Department’s own policy approach to illness/disability income support which aims to reduce the number of people progressing to chronic disability and long-term social welfare dependency.
I should mention that the “Renaissance project” wherein early intervention was shown to reduce the incidence of progression from the acute simple low back pain to chronic disability in 64% of claimants, is an initiative of the Department since 2003.
I would also refer to the partial capacity benefit scheme which I introduced in 2012. This facilitates people who are in receipt of illness benefit or invalidity pension and who wish to take up/resume employment to do so and still retain a portion of their social welfare payment. This scheme is now being reviewed by the Department to examine its effectiveness.
I would also point out that the Department’s Chief Medical Adviser has drafted a set of certification guidelines, setting out defined periods of recovery for common medical conditions (including musculoskeletal disorders) for guidance of GPs and these will be distributed to GPs shortly.
250. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection her views on introducing a facility to allow recipients of disability allowance, suffering from conditions whose impact can be intermittent, to suspend their claims in order to take up or increase their income from employment in excess of the means-test, without having to make a fresh application for disability allowance, should they become unable to work once again, or to at least to introduce a fast-track to a re-instatement application process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15365/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraA person on disability allowance may take up rehabilitative work and earn up to €120 per week without their payment being affected. Earnings of between €121 and €350 per week are assessed at 50% for means test purposes. If their weekly means exceed the statutory limit allowable under legislation for their family size then their payments are stopped.
The minimisation of delay and inconvenience to the claimant is very important but it must be appropriately balanced against the need to ensure that expenditure on the scheme is subject to proper control.
In the event that a DA claimant, who has taken up work, finds that they are unable to continue with their employment and where the break in their DA claim is of a reasonably short duration, their payment is restored immediately upon confirmation of the cessation or reduction in employment but may be subject to review in the future as appropriate. However, where the break in eligibility is of a longer duration, it may be necessary to fully re-assess eligibility before payment is restored in order to confirm that the conditions are still met. This matter is kept under continuous review by my departmental officials.
251. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the most recent figures for those in the Athy area in County Kildare receiving social welfare payments, and those on Government employment schemes. [15369/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the week ending 12 April 2015, there were 2,429 people in the Athy area in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment. There are currently 186 people in the Athy area on employment schemes. In addition there are 21 people on JobBridge.
Receiving Jobseeker's Payments
|
Allowance |
Amount |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
2,130 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
299 |
|
Total |
2,429 |
Employment Schemes
|
Schemes |
Amount |
|
Community Employment |
126 |
|
Gateway |
6 |
|
Job Initiative |
15 |
|
Rural Social Scheme |
3 |
|
Tús |
36 |
|
Total |
186 |
|
Name |
Amount |
|
JobBridge |
21 |
252. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will indicate eligibility in respect of an invalidity pension-disability allowance in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15374/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraInvalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
To qualify for IP claimants must, inter-alia, have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last complete contribution year before the date of their claim. Only PRSI classes A, E or H contributions are reckonable for IP purposes.
According to the Department’s records, it appears that the person concerned does not satisfy the PRSI contribution criteria for IP. However entitlement to IP can be definitively determined on receipt of a completed claim form.
Disability allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency test.
The person concerned previously applied for DA in February 2013. The application was refused as the person’s means exceeded the statutory limit. If the person concerned thinks he now may be eligible for DA, it is open to him to make a new application and a decision on his eligibility will be made as soon as possible.
253. Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when an application for a disability payment will be decided in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 17. [15385/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe application, based upon the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds and the person in question was notified in writing of this decision on 7 April 2015. The person was also notified of his right to a review of this decision or to appeal it to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office.
254. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if payments to farmers under the new green low-carbon agri-environment scheme will be disregarded for the purposes of calculating income under farm assist calculations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15388/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe farm assist scheme provides support for farmers on low incomes and is similar to jobseeker’s allowance. Farm assist recipients retain the advantages of the jobseeker’s allowance scheme such as retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2015 Estimates for the Department provide for expenditure this year on the farm assist scheme of €88.7 million.
Farm assist customers receive more beneficial treatment than other self-employed persons as payments received by farm assist recipients under the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) and the Agri-environment Options Scheme (AEOS) are assessed separately from other farm income. With regard to these payments, the first €2,540 is disregarded, then 50% of the balance and related expenses are disregarded - with the balance being assessed as means. Payments made under the new Green Low-Carbon Agri-environment Scheme (GLAS) will also be subject to this favourable treatment.
255. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision on a carer's allowance review will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15389/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing review the application for care of a second care recipient has been awarded. The person in question was notified of this decision on the 14th April 2015.
256. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm the structure of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service and the governance arrangements relative to the Department oversight; the funding provided to the service in each of the past five years; if service level agreements are in place; the number of companies or individual boards within the service; the number of board members on each board; the cost of each board relative to administration and expenses each year for the past five years; the role of the Citizens Information Board relative to the service and the Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15392/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice (including money and budgeting advice service) and advocacy services on a wide range of public and social services. The Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008 provided for the transfer of responsibility for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) to the Citizens Information Board (CIB), under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection. The legislative provisions governing CIB are contained in the Comhairle Act, 2000, the Citizens Information Act, 2007 and the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011.
While oversight of the CIB is exercised by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) in line with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, the CIB is also accountable to the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. The CIB’s annual report is subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General and is then laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. A senior official of DSP sits on the Board of CIB and there is regular liaison between officials of DSP and the CIB executive.
CIB delivers on its remit to provide services to the public by supporting a network of delivery partners which includes 42 local Citizens Information Services (CIS) and 51 local Money Advice and Budgeting Services (MABS). Each of these 93 independent companies in the network has a separate voluntary Board of Management. Each of these Boards has an average of over 9 members resulting in a governance structure of over 800 people. The number of board members in the 51 local MABS companies amounts to over 400 and a breakdown by company is included in the following table.
The Citizens Information Board is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate governance arrangements are in place for expenditure of allocated public funds. Service level agreements are in place with each delivery partner company and cover standard items such as service delivery, governance, financial controls, HR practices, reporting, evaluation and monitoring. The use of service level agreements enables the CIB to ensure that excellent service and best value is achieved across the wide range of services it provides.
In 2015, the CIB has been allocated a budget of €46 million of which some €17.9 million is allocated to the MABS network of companies. The annual allocation of State funds from CIB to the MABS network of companies over the last five years was as follows –
2011 €18.4m; 2012 €18.3m; 2013 €19.0m; 2014 €18.6m; and 2015 €17.9m.
The following table shows the funding allocation to the 51 local MABS local companies over the past five years, the number of Board members per company (as registered with audited accounts submitted to Companies Registration Office for 2013), the cost of each Board, including professional fees and the % cost of the Boards relative to overall administrative costs.
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
2014 |
- |
- |
2013 |
|
MABS |
Board Members (2013) |
Funding |
Board costs* |
Board costs as % of Admin Costs |
Funding |
Board costs* |
Board costs as % of Admin Costs |
|
Arklow |
8 |
230,200 |
2,805 |
8% |
247,273 |
3,315 |
9% |
|
Athlone |
4 |
159,300 |
3,256 |
11% |
122,661 |
3,209 |
10% |
|
Ballymun |
9 |
379,700 |
4,582 |
13% |
390,121 |
4,352 |
9% |
|
Blanchardstown |
7 |
354,300 |
4,510 |
7% |
360,305 |
4,028 |
6% |
|
Bray |
8 |
348,000 |
6,050 |
10% |
362,386 |
5,062 |
9% |
|
Carlow |
9 |
339,800 |
3,082 |
6% |
346,857 |
4,939 |
9% |
|
Cavan |
11 |
278,300 |
5,212 |
9% |
284,058 |
5,842 |
11% |
|
Charleville |
9 |
199,800 |
4,226 |
20% |
221,810 |
4,766 |
24% |
|
Clare |
4 |
281,200 |
4,363 |
9% |
287,369 |
3,231 |
6% |
|
Clondalkin |
8 |
371,600 |
5,112 |
9% |
382,708 |
4,666 |
8% |
|
Cork |
8 |
435,400 |
13,460 |
14% |
578,306 |
15,054 |
14% |
|
Drogheda |
7 |
176,654 |
5,239 |
25% |
199,223 |
7,453 |
32% |
|
Dublin 10 & 20 |
7 |
371,287 |
6,472 |
13% |
401,198 |
6,117 |
11% |
|
Dublin 12 Area |
9 |
292,200 |
8,543 |
17% |
301,244 |
5,948 |
14% |
|
Dublin North City |
5 |
290,279 |
2,609 |
5% |
288,082 |
2,503 |
5% |
|
Dublin North East |
9 |
280,095 |
5,763 |
13% |
256,566 |
6,249 |
17% |
|
Dublin South East |
8 |
299,300 |
8,004 |
11% |
303,211 |
12,979 |
16% |
|
Dun Laoghaire |
11 |
228,000 |
4,539 |
9% |
224,238 |
6,954 |
14% |
|
Dundalk/Oriel |
7 |
250,660 |
6,080 |
15% |
257,528 |
4,319 |
10% |
|
Dundrum/Rathfarnham |
9 |
337,686 |
5,898 |
6% |
345,983 |
5,500 |
6% |
|
Fingal (North County) |
9 |
310,900 |
4,781 |
12% |
322,868 |
5,010 |
11% |
|
Finglas/Cabra |
4 |
342,100 |
7,968 |
26% |
351,795 |
4,568 |
10% |
|
Kerry |
10 |
520,592 |
12,579 |
13% |
517,021 |
6,780 |
8% |
|
Kildare |
6 |
475,800 |
7,977 |
12% |
490,497 |
6,343 |
9% |
|
Kilkenny |
8 |
282,400 |
4,521 |
10% |
290,263 |
8,326 |
16% |
|
Laois |
7 |
216,500 |
5,995 |
25% |
220,609 |
7,216 |
40% |
|
Leitrim |
11 |
206,990 |
11,246 |
30% |
218,183 |
16,611 |
44% |
|
Liffey South West |
8 |
373,800 |
8,759 |
10% |
377,563 |
9,251 |
11% |
|
Limerick |
8 |
386,199 |
2,936 |
4% |
331,749 |
3,461 |
5% |
|
Longford |
12 |
173,817 |
8,057 |
23% |
214,175 |
3,803 |
11% |
|
Meath |
9 |
299,261 |
10,963 |
16% |
299,857 |
14,495 |
20% |
|
Monaghan |
13 |
263,800 |
5,191 |
7% |
270,062 |
7,168 |
9% |
|
Mullingar |
8 |
192,090 |
5,570 |
12% |
206,222 |
5,949 |
12% |
|
North Cork |
10 |
305,000 |
4,039 |
8% |
312,249 |
3,145 |
11% |
|
North Donegal |
10 |
370,500 |
5,237 |
7% |
384,652 |
5,795 |
12% |
|
North Galway |
5 |
234,800 |
7,145 |
18% |
235,197 |
9,734 |
10% |
|
North Mayo |
11 |
212,400 |
3,350 |
12% |
218,127 |
4,444 |
14% |
|
North Tipperary |
8 |
259,900 |
3,548 |
5% |
265,604 |
4,311 |
7% |
|
Offaly |
13 |
238,979 |
4,501 |
10% |
239,976 |
4,128 |
12% |
|
Roscommon |
9 |
194,300 |
2,389 |
6% |
205,000 |
3,188 |
8% |
|
Sligo |
10 |
251,500 |
4,245 |
8% |
256,389 |
4,959 |
10% |
|
South Donegal |
11 |
150,800 |
3,090 |
8% |
155,002 |
2,685 |
8% |
|
South Galway |
9 |
516,900 |
10,173 |
10% |
521,467 |
12,414 |
11% |
|
South Mayo |
12 |
287,600 |
6,134 |
10% |
301,555 |
7,672 |
12% |
|
South Tipperary |
4 |
376,700 |
4,904 |
6% |
386,206 |
4,656 |
6% |
|
Tallaght |
7 |
316,829 |
7,854 |
12% |
346,146 |
7,570 |
10% |
|
Waterford |
7 |
503,600 |
10,024 |
12% |
518,401 |
9,955 |
11% |
|
West Cork |
10 |
287,400 |
13,599 |
22% |
245,845 |
10,165 |
16% |
|
West Donegal |
8 |
126,800 |
2,417 |
15% |
108,168 |
2,694 |
17% |
|
West Waterford |
8 |
166,254 |
4,473 |
24% |
148,996 |
3,827 |
17% |
|
Wexford |
9 |
324,900 |
11,043 |
18% |
331,707 |
10,830 |
18% |
*including professional fees
|
- |
- |
- |
2012 |
- |
- |
2011 |
- |
- |
2010 |
|
MABS |
Funding |
Board costs* |
Board costs as % of Admin Costs |
Funding |
Board costs * |
Board costs as % of Admin costs |
Funding |
Board costs* |
Board costs as % of admin costs |
|
Arklow |
246,311 |
2,738 |
7% |
233,440 |
5,366 |
12% |
248,755 |
6,477 |
13% |
|
Athlone |
175,924 |
3,206 |
12% |
153,330 |
2,987 |
8% |
178,770 |
3,134 |
8% |
|
Ballymun |
390,121 |
4,638 |
11% |
384,767 |
4,439 |
10% |
391,578 |
4,902 |
10% |
|
Blanchardstown |
364,946 |
5,418 |
8% |
363,984 |
4,288 |
6% |
365,302 |
4,529 |
6% |
|
Bray |
359,935 |
9,124 |
15% |
367,285 |
7,144 |
12% |
373,909 |
6,612 |
10% |
|
Carlow |
367,700 |
3,412 |
6% |
353,993 |
5,287 |
9% |
370,080 |
3,830 |
6% |
|
Cavan |
284,058 |
5,285 |
10% |
272,486 |
5,734 |
10% |
318,826 |
5,826 |
9% |
|
Charleville |
202,538 |
3,277 |
15% |
210,464 |
2,241 |
7% |
206,888 |
2,752 |
10% |
|
Clare |
297,153 |
4,782 |
9% |
235,979 |
4,816 |
9% |
301,109 |
3,098 |
6% |
|
Clondalkin |
377,034 |
4,965 |
8% |
369,600 |
5,305 |
9% |
378,434 |
6,095 |
9% |
|
Cork |
536,902 |
10,572 |
10% |
517,321 |
8,700 |
9% |
495,071 |
20,021 |
16% |
|
Drogheda |
184,665 |
13,384 |
35% |
143,985 |
19,049 |
41% |
197,248 |
7,705 |
28% |
|
Dublin 10 & 20 |
339,666 |
5,796 |
15% |
371,232 |
5,363 |
13% |
370,267 |
5,685 |
14% |
|
Dublin 12 Area |
294,429 |
7,546 |
17% |
300,409 |
8,312 |
17% |
302,952 |
10,754 |
19% |
|
Dublin North City |
280,624 |
2,686 |
6% |
289,318 |
3,107 |
6% |
292,882 |
4,115 |
6% |
|
Dublin North East |
256,555 |
9,019 |
7% |
254,426 |
4,305 |
11% |
269,163 |
4,979 |
11% |
|
Dublin South East |
284,236 |
8,981 |
10% |
286,101 |
11,165 |
12% |
370,894 |
9,252 |
15% |
|
Dun Laoghaire |
318,897 |
4,083 |
8% |
314,377 |
3,482 |
7% |
326,215 |
6,937 |
13% |
|
Dundalk/Oriel |
257,528 |
13,901 |
16% |
243,348 |
7,273 |
15% |
259,906 |
9,394 |
17% |
|
Dundrum/Rathfarnham |
345,983 |
4,747 |
5% |
296,854 |
4,528 |
4% |
343,801 |
5,171 |
5% |
|
Fingal (North County) |
322,868 |
4,962 |
10% |
305,137 |
4,020 |
8% |
320,663 |
3,387 |
7% |
|
Finglas/Cabra |
351,795 |
5,021 |
10% |
338,147 |
3,714 |
11% |
334,488 |
5,839 |
10% |
|
Kerry |
452,080 |
6,468 |
12% |
479,990 |
7,033 |
11% |
507,878 |
5,648 |
9% |
|
Kildare |
490,498 |
5,968 |
7% |
485,091 |
5,773 |
6% |
488,164 |
6,764 |
6% |
|
Kilkenny |
294,750 |
3,661 |
8% |
264,853 |
4,933 |
7% |
292,060 |
6,068 |
10% |
|
Laois |
222,516 |
5,792 |
30% |
191,286 |
6,823 |
28% |
224,487 |
5,932 |
23% |
|
Leitrim |
218,274 |
10,503 |
22% |
213,084 |
9,780 |
20% |
215,334 |
8,583 |
20% |
|
Liffey South West |
364,879 |
6,724 |
8% |
344,649 |
10,923 |
9% |
383,013 |
8,427 |
9% |
|
Limerick |
398,098 |
3,023 |
4% |
398,188 |
4,198 |
6% |
488,053 |
52,262 |
24% |
|
Longford |
191,889 |
3,933 |
10% |
176,936 |
4,028 |
10% |
191,810 |
4,444 |
10% |
|
Meath |
322,218 |
9,999 |
15% |
300,672 |
8,736 |
13% |
251,236 |
6,381 |
12% |
|
Monaghan |
270,062 |
6,881 |
9% |
264,045 |
10,751 |
12% |
261,631 |
3,502 |
6% |
|
Mullingar |
209,539 |
6,985 |
13% |
219,795 |
8,686 |
15% |
219,064 |
5,208 |
9% |
|
North Cork |
302,249 |
4,025 |
7% |
309,991 |
5,573 |
10% |
312,231 |
3,549 |
8% |
|
North Donegal |
373,652 |
6,080 |
9% |
376,027 |
4,105 |
6% |
379,391 |
7,566 |
9% |
|
North Galway |
225,197 |
11,188 |
17% |
203,918 |
9,252 |
25% |
233,507 |
4,206 |
14% |
|
North Mayo |
225,567 |
2,500 |
9% |
217,033 |
3,714 |
12% |
220,140 |
2,176 |
8% |
|
North Tipperary |
283,759 |
4,219 |
5% |
244,452 |
4,597 |
6% |
286,057 |
3,229 |
5% |
|
Offaly |
226,430 |
4,041 |
9% |
244,981 |
4,361 |
9% |
221,690 |
3,284 |
7% |
|
Roscommon |
197,196 |
2,187 |
5% |
200,384 |
4,415 |
9% |
244,845 |
2,294 |
4% |
|
Sligo |
256,389 |
3,814 |
7% |
230,681 |
4,047 |
9% |
223,958 |
3,861 |
8% |
|
South Donegal |
160,729 |
2,806 |
9% |
153,698 |
2,580 |
8% |
162,646 |
4,689 |
8% |
|
South Galway |
532,851 |
8,790 |
7% |
558,737 |
10,141 |
8% |
543,637 |
2,559 |
8% |
|
South Mayo |
308,463 |
8,493 |
11% |
260,977 |
6,979 |
11% |
289,580 |
8,961 |
7% |
|
South Tipperary |
378,736 |
5,438 |
7% |
347,656 |
5,173 |
6% |
402,365 |
2,878 |
3% |
|
Tallaght |
365,965 |
7,907 |
12% |
364,425 |
8,821 |
11% |
354,953 |
10,866 |
13% |
|
Waterford |
509,784 |
7,243 |
8% |
470,418 |
3,646 |
4% |
490,167 |
3,763 |
4% |
|
West Cork |
294,696 |
1,988 |
8% |
283,655 |
10,053 |
12% |
292,350 |
9,416 |
13% |
|
West Donegal |
129,801 |
12,326 |
17% |
111,301 |
2,894 |
16% |
128,468 |
1,835 |
10% |
|
West Waterford |
143,996 |
2,699 |
17% |
159,064 |
2,612 |
10% |
135,443 |
2,300 |
9% |
|
Wexford |
340,526 |
6,336 |
11% |
302,326 |
6,096 |
10% |
309,511 |
5,070 |
10% |
*including professional fees
257. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a decision on a disability allowance appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15393/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned has been awarded a disability allowance payment with effect from 26 March 2014. First payment will issue on 6 May 2015. Any arrears due will be calculated and issue shortly.
259. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason not to allow illness benefit to be paid to working persons in receipt of a widow's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15408/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe social welfare system is designed to respond to a range of contingencies such as illness, unemployment, old age and widowhood.
Within this wide-ranging system a general principle is applied - that only one social welfare payment should be payable at any one time. This serves to maintain the equity of the social welfare system and is a common approach in social security systems across the world.
It is in that context that illness benefit is not payable in addition to a widow’s (and widower’s) contributory pension.
260. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive arrears for disability allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15424/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraDisability allowance arrears issued to the person concerned on 1 April 2015.
261. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason a very significant decrease in the rate of disability allowance received by a person (details supplied) in County Galway was imposed recently; if the rate of allowance can be restored to its previous level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15441/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraA review of the entitlement to disability allowance of the person concerned is currently being processed and they will be notified directly of the outcome and the reason(s) for it.
262. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on the review of a carer's allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15443/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 12 March 2015. 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 31 March 2015 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.
