Written Answers Nos. 35-54
35. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision on an invalidity pension claim will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45493/15]
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.
The department received a claim for IP for the person concerned on 19 October 2015. The person concerned was refused IP on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. He was notified on the 14 December 2015 of this decision, the reasons for it and of his right of review and appeal.
36. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection when a decision on a review under the carer's allowance scheme will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45495/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that the department received an application for Carer's Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 23 June 2015.
CA is a social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to people who have a disability such that they require that level of care and who satisfy a means test.
The evidence submitted in support of this application was examined and the deciding officer decided that this evidence did not indicate that this level of care was required.
The person concerned was notified on 27 October 2015 of this decision, the reason for it and of his right of review and appeal.
On 27 November 2015 further evidence was received. Once a review of all the evidence is completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
37. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite an application under the disability allowance scheme by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry as all relevant information has been submitted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45498/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm the department received an application for disability allowance (DA) on 11 September 2015. In order to determine the circumstances of the person concerned, his file was forwarded to his local Social Welfare Inspector (SWI). The SWI will arrange to meet with the person in question as soon as possible.
A decision on his entitlement to DA will be made on receipt of the SWI's report. The person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
In the meantime, the person may apply for means-tested supplementary welfare allowance from his local community welfare service.
38. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office by a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; if it will be expedited due to the financial hardship the person is suffering; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45515/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 27th October 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.
39. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will extend the homemaker credit scheme to persons who left the workforce to provide full-time care before April 1994; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45517/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State pension contributory is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. To ensure that the individual can maximise their entitlement to a State pension, all contributions paid or credited over their working life from when they first enter insurable employment until pension age are taken into account when assessing their entitlement and the level of that entitlement. Since 1961, when contributory pensions were introduced, the average contributions test has been used in calculating pension entitlement. Once over 16 years of age, the date a person enters into insurable employment is the date used for averaging purposes.
The homemaker's scheme makes qualification for State pension (contributory) easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties. The scheme, which was introduced in and took effect from 1994, allows up to 20 years spent caring for children under 12 years of age (or caring for incapacitated people over that age) to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes, subject to the standard qualifying conditions for SPC also being satisfied.
The Government has no plans to backdate this scheme prior to 1994 as the costs would be significant. In addition, under the current rules, the costs of the scheme are expected to increase in the coming years due to the increase in female employment rates since 1994.
For those with insufficient contributions to meet the requirements for a State pension (contributory), the State pension system provides alternative methods of support. If their spouse has a contributory pension, they may qualify for an Increase for a Qualified Adult amounting up to 90% of a full rate pension, which by default is paid directly to them. Alternatively, they may qualify for a means-tested State Pension (non-contributory), amounting to 95% of the maximum contributory pension rate.
Work is underway to replace the 'yearly average' system with a 'total contributions approach'. Under this approach, the number of contributions recorded over a working life will be more closely reflected in the rate of pension payment received. It is expected that the total contributions approach to pension qualification will replace the current average contributions test for State pension (contributory) for new pensioners from 2020, although that date is subject to change, as this is a very significant reform with considerable legal, administrative, and technical challenges to be overcome in its implementation. The position of women who were homemakers will be considered very carefully in developing this reform.
40. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she will examine the anomalous situation whereby persons who left the workforce after a short period to provide full-time care to a child prior to 1994, but subsequently paid over ten years of contributions after returning to work, are not entitled to the full contributory pension as they might have been had they started work at 55 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45518/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State pension contributory is a very valuable benefit and is the bedrock of the Irish pension system. Therefore, it is important to ensure that those qualifying have made a sustained contribution to the Social Insurance Fund over their working lives. To ensure that the individual can maximise their entitlement to a State pension, all contributions paid or credited over their working life from when they first enter insurable employment until pension age are taken into account when assessing their entitlement and the level of that entitlement. Since 1961, when contributory pensions were introduced, the average contributions test has been used in calculating pension entitlement. Once over 16 years of age, the date a person enters into insurable employment is the date used for averaging purposes.
The homemaker's scheme makes qualification for State pension (contributory) easier for those who take time out of the workforce for caring duties. The scheme, which was introduced in and took effect from 1994, allows up to 20 years spent caring for children under 12 years of age (or caring for incapacitated people over that age) to be disregarded when a person's social insurance record is being averaged for pension purposes, subject to the standard qualifying conditions for SPC also being satisfied.
For those with insufficient contributions to meet the requirements for a State pension (contributory), the State pension system provides alternative methods of support. If their spouse has a contributory pension, they may qualify for an Increase for a Qualified Adult amounting up to 90% of a full rate pension, which by default is paid directly to them. Alternatively, they may qualify for a means-tested State Pension (non-contributory), amounting to 95% of the maximum contributory pension rate.
Work is underway to replace the 'yearly average' system with a 'total contributions approach'. Under this approach, the number of contributions recorded over a working life will be more closely reflected in the rate of pension payment received. It is expected that the total contributions approach to pension qualification will replace the current average contributions test for State pension (contributory) for new pensioners from 2020, although that date is subject to change, as this is a very significant reform with considerable legal, administrative, and technical challenges to be overcome in its implementation. The position of women who were homemakers will be considered very carefully in developing this reform.
41. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the categories of social protection recipients who will not receive a Christmas bonus due to their length of time in receipt of a payment; why each of these categories is excluded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45519/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra51. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she is aware of any person who was awarded the Christmas bonus who had not been in receipt of a qualifying payment for 390 days or more; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45566/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 51 together.
On Budget Day, I was pleased to announce a 75% Christmas Bonus to over 1.2 million long-term social welfare recipients, such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and long-term jobseekers at a cost of €198 million.
The Bonus was introduced in 1980, and long-term jobseekers became eligible for the payment in 1985. Short-term jobseekers have never been eligible for the bonus, and this arrangement continues to apply this year.
In the case of most eligible schemes, all recipients of the payment receive the bonus and there is no duration requirement e.g. the State Pension, Widow's Pension, Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Carer's Allowance, etc.
Recipients of Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) must have been in receipt of the payment for a minimum of 15 months (390 days) in order to be eligible for the bonus. Long-term jobseekers are eligible for the bonus in recognition of their being wholly or mostly financially dependent on their welfare payment for income.
Participants on JobBridge, who were in receipt of JA immediately prior to participation on the scheme, must have been in receipt of JA for 15 months prior to starting on JobBridge, or have 15 months duration in total combined on JA and JobBridge, in order to be eligible for the bonus. This arrangement also applies for participants on Back to Education Allowance. It should be noted that participants on these schemes who were previously in receipt of other eligible payments, such as Disability Allowance or One-Parent Family Payment, are automatically eligible for the bonus. The 15 months duration requirement applies only to those participants who were previously in receipt of JA immediately before starting on the scheme.
Two other payments also have the 15 months duration requirement – Supplementary Welfare Allowance and Direct Provision Allowance. The Christmas bonus (when paid in the past) was administered for SWA recipients by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) of the HSE. The CWS transferred into this Department in late 2011. Prior to the abolition of the Bonus in 2009, there was variation in the administration of the bonus across HSE areas. When the bonus was re-introduced last year, entitlement was standardised for SWA recipients in line with Jobseeker's Allowance. It should be noted that persons on Basic SWA (with a duration of less than 15 months) who are awaiting a decision on a long term scheme (to which the Bonus applies) will receive the Bonus if entitlement to the relevant scheme is backdated to cover the week in which the Bonus would have been payable for 2015.
The calculation of the 390 days is contingent on how claims are linked. If there is a break of up to 52 weeks in a person's JA claim – for instance, if a person in receipt of JA found employment that lasted for 10 months, or went on an Education and Training Board course, and subsequently claimed JA again – the time spent on JA immediately prior to the job/course would be combined with the time on the current claim in order to assess eligibility for the bonus. In this regard, a JA recipient's current claim may be less than 390 days and he or she can still qualify for the bonus, if the claim can be linked to a previous eligible claim.
42. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons participating in JobBridge schemes, by county, in each of the years 2011 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45525/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraJobBridge was introduced in July 2011 in response to the unprecedented collapse in the economy - particularly the sharp increase in unemployment. The primary aim of the scheme is to give unemployed people the opportunity to secure work experience and prove their competence to prospective employers.
To date, JobBridge has attracted the voluntary participation of over 44,000 interns and encouraged over 18,000 Host Organisations to offer them a wide range of work experience opportunities. There are currently over 4,800 people on internships.
The following tables provide a detailed breakdown on a county basis for the years 2011 to 2015.
Table 1. JobBridge internships started in 2011 by County
|
County |
Internships |
|
Carlow |
60 |
|
Cavan |
38 |
|
Clare |
81 |
|
Cork |
396 |
|
Donegal |
105 |
|
Dublin |
1397 |
|
Galway |
217 |
|
Kerry |
87 |
|
Kildare |
111 |
|
Kilkenny |
42 |
|
Laois |
37 |
|
Leitrim |
16 |
|
Limerick |
177 |
|
Longford |
32 |
|
Louth |
93 |
|
Mayo |
73 |
|
Meath |
66 |
|
Monaghan |
58 |
|
Offaly |
35 |
|
Roscommon |
24 |
|
Sligo |
85 |
|
Tipperary |
120 |
|
Waterford |
125 |
|
Westmeath |
98 |
|
Wexford |
102 |
|
Wicklow |
98 |
|
Total |
3773 |
Table 2. JobBridge internships started in 2012 by County
|
County |
Internships |
|
Carlow |
118 |
|
Cavan |
122 |
|
Clare |
204 |
|
Cork |
883 |
|
Donegal |
352 |
|
Dublin |
3149 |
|
Galway |
652 |
|
Kerry |
291 |
|
Kildare |
336 |
|
Kilkenny |
171 |
|
Laois |
151 |
|
Leitrim |
44 |
|
Limerick |
483 |
|
Longford |
73 |
|
Louth |
220 |
|
Mayo |
218 |
|
Meath |
228 |
|
Monaghan |
155 |
|
Offaly |
120 |
|
Roscommon |
69 |
|
Sligo |
173 |
|
Tipperary |
308 |
|
Waterford |
341 |
|
Westmeath |
218 |
|
Wexford |
280 |
|
Wicklow |
215 |
|
Total |
9574 |
Table 3. JobBridge internships started in 2013 by County
|
County |
Internships |
|
Carlow |
145 |
|
Cavan |
181 |
|
Clare |
251 |
|
Cork |
1063 |
|
Donegal |
371 |
|
Dublin |
3745 |
|
Galway |
721 |
|
Kerry |
340 |
|
Kildare |
393 |
|
Kilkenny |
147 |
|
Laois |
157 |
|
Leitrim |
57 |
|
Limerick |
615 |
|
Longford |
76 |
|
Louth |
292 |
|
Mayo |
328 |
|
Meath |
263 |
|
Monaghan |
209 |
|
Offaly |
152 |
|
Roscommon |
91 |
|
Sligo |
208 |
|
Tipperary |
358 |
|
Waterford |
357 |
|
Westmeath |
271 |
|
Wexford |
333 |
|
Wicklow |
204 |
|
Total |
11328 |
Table 4. JobBridge internships started in 2014 by County
|
County |
Internships |
|
Carlow |
141 |
|
Cavan |
179 |
|
Clare |
244 |
|
Cork |
1022 |
|
Donegal |
368 |
|
Dublin |
1870 |
|
Galway |
769 |
|
Kerry |
361 |
|
Kildare |
422 |
|
Kilkenny |
174 |
|
Laois |
183 |
|
Leitrim |
85 |
|
Limerick |
650 |
|
Longford |
85 |
|
Louth |
342 |
|
Mayo |
356 |
|
Meath |
339 |
|
Monaghan |
194 |
|
Offaly |
185 |
|
Roscommon |
119 |
|
Sligo |
231 |
|
Tipperary |
394 |
|
Waterford |
355 |
|
Westmeath |
313 |
|
Wexford |
330 |
|
Wicklow |
251 |
|
Total |
11683 |
Table 5. JobBridge internships started in 2015 by County
|
County |
Internships |
|
Carlow |
137 |
|
Cavan |
113 |
|
Clare |
156 |
|
Cork |
695 |
|
Donegal |
266 |
|
Dublin |
2430 |
|
Galway |
496 |
|
Kerry |
324 |
|
Kildare |
338 |
|
Kilkenny |
128 |
|
Laois |
125 |
|
Leitrim |
74 |
|
Limerick |
492 |
|
Longford |
67 |
|
Louth |
275 |
|
Mayo |
246 |
|
Meath |
210 |
|
Monaghan |
164 |
|
Offaly |
121 |
|
Roscommon |
87 |
|
Sligo |
156 |
|
Tipperary |
266 |
|
Waterford |
288 |
|
Westmeath |
241 |
|
Wexford |
260 |
|
Wicklow |
175 |
|
Total |
8330 |
43. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of persons participating in community employment schemes, by county, in each of the years 2011 to date in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45526/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table.
|
County/Area |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
Nov-15 |
|
Carlow |
335 |
320 |
399 |
401 |
396 |
|
Cavan |
225 |
216 |
284 |
339 |
337 |
|
Clare |
596 |
573 |
605 |
600 |
607 |
|
Cork |
2,177 |
2,122 |
2,198 |
2,190 |
2080 |
|
Donegal |
1,157 |
1,124 |
1,169 |
1,185 |
1153 |
|
Dublin |
6410 |
5658 |
5997 |
6117 |
5659 |
|
Galway |
1,507 |
1,467 |
1,538 |
1,549 |
1493 |
|
Kerry |
966 |
973 |
1014 |
1,017 |
1013 |
|
Kildare |
664 |
615 |
817 |
886 |
897 |
|
Kilkenny |
445 |
389 |
443 |
429 |
460 |
|
Laois |
307 |
296 |
282 |
308 |
312 |
|
Leitrim |
170 |
182 |
172 |
154 |
148 |
|
Limerick |
1305 |
1160 |
1196 |
1226 |
1340 |
|
Longford |
304 |
291 |
305 |
332 |
351 |
|
Louth |
817 |
776 |
845 |
857 |
842 |
|
Mayo |
794 |
767 |
796 |
791 |
759 |
|
Meath |
472 |
411 |
488 |
517 |
527 |
|
Monaghan |
341 |
340 |
358 |
421 |
419 |
|
Offaly |
372 |
357 |
372 |
385 |
421 |
|
Roscommon |
349 |
356 |
320 |
349 |
349 |
|
Sligo |
433 |
399 |
442 |
497 |
472 |
|
Tipperary |
1022 |
905 |
992 |
994 |
933 |
|
Waterford |
708 |
716 |
766 |
875 |
880 |
|
Westmeath |
551 |
544 |
590 |
605 |
635 |
|
Wexford |
851 |
859 |
933 |
953 |
1018 |
|
Wicklow |
726 |
629 |
622 |
668 |
619 |
|
TOTAL |
24,004 |
22,445 |
23,943 |
24,645 |
24,120 |
44. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if refugees residing in a hotel (details supplied) are receiving full social protection payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45532/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFamilies arriving in Ireland under the Resettlement arrangements are afforded full refugee status upon their arrival in Ireland. These families are eligible for social welfare payments on the same basis as Irish citizens and are entitled to apply for relevant social welfare weekly payments such as basic supplementary welfare allowance, jobseekers allowance, one parent family payment and child benefit appropriate to the circumstances of the individual or family. The types of social welfare payments or rates of payments paid to these individuals is a matter between the individuals themselves and the Department. In general, refugees while resident in the Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre (EROC) receive accommodation, food and other basic services provided by the State. Social Welfare legislation allows for the assessment of the non-cash benefits provided to the residents and the Department assesses the value of these non-cash benefits when determining appropriate rates of social welfare payments. This generally results in a reduction of the weekly amount payable taking into account that basic requirements such as food, accommodation and other services are provided. Refugee families are also entitled to receive child benefit and the back to school clothing and footwear allowance depending on their family circumstances. The Department can make exceptional needs payments (ENPs) to help meet essential, once-off and unforeseen expenditure such as seeking accommodation, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. Programme Refugees and others with refugee status can apply for ENPs to meet needs as they arise, for example for essential items such as clothing or other personal items, travel costs and also rent deposits to support the transition into rented accommodation. Once the period of orientation in the reception centre is over and the families move to accommodation in the community, the means assessment is reviewed and entitlement to the relevant social welfare payment is recalculated to reflect the changed situation. This would generally result in an increase in payment in line with the scheme rules taking into account the individual circumstances of the individual or family. The amount paid to the individual families in the hotel referred to by the Deputy is a matter between the individuals and the Department.
Questions Nos. 45 to 47, inclusive, withdrawn.
48. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the reason persons in receipt of maintenance payments are treated differently in the taxation of these payments, in that they pay more pay-related social insurance than those with the same income where that income is not from maintenance payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45553/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraClass S PRSI at the rate of 4% may be payable on reckonable income received by an individual, provided their annual income from all sources exceeds €5,000. Reckonable income for the purposes of charging class S PRSI includes a broad range of income, including income from a profession or trade as well as rental and investment income and maintenance payments received by an individual (who is not jointly assessed for income tax purposes with the maintenance payor).
Once the €5,000 insurability threshold is exceeded, class S PRSI is charged on all reckonable income, without regard to the source of that income. For PRSI purposes, there is therefore no difference in the treatment of maintenance payments from other sources of reckonable income.
The payment of PRSI class S provides entitlement to long-term social insurance benefits including the State pension (contributory) and the widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner's contributory pension.
49. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection for the analysis supporting the assumption that the new €550 earned income tax credit will reduce the differential between the self-employed vis-à-vis the employed with the same income; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45556/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe impact of the new €550 earned income tax credit for the self-employed is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Finance.
52. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she is aware of any discretionary payments being made by local community welfare officers to persons who did not qualify for the Christmas bonus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45567/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn Budget Day, I was pleased to announce a 75% Christmas Bonus, which has been paid to long-term social welfare beneficiaries, such as pensioners, people with disabilities, and carers. Long-term recipients of jobseeker's allowance (JA) or supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) are eligible for the bonus if they have been in receipt of their payment for 15 months, in recognition of their being wholly or mostly dependent on their social welfare payment for income. Periods of time spent on another qualifying scheme immediately prior to the award of a SWA claim may also be used to establish eligibility, for example which would include time spent on JA. In these cases, an officer will examine eligibility for the bonus and make payment to the individual where the criteria are met. Individuals in this situation who did not receive an automated payment of the Christmas Bonus should attend or contact their local office to establish their eligibility.
53. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for domiciliary care allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45576/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned was notified on the 15th December 2015 that her application for domiciliary care allowance was successful and that the allowance has been awarded from the 1st October 2015. The first payment of the allowance, along with arrears due, will issue on 19th January 2016.
54. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for domiciliary care allowance by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45583/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received from the person concerned on the 27th October 2015. 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 12 weeks to process an application for DCA.
