Written Answers Nos. 762 - 788
762. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25679/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that the department is in receipt of an application for disability allowance from the above named person on 19 July 2016. 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.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
763. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25680/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that an application from the person concerned for disability allowance (DA) was received by the Department on 10 June 2016. The application has been referred to a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) for a report on the person’s means and circumstances.
Once the SWI has submitted his/her report to DA section, a decision will be made on the application and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
764. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25682/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned has been awarded disability allowance with effect from 22 June 2016. The first payment will issue by his selected payment method on 12 October 2016.
Arrears of payment due will issue as soon as possible once any necessary adjustment is calculated and applied in respect of any overlapping payments or in respect of outstanding overpayments (if applicable).
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
765. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25683/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned has been awarded disability allowance with effect from 11 May 2016. The first payment will issue by her selected payment method on 5 October 2016.
Arrears of payment due will issue as soon as possible once any necessary adjustment is calculated and applied in respect of any overlapping payments or in respect of outstanding overpayments (if applicable).
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
766. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection when a family income supplement payment will issue to a person (details supplied). [25688/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned was awarded Family Income Supplement (FIS) from 19 May 2016 to 17 May 2017.
As this person received a Supplementary Welfare Allowance as well as Jobseekers Allowance payment during this period, arrears due from FIS have to be recouped towards these payments.
The balance of arrears due for FIS have been issued to his designated bank account on 15 September 2016.
767. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons on the live register who are currently contracted to SEETEC; the hourly rate paid to SEETEC for providing assessment and training, per person, for the long-term unemployed; the types of training provided by SEETEC; the success rates of SEETEC to date; and the number of long-term unemployed persons who have gained employment as a result of their time with SEETEC. [25693/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, JobPath is an employment activation service that supports people who are long-term unemployed and those most at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to secure and sustain paid employment.
Participants on JobPath receive intensive individual support to help them tackle barriers to employment and to assist them in finding jobs. Each person is assigned to a personal adviser who assesses a person’s skills, experience, challenges and work goals. The personal adviser works with the jobseeker to agree a personal progression plan that includes a schedule of activities, actions and job focused targets.
Participants are provided with a range of training and development supports in-house and via online modules. These include such things as confidence building, career advice, CV preparation and interview skills. Participants may also be referred to external training providers including Education and Training Boards.
Participants receive the JobPath service for a period of 12 months (which can be extended by up to six months to facilitate the jobseeker completing training programmes) or until such time as they find employment whichever is the soonest. If the jobseeker secures employment during this period they will continue to receive support for at least three months and up to twelve months while in employment.
Some 28,000 jobseekers have been referred to Seetec to date. Only a small number of clients have completed their engagement with the service so far. It is thus too soon to generate meaningful performance statistics. Initial JobPath performance statistics will be published before the end of the year.
It is not intended to publish the individual payments to the JobPath companies as these are commercially sensitive and to do so would place the State at a disadvantage both in terms of the contracts now in place and any future procurement that may be undertaken.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
768. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the case of persons (details supplied) who are waiting for documentation from the General Register Office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25727/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe loss of a loved one under any circumstances is difficult, more so when the loss occurs away from home and I would like to extend my sympathy to the family involved in the case outlined by the Deputy.
I am advised by the General Register Office that, to date, no request has been received from the family concerned.
The family should apply in writing to the Registrar General and include all relevant details with the application. The Registrar General may be contacted at:
General Register Office
Government Buildings
Convent Road
Roscommon
769. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the case of a person (details supplied) in respect of social protection support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25733/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIndividuals who are on the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) can continue to receive their weekly social welfare payment and participate in education, training or employment programmes, whether these programmes are delivered on a full or part time basis. This is of course dependent on the individual continuing to satisfy the OFP means test and eligibility criteria.
The OFP scheme contains this flexible arrangement in order to encourage lone parents to enhance their education and skill levels thereby improving their chances of securing an employment opportunity.
Additional financial supports may be available via the Department of Education and Skills but these are dependent on the course type and the individual’s financial circumstances. Matters relating to the financial supports, which are available via Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) should be raised with my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton T.D.
770. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports available for a person caring for a family member for three days each week, thus leaving the person unable to sign for the jobseeker's allowance for the three days in question and not entitled to carer's allowance as the person is in full-time respite care for the remainder of the week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25764/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy department provides a range of income supports, including carer’s benefit(CB), carer’s allowance(CA), and domiciliary care allowance (DCA,) for those who are providing care, on a full-time basis, to a person who requires such care. There is also an annual carer’s support grant (CSG) of €1,700, which is paid automatically on the first Thursday in June, to those in receipt of these payments. Other carers who are providing full-time care but are not in receipt of CB,CA or DCA may also apply for a CSG which is not means tested.
In order to qualify for carer’s allowance a person must generally reside with and provide full-time care and attention to a person who needs such care. The decision, as to whether a carer is providing full-time care and attention, is made by a deciding officer based on the evidence supplied in each a case. When an application is deemed not to satisfy the full-time care provision, the applicant may request a review of the decision and if still dissatisfied with the outcome may appeal the decision to an independent Appeals Office.
The full-time care provision is relaxed in certain circumstances, for example the carer can work or engage in training provided the aggregate hours in work and/or training does not exceed 15 hours per week.
One of the conditions for receipt of jobseeker’s allowance is that a person must be available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. If a person get part-time or casual work (up to and including 3 days per week), they may still be paid Jobseeker's Allowance for the other days. However, they must show that you are trying to get full-time employment.
In circumstances where a person does not meet either the conditions for carers allowance or for jobseekers allowance, they may apply for supplementary welfare allowance from my department.
I hope that this answers the Deputy’s question.
771. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for carer's allowance will be processed for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25765/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarer’s allowance was awarded to the person concerned on 7 September 2016 and the first payment is due to issue to their nominated bank account on 15 September 2016.
Arrears of allowance due from 5 May 2016 to 14 September 2016 will also issue.
The person concerned was notified of these details on 7 September 2016.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
772. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for carer's allowance in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25771/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 26 May 2016.
The application was awarded to the person concerned on 13 September 2016 and the first payment will issue to their nominated bank account on 22 September 2016.
Arrears of allowance due from 26 May 2016 to 21 September 2016 will also issue.
The person concerned was notified on 13 September 2016 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
773. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding the waiting times for social protection applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25772/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested (where available) by the deputy is detailed in the following tabular statement
Social Welfare claims by average waiting times 31 August 2016
|
Scheme |
Average Waiting Time (weeks) |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
1 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
2 |
|
One-Parent Family Payment |
5 |
|
State Pension Contributory (Dom) |
8 |
|
Widow’s, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension |
1 |
|
Widowed Parent Grant |
1 |
|
Living Alone/Island Allowances |
N/a |
|
State Pension Non-Contributory |
14 |
|
Household Benefits |
2 |
|
Free Travel |
2 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
16 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
1 |
|
Child Benefit (Domestic & FRA) |
2 |
|
Child Benefit (EU Regulation) |
32 |
|
Treatment Benefit |
N/a |
|
Maternity Benefit |
N/a |
|
Family Income Supplement (New) |
3 |
|
Family Income Supplement (Renew) |
N/a |
|
Carer's Allowance |
17 |
|
Disability Allowance |
14 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
11 |
|
Illness Benefit |
1 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
N/a |
774. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection the outcome of a review of a carer's allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25774/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe application for carer’s allowance (CA) in respect of the person concerned was awarded on 4 July 2016 in respect of 2nd care recipient and payment issued to her nominated bank account on 7 July 2016.
Arrears of allowance due from 3 December 2015 to 6 July 2016 have also issued. The person concerned was notified of these details on 4 July 2016.
The person concerned has requested a review of this decision. The review is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
775. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on a request to backdate a domiciliary care allowance award in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25783/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned requested a review of her domiciliary care allowance (DCA) decision on the 21st July 2016.
In order for backdating to be considered, it is required that good cause for the delay in submitting the application is shown. The Deciding Officer considered the evidence presented relating to the cause for the delay in submitting the claim in this case. Following the completion of this review, the person concerned was notified on the 7th September 20116 that DCA has now been backdated in her case.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
777. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will commit to reinstating the telephone allowance in the upcoming budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25787/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe overall concern in recent years has been to protect the primary social welfare rates. Expenditure on pensions at approx. €6.976 billion is the largest block of expenditure in the Department in the Estimate for 2016, representing approximately 35% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes, my Department’s spending on older people is increasing year on year. Maintaining the rate of the State pension and other core payments is critical in protecting people from poverty.
The decision to discontinue the telephone allowance was estimated to provide annual savings of €48 million. These savings meant that my Department was able to retain the other valuable elements of the household benefits package such as the electricity and gas allowance and the television licence. My Department will spend approximately €228 million this year on these elements of the household benefits package for over 420,000 customers.
The cost of the telephone allowance scheme had risen significantly each year, as the number of eligible customers grew, arising from the increased number of pension recipients. In 2007 there were some 316,000 people receiving the telephone allowance compared to almost 396,000 at the end of September 2013, an increase of 25%, or an average increase of nearly 4% per annum.
Any decision to restore the telephone allowance would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
778. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will commit to reversing the cuts to the fuel allowance in the upcoming budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25788/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, to low income households, at an estimated cost of €224 million in 2016. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household. My Department also pays an electricity or gas allowance as part of the household benefits package to approximately 421,000 customers, at an estimated cost of €228 million in 2016.
The last reduction to the fuel allowance scheme was in 2012 when the duration of the fuel allowance scheme was reduced from 32 weeks to 26 weeks, at a time when difficult decisions had to be made in light of the existing economic situation.
The scheme is intended to provide some additional support for people on long-term welfare payments during the winter season which clearly does not last for 32 weeks. By reducing the fuel season by six weeks it restored the core purpose of the payment as a winter fuel support. There was no cut in the rate of payment of the fuel allowance and in 2016, with the improved economic conditions, the rate of fuel allowance was increased from €20 per week to €22.50. The Government believed that increasing the rate during the colder 26 weeks of the year, rather than extending a lower payment into months during which recipients faced a lesser heating cost, was the correct decision to make.
The best way to tackle fuel poverty in the long term is to improve the energy efficiency of the dwelling. My Department works closely with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on these issues and in moving forward the actions agreed in the Energy Affordability Strategy. In that regard, the Better Energy Homes scheme provides support towards the installation of attic and wall insulation, and heating system upgrades.
Any decision to extend the fuel allowance season would have to be considered in the overall budgetary negotiations.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
779. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision will be expedited relative to an application for disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied). [25832/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 25 August 2016. 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 have been received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 14 September 2016 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.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
780. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); if he will review his Department's request for repayment of benefit paid to the person on the basis that it was confirmed in writing that the person would be paid benefit for the period of their illness; and if he will request a senior Departmental official to examine the person's file in conjunction with the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in order that the matter can be brought to a reasonable conclusion. [25834/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned was in receipt of illness benefit from August 2007 to December 2015. My Department is carrying out a full review of the decision to disallow payment of illness benefit and the resulting overpayment as requested. Inquiries regarding the position to residency in this country of the person concerned should be addressed to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
781. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are any exceptions to the maximum time available to participants in the community employment scheme, that is, three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25849/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraCumulative lifetime participation on Community Employment (CE) by an individual is limited to:
- 3 cumulative years (156 weeks) for persons under 55 years of age.
- 6 cumulative years (312 weeks) for persons of 55 years of age up to state pension age (inclusive of any time spent on CE while aged under 55).
- Eligible persons in receipt of a CE-qualifying disability-linked social welfare payment will be eligible for one additional year on CE over the standard maximum participation limits above.
- In addition, participants aged 62 or over and who are approved by the Department under the over 62s pilot stream are permitted to exceed the standard 6-year maximum limit of participation. They can remain on CE under this stream until they reach state pension age.
Previous time spent on CE prior to 3rd April 2000 is not counted and, in addition, offshore island residents are exempt from these participation limits, subject to the availability of places on island-based CE schemes.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
782. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on a carer's allowance application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25853/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarer's Allowance (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.
I confirm that my department received an application for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 25 January 2016 in respect of two care recipients.
A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they are engaged in employment, self-employment or on training courses outside the home for a maximum of 15 hours per week, provided that they can show to the satisfaction of a deciding officer that adequate care has been provided for the care recipient in their absence.
The application was referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are satisfied.
During the course of the SWI investigation it was determined that the person concerned may be periodically working outside the home in excess of 15 hours per week.
In order to establish the facts of this, employment information was requested on 7 September 2016.
Once the information is received the application will be processed without delay and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
783. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the efforts his Department and agencies under its remit have made to use Eircode when communicating with households via An Post; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25877/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has implemented technical changes to its main ICT platform since July 2015 to enable the capture and implementation of Eircodes. All of the auto-coded unique addresses have already been incorporated onto the platform. Non-unique addresses are being updated manually during customer interactions with business areas. To date, 57% of the Department’s primary customer household address table has a postcode link.
The most frequently issued local and automatically generated communications have been modified to reflect the Eircode field. Any remaining communications are being modified during the normal business change process. Over 250 different items of correspondence now include Eircode amounting to in excess of 600,000 items of computer generated correspondence per month.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
784. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is satisfied with the Intreo website (details supplied); the purpose of the website; when it will be fully operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25912/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraJobsireland.ie is a free online jobs site that enables employers to post job opportunities and jobseekers to search and apply for these opportunities online. At almost 20 years old, the original site was showing its age. For example, although it enabled jobseekers to search for job opportunities based on job type and location, it wasn’t possible for employers to search for suitable jobseekers on the site – they had to rely on candidates finding and applying for a job from among the many thousands hosted on the system.
Accordingly, the Department issued a tender last year for the development and implementation of a new service that would enable both employers and jobseekers to search for each other using competencies and skillsets as well as the traditional job-type classifications. As part of the new service, candidate profiles will be automatically matched to job specifications posted by employers with both candidate and the employer notified via e-mail and/or SMS when a suitable match is found. Candidates can use the site to apply for the jobs advertised. The system will also integrate with the Department of Social Protection’s Intreo service and will include other new features such as allowing jobseekers to post CVs and video profiles if they wish.
Following the procurement process, a young Irish technology company is now building and delivering the new service. The service is being implemented on phased basis which means, unfortunately, that there is some service disruption while work is ongoing. There have also been some teething problems with the first phase implementation which have largely been resolved. Over 5,000 job vacancies are currently being advertised on the site. The Department continues to work with the supplier to improve and add new functionality over the coming weeks.
Employers or any person experiencing difficulties with the website can contact the Department’s National Contact Centre on 1890 800 024 for assistance. Additional resources have been assigned to expedite queries.
785. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the section of the Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 that allows provision for a father to take paternity leave in the event of a stillbirth or miscarriage after 24 weeks, as is allowed under maternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25926/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIssues pertaining to Paternity Leave, including eligibility, are for my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, to answer in the first instance.
However, I can confirm that the Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 makes provision for stillbirths and neonatal deaths. In these circumstances, as with Maternity Benefit, a humane and compassionate approach is taken and the entitlement to Paternity Benefit continues.
Legislation in relation to Social Welfare schemes is contained in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). Maternity Benefit is contained in Chapter 9, Sections 47 to 51 and Paternity Benefit is contained in Chapter 11A, Sections 61A to 61E.
In the Paternity Benefit provisions references is made to the ‘confinement’ and it specifically states in Chapter 11A (Paternity Benefit), Section 61A (1) that:
In this Chapter—‘confinement’ has the same meaning as it has in Chapter 9 and ‘confined’ shall be construed accordingly;
The reference to Chapter 9 relates to the Maternity Benefit provisions and specifically, Section 51(1) defines confinement as:
In this Chapter— (a) “confinement” means labour resulting in the issue of a living child, or labour after 24 weeks of pregnancy resulting in the issue of a child whether alive or dead, and “confined” shall be read accordingly;
This means that Paternity Benefit can be paid to an individual in circumstances where a still birth has occurred after 24 weeks of pregnancy, provided they satisfy all other eligibility conditions.
786. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on a carer’s allowance review in respect of a person (details supplied). [25927/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that my department received an application for Carer’s Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 9 February 2016. It is a condition for receipt of a CA that the person being cared for must have a disability whose effect is that they require full-time care and attention.
This is defined as requiring from another person, continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day in connection with normal bodily functions or continuous supervision in order to avoid danger to him or herself and likely to require that level of care for at least twelve months.
The evidence submitted in support of this application was examined and the deciding officer decided that this evidence did not indicate that the requirement for full-time care was satisfied.
The person concerned was notified on 30 June 2016 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal. The person concerned has requested a review of this decision and submitted additional evidence in support of her application. The review is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
787. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on a disability allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied). [25928/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that an application for disability allowance (DA) was received from the person concerned on 23 May 2016. The application has been referred to a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) for a report on the person’s means and circumstances.
Once the SWI has submitted his/her report to DA section, a decision will be made on the application and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
788. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on a disability allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied). [25929/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that an application for disability allowance (DA) was received from the person concerned on 24 June 2016. The application has been referred to a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) for a report on the person’s means and circumstances.
Once the SWI has submitted his/her report to DA section, a decision will be made on the application and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
