Written Answers Nos. 386 to 404
386. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a family income supplement application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26784/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned has been awarded Family Income supplement (FIS) effective from 22nd September 2016 to 20th September 2017.
All FIS payments have issued to their nominated bank account.
387. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if an oral hearing can be provided for a person (details supplied) who has been refused disability allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26790/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 27 June 2016. The application, based upon the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds and the person in question was notified in writing of this decision on 30 August 2016. The person was also notified of her right to a review of this decision or to appeal it to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office. To date, no such request has been received.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
388. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection when an application for a disability allowance will be processed for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26793/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that the Department is in receipt of an application for disability allowance from the above named person on 12 August 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.
389. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider amending legislation which governs the fuel allowance scheme to ensure that disablement benefit is included as a qualifying payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26822/16]
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 criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to the Department in as targeted a manner as possible. Disablement benefit is not means-tested and is based on a person’s PRSI record. People in receipt of disablement benefit and who are considered permanently incapable of work as a result of an occupational accident can apply for Incapacity Supplement which is a qualifying payment for fuel allowance.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme a recipient of a social welfare or health service executive payment who has exceptional essential heating costs due to ill health or infirmity and who cannot provide for such costs from within his or her own resources may qualify for a heating supplement. There is no standard rate for a heating supplement. Each case is examined on its merits and the Community Welfare Officer determines the amount to be paid taking account of the level of the expenses in question and the ability of the applicant to contribute towards his or her exceptional heating costs.
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, Climate Action and Environment 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 eligibility criteria for fuel allowance would have to be considered in the overall budgetary negotiations.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
390. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review an application for carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26834/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that my Department received an application for Carer’s Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 23 May 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 26 August 2016 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal.
My Department will accept your request for a review and will await any further evidence the person concerned has, which she can submit in support. A deciding officer will then review the case and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
391. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the cost of education allowance of €300, which was paid in addition to the back to education allowance, was abolished in the 2013 budget; if he will now consider reinstating the cost of education allowance or provide a new allowance to assist students to offset the costs of travel, lunches, stationery and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26839/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the back to education allowance (BTEA) is to assist those who are distant from the labour market to acquire the necessary education to improve their chances of becoming independent of the social welfare system. Administration of the BTEA by my Department is aligned with the student support schemes under the Department of Education and Skills.
The BTEA is not intended to be an alternative form of funding for people entering or re-entering the third level education system. The Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant payable by the Department of Education and Skills represents the primary support for persons pursuing education. In general, most BTEA customers will also have certain registration and related college fees paid by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI).
The operation of the BTEA has been comprehensively revised over the past two years to ensure it continues to support those people who are most distant from the labour market and whose need is greatest. Overall, I am satisfied with the current level of support available under the BTEA.
392. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the policy of his Department regarding unscheduled home inspections of applicants for social protection payments and specifically as it applies to lone parents allowance, jobseekers allowance and family income supplement. [26842/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraSocial Welfare Inspectors (SWIs) are appointed under Section 250 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) and are required to investigate and report on customer’s claims.
As part of their investigations, SWIs may need to make un-notified home inspections. Such visits to a customer’s home are an operational control measure and it is solely at the discretion of the Inspector as to whether home visits are notified or not.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
393. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of unscheduled home inspections undertaken by his Department in each year since 2010, in tabular form. [26843/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of un-notified home inspections undertaken in each year since 2010 is not available in my Department.
394. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of unscheduled home inspections of the homes of applicants for lone parent's allowance undertaken by his Department in each year since 2010, in tabular form. [26844/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of un-notified home inspections for One-Parent Family Payment claims undertaken in each year since 2010 is not available in my Department.
395. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of unscheduled home inspections of the homes of applicants for jobseeker's allowance undertaken by his Department in each year since 2010, in tabular form. [26845/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of un-notified home inspections for Jobseeker’s Allowance claims undertaken in each year since 2010 is not available in my Department.
396. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the total travel expenses and reimbursement costs incurred by his Department per annum from 2011 to 2016 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26867/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe total travel and subsistence costs incurred by my Department for the period 2011 to 23 September, 2016 are outlined in the following table.
|
2011 (€000) |
2012 (€000) |
2013 (€000) |
2014 (€000) |
2015 (€000) |
up to 23 September 2016 (€000) |
|
|
Travel and Subsistence |
3,110 |
5,088 |
4,897 |
4,453 |
4,283 |
2,908 |
Staff in my Department are paid travel and subsistence expenses where such costs are incurred wholly and exclusively in the course of a person’s business. Travel and subsistence expenses are paid in accordance with Civil Service rules and regulations. Given the nature of the Department’s business significant numbers of staff incur travel and subsistence expenses in carrying out their duties. The increase in spend from 2011 to 2012 relates to the integration of HSE and FÁS staff into my Department.
397. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has a specific data protection officer in place; if that position is exclusive or if the position holder has other duties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26883/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department has a dedicated unit, the Business Information Security Unit, which oversees information security and data protection compliance across the Department.
398. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost to the State of restoring all jobseeker's payments to €188 a week. [26908/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraReduced rates for younger jobseeker’s allowance recipients were first introduced in 2009 and Budget 2014 further extended the reduced rates to recipients under 26 years of age. If a young jobseeker in receipt of the reduced jobseeker’s allowance rate participates on an education or training programme they will receive a higher weekly payment of €160.
The 2016 Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure this year on the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme of €2.45 billion.
The full year cost of increasing the rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance paid to recipients under 26 years of age to the maximum rate of €188 per week is estimated at €128.4 million in 2017. This cost includes increasing the rate of Supplementary Welfare Allowance for recipients under 26 years of age to the maximum weekly rate of €186 per week and increasing the €160 Back to Education Allowance rate to the max rate of €188 per week.
However, this does not include the additional cost that would be incurred of paying the full weekly rate of €188 to under 26s who are on other relevant education and training schemes, that fall under the remit of the Department of Education and Skills and are currently receiving €160 per week.
399. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in determination of an appeal in the case of persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26922/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision.
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.
400. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for domiciliary care allowance by a person (details supplied); and when a decision can be expected on this case. [26928/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned was notified on the 23rd September 2016 that his domiciliary care allowance has been awarded from 1st June 2016. The first payment of the allowance, along with arrears due, will issue on the 18th October 2016.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
401. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection when a review will be completed of a disability allowance application for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11. [26934/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned has been awarded disability allowance with effect from 23 December 2015. The first payment will be made by his chosen 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).
402. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection further Parliamentary Questions Nos. 743 to 746, inclusive, of 16 September 2016, if the 60 minutes maximum travel time for JobPath participants is the totality of a round trip to attend at JobPath offices or 60 minutes each way. [26945/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra403. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection further Parliamentary Questions Nos. 743 to 746, inclusive, of 16 September 2016, the number of on-site inspections of JobPath providers which have taken place since the scheme was established; the nature of the on-site inspection; and if the inspection is a one off or involves repeat visits by inspectors to a provider. [26947/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra404. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection further Parliamentary Questions Nos. 743 to 746, inclusive, of 16 September 2016, the safeguards which are in place to prevent private JobPath providers from using valuable data acquired in the course of delivering the scheme, for example, information on persons responsible for recruitment in a given organisation, particularly in view of the fact that one service provider (details supplied) is a private recruitment company with an interest in gaining and using this data in the delivery of its recruitment services to private entities. [26948/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 402 to 404, inclusive, together.
JobPath is an employment activation service which supports people who are long-term unemployed to secure and sustain full-time paid employment. Two companies, Turas Nua Limited and Seetec Limited, have been contracted to provide the service on behalf of my Department. The JobPath contracts provide that a person should not have to travel more than 60 minutes, by private or public transport, to a location which has a normal journey time of no more than one hour each way.
The JobPath providers are subject to regular on-site checks and inspections to ensure that JobPath is delivered in accordance with contractual obligations. To date, 15 on-site inspections have been carried out at provider locations around the country (8 at Turas Nua service delivery locations and 7 at Seetec service delivery locations). The inspections cover a variety of subjects such as service delivery, suitability and standard of accommodation, staffing, signage, Irish language compliance, complaints procedures and client feedback. Regular inspections will be conducted for the duration of the JobPath contract. Inspections may be notified or un-notified and may be general or focused on specific matters of interest.
Separately the Department has commissioned customers satisfaction research the results which will be available by the end of the year. This research will provide a, quantitative, evaluation of the standard of service delivery provided by the Jobpath providers.
The JobPath providers are registered with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and are subject to the provisions of data protection legislation. The providers are obliged to observe the principles of data protection, which requires that personal data is used solely for the purposes for which it is collected. Any breach or suspected breach of the data protection legislation will be a matter for the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
