Written Answers Nos. 59 - 75
59. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has examined the Millar report entitled Lone Parents and Activation, What Works and Why: A Review of the International Evidence in the Irish Context; his views on the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36022/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department values quality social policy research and the contribution it makes in assisting it in terms of informing policy across its broad remit.
As the Deputy will be aware from the title of the report, the report does not claim to be an analysis of the lone parent reforms. It was my Department’s expectation that the report would provide detail on the design of specific activation programmes that work for lone parents that could assist in developing further activation measures for these customers. The fact that it doesn’t include that information is a lost opportunity.
The research commenced in January 2015 and therefore takes no account of the final phase of the one-parent family payment reforms in July 2015, or improvements targeted at lone parents in the last three Budgets which resulted in lone parents benefitting more favourably than the average household.
We are still at an early stage of the implementation of the reforms to the one parent family payment and I think it will take several years before the full impact of the reforms can be assessed. This is because many lone parents, on foot of the reforms, are taking up education, training or employment support programmes, which will take time for them to complete.
However, I listened carefully to the views of One Family, and other groups, in the months before the Budget and consequently, I announced a package of measures supporting lone parents in the social welfare Budget package.
All lone parents on the one-parent family payment, the jobseeker’s transitional payment and jobseeker’s allowance will benefit from the €5 increase in the weekly rates of payment from March. A new €500 annual Cost of Education Allowance will be made available to Back to Education Allowance participants with children from the next academic year in September. In addition, the income disregards for the one-parent family payment and the jobseeker’s transitional payment will rise by €20 from January, from €90 to €110 per week, reversing in part previous reductions, to encourage one parent families to stay in, and return to, work.
In addition, as part of the debate on the Social Welfare Bill last week, I agreed that I would commission a report on the changes to the one-parent family payment. I will introduce a Report Stage Amendment to that effect. The report shall examine the financial and social effects of the changes taking into account poverty rates and welfare dependency of those impacted by the reforms.
60. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which he intends to allocate increased funds for school meals to schools following the recent increase in allocation in the budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35714/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra100. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if a centre (details supplied) has applied recently for funding for free school meals; if so, the date it has applied; the outcome of each application; if there were rejections, the reasons for same; and if it will be granted for 2017. [34882/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra300. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which he intends to allocate increased funds for school meals to schools following the recent increase in allocation in the budget. [36186/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 60, 100 and 300 together.
The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to schools and organisations benefitting over 200,000 children at a total cost of €42 million in 2016. As part of Budget 2017, I announced an additional €5.7 million for school meals which will benefit over 50,000 children.
Additional funding is being provided to DEIS schools already participating in the scheme to provide breakfast and lunch to pupils. The Department has also written to some 50 DEIS schools not participating in the scheme and invited them to join. To date, 11 additional DEIS schools have expressed an interest in joining the scheme.
The additional funding provided in Budget 2017 also provides some provision towards the extension of the scheme to breakfast clubs in non-DEIS schools from September 2017. This is the first time in many years that increased payments will be provided to schools outside of DEIS.
More than 50,000 children will benefit from the increased funding providing breakfasts and lunches. Of these, some 35,000 extra school breakfasts will be provided in non-DEIS schools from the start of the new school year and will be expanded in future years.
The Youthreach centre referred to by Deputy Crowe, made an application for school meals funding on 30 June 2016. As the centre is not a DEIS school it was not considered for funding for the current academic year and this information was communicated to the organisation’s Co-ordinator.
Officials in my Department are engaging with colleagues in the Department of Education and Skills in examining options regarding the provision of the additional funding to schools for the next school year. Priority will be provided to those schools where there is most need and the availability of funding for Youthreach centres can only be considered in the context of the take up of the support by these schools.
61. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the implementation of the recommendations in the 2015 McMahon report on direct provision that come under the remit of his Department, in tabular form; the estimated cost of implementing each relevant recommendation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35825/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince its publication in June 2015, the Report of the Working Group on the Protection Process has been under proactive consideration; in the first instance by the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform and thereafter by the Department of Justice and Equality and other relevant Government Departments and Agencies, including my Department.
The report contains 173 recommendations of which 3 specific recommendations come under the remit of my Department. These recommendations refer to the administration of the exceptional needs payment (ENP) scheme, in terms of consistency throughout the country and of discretion when supporting LGBT people, and to the provision of on-site services by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) to residents in direct provision.
I have provided the Deputy with a tabular statement containing further details of these recommendations and the status of their implementation.
The Department continues to keep the ENP scheme under review to ensure consistency in the administration of the scheme generally and has issued specific guidance to assist staff administering payments to persons in the direct provision system.
My Department also keeps the operation of all its services, including the CWS, under review in the context of available resources. I can assure the Deputy that the necessary ongoing financial supports are being provided to persons in the Direct Provision system, including the payment of Direct Provision Allowance, ENPs and the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.
Arrangements are in place for persons seeking support from the CWS and on-site visits to Direct Provision centres can be arranged as necessary, for example, in the case of illness. The cost of operating this service is included in the general staffing costs of my Department.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Tabular Statement
|
Working Group Recommendation and Current Status |
|
The Department of Social Protection should reinstate on-site Community Welfare Service to residents in Direct Provision accommodation centres. Current Position: The Department of Social Protection (DSP) is providing the necessary ongoing income supports to persons in the asylum process and continues to examine the operation of all its services, including the Community Welfare Service (CWS) in the context of customer needs and available resources. Arrangements are in place for persons seeking support from the CWS, generally available in Intreo centres, and on-site visits to Direct Provision centres can be arranged as necessary, for example, in the case of illness. |
|
The Department of Social Protection should continue to make every effort to ensure that Designated Persons in the Community Welfare Service strive towards consistency when administering the Exceptional Needs Payment Scheme in relation to persons in the system throughout the country. Recommends that Designated Persons in the Community Welfare Service should exercise discretion in administering the Exceptional Needs Payment scheme to support LGBT people in the system to access appropriate supports and services. Current Position: DSP keeps the exceptional needs payment scheme under continuous review to ensure consistency in the administration of the scheme generally. Guidance issued to staff in the Community Welfare Service in October 2015 around supports for all persons in Direct Provision centres. |
62. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will introduce a cost of disability top-up payment to recognise the additional costs of a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35932/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe various illness and disability payments administered by my Department provide income support for people with a disability and their dependants. These support payments are continually kept under review to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives.
In addition to income support payments, my Department also provides a range of employment and employability supports. These are structured to encourage and assist people on long-term illness and disability payments to identify and take up available employment, training, educational and other self-development opportunities, where this is appropriate to their underlying conditions.
These payments and supports make a very significant contribution to broader poverty and social inclusion goals. However, direct payments do not answer some of the wider social issues affecting people with disabilities, which include a desire for greater participation in the labour market. Improved employment rates and better co-ordinated supports and services could result in significantly improvement for people with disability.
In relation to the former, the Government’s Comprehensive Employment Strategy seeks to increase employment rates for persons with disability through a series of coordinated measures across a range of Government Departments and Agencies.
In relation to the latter, the Programme for Government contains a commitment to examine the role of personalised budgets for persons with a disability. The Government has established a Task Force on Personalised Budgets to consider the commitment to give people with disabilities greater control, independence and choice in terms of obtaining HSE-funded personal social services and supports, in the first instance. Personalised budgets transfer control back to the individual and give them the freedom to source the services and supports which best meet their needs.
63. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Social Protection the uptake of paternity leave since the date of commencement for fathers to avail of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36063/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra84. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the uptake regarding paternity leave nationally and specifically in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35716/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 84 together.
The new paternity benefit scheme which was announced in Budget 2016 came into operation on 1 September 2016. The benefit is paid for up to two weeks to employed and self-employed people who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions. The rate of payment is €230 per week, the same as maternity benefit, with possible increases for adult and child dependents. The purpose of the benefit is to support new fathers to take time off work within the first 26 weeks following the birth of their child.
I am happy to inform the Deputies that in the period between the introduction of the scheme on 01/09/16 and 15/11/16, a total of 2,846 paternity benefit claims have been awarded. I can confirm to Deputy McLoughlin that forty two applicants (1.48% of the total awarded) who reside in Co. Sligo and twenty five applicants (0.88% of the total awarded) who reside in Co. Leitrim have been awarded paternity benefit during this period.
The Department has developed a new system to support the delivery of paternity benefit and to modernise the delivery of maternity benefit. The new system supports online applications for both paternity and maternity benefits, with some 650 customers having successfully applied online to date. Online application is the preferred method of application and can result in the speedy notification of an auto award of benefit where the customer satisfies all scheme conditionality. Customers should be encouraged to use this option as it provides a convenient and effective method of submitting a claim.
64. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the way child maintenance is considered in means tested payments in view of the fact that often families can be worse off if in receipt of the payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36027/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department operates a range of means tested social assistance payments such as jobseeker’s allowance, one-parent family payment and so on. Social welfare legislation provides that the means test for these schemes takes account of the income and assets of the person and a spouse/partner, if applicable. Income and assets include income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions, maintenance payments as well as property owned (other than the family home) and capital such as savings, shares and other investments.
Maintenance payments (whether or not it is paid in respect of a child) are assessed by first disregarding any housing costs incurred up to €4,952 per annum (or €95.23 per week), and then assessing the remainder at 50%.
Accordingly, the total value of any maintenance payments is never assessed as means for these weekly income support payments and the total income received by the family (social welfare payment and maintenance payment combined) will be higher than someone not receiving maintenance payments.
Unlike schemes such as jobseeker’s allowance and one parent family payment, family income supplement (FIS) is an income supplement for employees who work 19 hours or more per week. It is an income tested scheme and account is taken, in determining entitlement, of all net income from employment, weekly welfare payments (if payable), income from any self-employment, maintenance payments and income from any other source. A family in receipt of maintenance will always be better off than a family where maintenance is not a factor as FIS replaces just 60% of the difference between total family income and the relevant FIS threshold.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
65. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the procedures in place to identify welfare fraud nationally; and his plans to tackle welfare fraud nationally and in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency. [35717/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra81. Deputy Noel Rock asked the Minister for Social Protection the procedures in place to identify welfare fraud; and his plans to tackle same. [35888/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 81 together.
The majority of people in receipt of a payment from the Department of Social Protection receive what they are entitled to. Nevertheless, the Department recognises that abuse of the welfare system is an ongoing reality and must be tackled through a range of measures. These measures are governed by the Department’s Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy 2014 – 2018. The actions set out in the strategy are designed to prevent and detect fraud, to ensure effective oversight of schemes, to pursue prosecution of offenders and to pursue the recovery of any overpaid entitlements identified.
All Departmental staff exercise a control and compliance function in processing new applications and reviewing existing entitlements. The systems used to support schemes are designed to detect wrongful claiming and to highlight anomalies. In addition, the Department’s inspectorate undertakes detailed examination of claims on a risk assessed and random basis. This is supplemented by at least three fraud and error surveys of Departmental schemes annually and the findings from the surveys are used to tighten control measures around schemes, where this is found to be warranted. The survey reports are published and subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
In addition, the Deputies should note that my Department’s Special Investigation Unit, which comprises trained inspectors and Garda officers, is tasked with undertaking targeted and systematic examination of claims to tackle fraud and to work with other enforcement agencies to identify more serious breaches of the law.
Cross-functional and targeted actions are undertaken - both internally and in joint operations with other national and international agencies - to ensure a strategic response to high risk sectors or where fraud is considered to be most prevalent. In particular, actions are focused on sectors of the economy where there is a risk of concurrent working and claiming social welfare payments.
Overall, my Department conducts of the order of one million reviews annually comprising customer entitlement reviews, inspections and special investigations.
The Deputies should also note that the continued roll-out of the Public Services Card has considerably reduced the potential for identity fraud and the Department has deployed identity and analytics software and other intelligence systems to reinforce its fraud prevention work.
Members of the public also play an important role in supporting these anti-fraud activities and some 17,000 reports from concerned citizens have been processed already in 2016.
The anti-fraud actions delivered nationally are targeted in the same way in the Sligo and Leitrim areas. As border counties, cross-border dimensions are also relevant in the compliance and anti-fraud actions undertaken by the Special Investigations Unit and other inspectors and investigatory staff.
The Compliance and Anti-Fraud Strategy 2014 – 2018 and annual updates on progress are published on the Department’s website: www.welfare.ie.
Finally, the Deputies should note that I am looking at various control measures that I hope to roll out in 2017 to strengthen the legislative provisions to deter abuse of the social welfare system. These include publishing the names of persons who are prosecuted for social welfare fraud and applying interest on overpayments resulting from fraud.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputies.
66. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection when the recommendations in the June 2015 McMahon report that the direct provision weekly allowance be increased, to €38.74 for adults and to €29.80 for children, will be acted on. [35974/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra98. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports his Department provides for persons in direct provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35824/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 98 together.
A weekly direct provision allowance (DPA) is paid to asylum seekers who reside within the system of direct provision. DPA is administered by my Department’s Community Welfare Service (CWS) on an administrative basis on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality at the weekly rate of €19.10 per adult and €15.60 per child.
The Report of the Working Group on the Protection Process recommended that the weekly rate of DPA should be increased to €38.74 for adults and €29.80 for children. The rates of DPA, similar to other recommendations of the Working Group, are subject to further consideration by the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform. Consideration must be taken of the overall cost of the recommendation, its impact on asylum policy, the direct provision system and the level of disposable income available to social welfare recipients and those in low income employment.
It was considered that there was an urgency to provide for some level of immediate increase in respect of children and accordingly, the Government increased the child rate of DPA from €9.60 to €15.60 in January 2016.
My Department provides Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) to people in the direct provision system which are largely made towards clothing costs, transport costs and the purchase of child related items. ENPs are also paid to support the transition from direct provision including assistance towards rent deposits. Some 14,900 ENPs have been paid in 2016 to people in direct provision with expenditure of €1.2 million.
The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme (BSCFA) provides once-off assistance towards the cost of returning to school in September. In 2016, some 430 families living in direct provision received BSCFA at a cost of €92,000.
Following a recommendation in the Report of the Working Group a task force was established to examine the mechanisms and supports for the transitioning of people from the Direct Provision system. An output from this group was the ongoing roll out of an information programme and an information booklet for people transitioning from direct provision attended by representatives from relevant Departments and Agencies, including my Department.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
67. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on complaints arising from the operation of JobPath. [36031/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra102. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to review the procedures used by Turas Nua and Seetec under JobPath in view of ongoing concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36019/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 102 together.
Some 60,000 jobseekers have engaged with JobPath since the service commenced in July 2015 with only 145 complaints recorded. This is 0.2% of the total. The majority of the complaints were about people’s initial reluctance to engage with the service or in respect of individual customer experience. All complaints have been resolved or are in the process of being resolved.
Under JobPath client engagement is more frequent and more intensive. Some people may have difficulty in adjusting to a new regime especially those who have not had any meaningful activation support for a considerable period. JobPath tries to give people a sense of structure which they will need if they are to re-engage with the workforce.
Every participant on the JobPath Service is provided with a service guarantee - a baseline level of service including, frequency of engagement, personal progression planning, geographic accessibility and in-employment support. The JobPath companies may refer jobseekers to training interventions where this assists employment prospects.
The companies are subject to regular checks and inspections. In addition, my Department has commissioned a client satisfaction survey to ensure that services are being delivered satisfactorily. The results of this survey are expected before year end.
Overall the response to JobPath has been quite positive and initial indications, in terms of employment outcomes, are also very encouraging. I am therefore satisfied, at this point in time, that the JobPath service is being delivered in a satisfactory manner that meets the needs of jobseekers.
68. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will commission a report on the impact of the recent changes in social protection payments on lone parent families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36056/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra72. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the changes made to the one-parent family payment and the effects it is having on lone parents in view of a report recently published (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36058/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 72 together.
As the deputies are aware, I discussed the reforms to the one parent family payment with the Joint Oireachtas Committee during the Committee stage of the Social Welfare Bill 2016 last week.
We are still at an early stage of the implementation of the reforms to the one-parent family payment and I think it will take several years before the full impact of the reforms can be assessed. This is because lone parents, on foot of the reforms, are taking up education, training or employment support programmes, which will take time for them to complete.
However, I listened carefully to the issues raised by the members of the Committee as part of that debate last week. I agreed that I would commission a report on the changes to the one-parent family payment. The report shall examine the financial and social effects of the changes taking into account poverty rates and welfare dependency of those impacted by the reforms.
My Department values quality social policy research and the contribution it makes in assisting it in terms of informing policy across its broad remit.
As the Deputy will be aware from the title of the report, the report does not claim to be an analysis of the lone parent reforms. It was my Department’s expectation that the report would provide detail on the design of specific activation programmes that work for lone parents that could assist in developing further activation measures for these customers. The fact that it doesn’t include that information is a lost opportunity.
The research commenced in January 2015 and therefore takes no account of the final phase of the one-parent family payment reforms in July 2015, or improvements targeted at lone parents in the previous two Budgets, which resulted in lone parents benefitting more favourably than the average household.
In addition, I listened carefully to the views of One Family, and other groups, in the months before the Budget and consequently, I announced a package of measures supporting lone parents in the social welfare Budget 2017 package.
All lone parents on the one-parent family payment, the jobseeker’s transitional payment and jobseeker’s allowance will benefit from the €5 increase in the weekly rates of payment from March. A new €500 annual Cost of Education Allowance will be made available to Back to Education Allowance participants with children from the next academic year in September. In addition, the income disregards for the one-parent family payment and the jobseeker’s transitional payment will rise by €20 from January, from €90 to €110 per week, reversing in part previous reductions, to encourage one parent families to stay in, and return to, work.
69. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans for securing the future of community employment schemes; and if he will allow persons referred to JobPath to be able to apply for community employment positions. [36033/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides a range of activation supports and programmes catering for long-term unemployed jobseekers and those most distant from the labour market. These include the JobPath service and programmes such as Community Employment (CE).
CE schemes provide part-time temporary work in their local communities, as a stepping-stone back to employment, for people in receipt of a range of social welfare payments including those on a long-term jobseeker’s payment. However, it is important to note that CE placements are not full-time sustainable jobs.
The JobPath service is provided for jobseekers only. The period of engagement with JobPath for any individual is typically 52 weeks. During that time, they receive intensive individual support to help them overcome barriers to employment and are also provided with a range of training and development supports, including online modules, career advice, CV preparation and interview skills. During the year, if a person is placed into a job they will continue to receive support for at least three months and up to an additional twelve months while in employment. Jobseekers who are engaged on JobPath are ineligible for CE for the duration of the JobPath intervention. People who have completed their year-long engagement with JobPath may, if eligible, apply to partake in a CE Scheme after they have been assessed by one of my Department’s case officers.
In general - and JobPath is no exception - jobseekers are not allowed to participate in two employment activation supports at the same time. Given the need to manage the allocation of places effectively, my Department does not facilitate or encourage jobseekers to leave one scheme early in order to take up a place on another scheme. Participation in other schemes remains an option once a person completes their JobPath engagement.
Finally, the Deputy should note that a review of CE schemes has taken place. I met with my officials to discuss the outcomes of this review and I hope to be in a position to bring a Memorandum to Government on these matters in the coming weeks. If there are any changes to be made, consultations with stakeholders will be facilitated.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
70. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the actions he is taking to tackle fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36020/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe risk of fuel poverty is influenced by a combination of fuel prices, weather, income and the heat efficiency of housing. My Department will continue to ensure that those on low incomes and those who are more vulnerable to energy poverty are supported through the fuel allowance and the household benefits package.
The fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 26 weeks from October to April, to over 376,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €224 million in 2016. This payment assists these households with the higher energy costs that arise in that period. It is 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 over 421,000 customers, at an estimated cost of €228 million in 2016.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, a special heating supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs due to ill health or infirmity. Exceptional needs payments may also be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which a person is unable to meet from his/her own resources.
The Government’s affordable energy strategy indicated that the best measure to address energy poverty is to improve the thermal efficiency of homes. The Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, funds energy efficiency improvements in the homes of the elderly and vulnerable, making the homes more comfortable, healthier and more cost effective to heat.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
71. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who have engaged with a company (details supplied) as part of JobPath to date; the success levels of these placements; if staff of JobPath subcontractors are subject to the same rigorous data protection laws as departmental staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35721/16]
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.
Some 30,000 jobseekers have started their JobPath engagement with Seetec. The service was rolled out on a phased basis from mid-2015 and the first groups of participants have only recently completed their engagement period with the service. Data in respect of these participants is currently being compiled and the number of job placements is expected to be available in the coming weeks.
Employees of Seetec, and their subcontractors, are subject to the same data protection laws as departmental staff. The JobPath companies may use jobseekers’ data only for the purposes of delivering employment services for the Department. Data is transmitted securely from the Department to the companies using secure Departmental approved transmission channels. Both companies store client personal data only in Ireland. No personally identifiable client information is stored outside Ireland. Both companies undertook independent audits of their data processes and procedures as part of their contractual obligations. They are registered with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner and are subject to the provisions of data protection legislation.
73. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the recommendations of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness that a targeted use of mortgage interest supplement be restored to assist persons with a short-term mortgage arrears problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35973/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra85. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to restore the mortgage interest supplement to assist persons with a short-term mortgage arrears problem. [36002/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 85 together.
The mortgage interest supplement (MIS) scheme is supporting 2,200 recipients at an estimated cost of €6 million for 2016 and is paid to people who were availing of this support prior to the closure to new claimants from 1st January 2014. I have no plans at this time to restore this scheme.
The most appropriate pathway for people experiencing mortgage difficulties is through on-going engagement with their lender; exploring sustainable solutions within the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP) and the provision of independent expert advice and support.
The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) has been developed to provide more targeted services to support mortgage holders in arrears. In mid–2015, a Dedicated Mortgage Arrears MABS (DMA MABS) service was established which focuses on post-MARP cases. There are 30 specialist mortgage advisors in place at 25 locations across the country and over 2,500 clients have engaged with this service to date.
In early October, together with the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, I launched ABHAILE, the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Service. A key component of ABHAILE is the Scheme of Aid and Advice for Borrowers in Home Mortgage Arrears. This scheme helps people who are insolvent and in serious mortgage arrears to access independent expert financial and legal advice, free of charge, with the key priority being to support families to remain in their own homes. The scheme is being put in place for a period of three years, at an expected total cost of €15 million, to include a promotional campaign to highlight the availability of the new services. To date, 2,400 vouchers have issued under this effective initiative.
I am continuing to monitor the supports and services which the Government has now put in place to assist homeowners in serious mortgage arrears.
74. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to tackle child poverty. [36032/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) for 2014 shows that 11.2 per cent of children were in consistent poverty, a slight decrease on the 2013 rate of 11.7 per cent. The full impact of the recovery is not yet reflected in these figures. Ireland has returned to strong economic and employment growth.
The monthly unemployment rate in October 2016 announced by the CSO was 7.7%, down from a peak of 15% in 2012. As unemployment is strongly linked to poverty, we can expect further decreases in poverty as the figures for 2015 and 2016 become available. The Government continues to focus on activation, to help people back into the workforce.
Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the national policy framework for children and young people, published by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in 2014, includes a target to reduce child poverty by two thirds by 2020. Meeting this target means lifting 97,000 children out of poverty. Under this Framework, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in collaboration with my Department and other relevant Departments is taking a whole-of-government approach to tackling child poverty.
Social transfers play a crucial role in alleviating poverty and inequality. In 2014, social transfers reduced the at-risk-of-poverty rate in Ireland from 37.2% to 15.6%, thereby lifting over a fifth of the population out of income poverty. Ireland is among the best performing EU Member States in this regard. Budget 2017 increased the weekly rates of payment for working age schemes and also raised the income disregard for one-parent family payment and jobseeker’s transition payment recipients. These measures will help to tackle child poverty.
Continued economic recovery, together with Government action to sustain and develop the social welfare system, will support further reductions in poverty over the coming years.
However, reducing child poverty is not just about income supports and welfare. Rather it is also about supporting parents to make the transition into employment and assisting families through the provision of quality services in areas such as childcare, education and health.
That is why one of the most important measures contained in Budget 2017 for tackling child poverty was the announcement that the Department of Children and Youth Affairs will implement next year the new Single Affordable Childcare Scheme. This scheme is a step change in State support for childcare in Ireland. It is an important scheme as it will significantly reduce the cost of childcare for low income parents and will provide further substantial support for families to lift themselves out of poverty by taking up employment.
75. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the operation of the contributory State pension; if he will examine the difficulties being experienced with regard to the annual averaging that is set out in the eligibility criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36059/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe rate of payment under the State pension (contributory) scheme is related to contributions paid over the years into the Social Insurance Fund, and credited contributions where applicable. As such, those with a stronger attachment to the workforce, who have paid more into that fund, are more likely to be paid at a higher rate under that scheme than those with more intermittent contributions made during their working life.
There are a number of criteria which must be satisfied in order to qualify for a State pension contributory, whether at full or reduced level. These include that the person must be aged 66 or over, and that they have at least 520 paid contributions, i.e., a minimum of 10 years. Provided a person satisfies all the relevant conditions, they may qualify for a State pension contributory, the minimum personal rate of which is €93.20, and the maximum personal rate of which is €233.30.
Since the contributory pension was introduced in 1961, the ‘yearly average’ contributions test has been used in calculating the level of pension entitlement, where the total contributions paid or credited are divided by the number of years of the working life (from their entry into insurable employment up to the year prior to their reaching State pension age).
The home-makers scheme makes qualification for a higher rate of 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 for such periods 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 State pension contributory also being satisfied. This has the effect of increasing the yearly average of the pensioner, which is used to set the rate of their pension.
It should also be noted that, where people cannot qualify for a full rate contributory pension as a result of an intermittent PRSI record, the social protection system provides alternative methods of supporting such people in old age. For example, 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 up to 95% of the maximum contributory pension rate.
The National Pensions Framework (2010) proposed that a “Total Contribution Approach” (TCA) should replace the yearly average approach for new pensioners from 2020. The aim of this approach is to make the rate of contributory pension more closely match contributions made by a person. Officials of my Department are currently working on the detailed development of the TCA with a view to making proposals for consideration in the first half of next year. It’s worth noting that this is a very significant reform with considerable legal, administrative, and technical elements in its implementation. An important element in the final design of the scheme will be the position of people who have gaps in their contribution records for various reasons, and this factor is being considered very carefully in developing this reform.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
