Written Answers Nos. 732 to 747
732. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made in respect of two carer's allowance applications submitted by a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay in making a decision on this application in view of the fact that the application has been lodged since January 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32147/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that my Department received two applications for carer’s allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 17 January 2017.
The applications were awarded to the person concerned on 11 July 2017 and the first payment will issue to their nominated bank account on 20 July 2017.
Arrears of carer’s allowance due from 19 January 2017 to 19 July 2017 will issue shortly.
The person concerned was notified on 11 July 2017 of this decision, the reason for it and of their right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
733. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an oral hearing for a carer's allowance application by a person (details supplied). [32174/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that the appeal from the person concerned was referred to an Appeals Officer who has decided to hold an oral hearing in this case in early August 2017. The person concerned will be notified shortly of the arrangements for the 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.
734. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeframe for the changes to community employment schemes announced by the previous Minister for Social Protection to come into effect; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32193/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing the publication of my Department’s Report - An Analysis of the Community Employment Programme- earlier in the year, the Government approved a number of changes to the terms and conditions around participation on Community Employment (CE). The main purpose of these changes is to broaden the availability of CE to a greater number of people on the live register and to standardise other conditions around the length of time a person can participate on the programme.
The changes will see the general qualifying age for CE, for those on the live register, reduced from 25 to 21 years. It will now be easier for previous participants, who have exhausted their CE entitlement, to requalify as participation prior to the year 2007 will be disregarded. While participants between 21 and 55 years are entitled to one year on the programme, this can be extended by up to 2 more years if they are engaged in a recognised training or education award that is helping them progress towards employment. All CE participants age 55 and over can now avail of 3 consecutive years on a CE scheme. There will be an overall lifetime limit of 6 years from 2007 (or 7 years if on a disability payment).
Following consultation workshops with stakeholders throughout the country, I approved the implementation of these changes with effect from Monday 3rd July 2017.
Further changes which will be progressed over the coming months include the roll-out of the ‘two strand approach’ of activation and social inclusion in terms of how CE places are categorised. In addition, a review of the rules governing the participation of older people on schemes is being undertaken which I expect will be completed by the early autumn.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
735. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount spent by her Department on external consultancy reports between May 2016 and June 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32194/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe table sets out the external consultancy reports in relation to which expenditure was incurred by my Department in the period from May 2016 and June 2017.
|
External Consultancy Report |
Amount spent (€) |
|
Health & Safety Risk Audit - Longford Headquarters and Intreo Office |
€1,224 |
|
Assessment of Indoor Air Quality - Longford Headquarters |
€1,913 |
|
Joint Research Programme on Retirement |
€61,500 |
|
Data Protection – General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) Scoping |
€3,444 |
|
Jobseeker and JobPath Customer Satisfaction Surveys |
€142,156 |
|
Review of the Predictive Analytic Modelling Solutions. |
€9,471 |
|
Back to Education Allowance Qualitative Study |
€50,670 |
|
Review of the Local Employment Services and Job Club services |
€87,232 |
|
TOTAL |
€357,610 |
736. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has given consideration to the Dáil Éireann motion which called for the restructuring of MABS and CIS to be halted and a report from the Joint Committee on Social Protection which advocated for same; her plans to proceed with the restructuring process regardless of this motion and report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32195/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the Citizens Information Board (CIB) has statutory responsibility for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and the Citizens Information Services (CIS). In November 2014 the Board of the Citizens Information Board decided to restructure the local CIS/MABS networks. In October 2016 the Board decided that the new structure should be regionally based. In February 2017 the Board adopted a recommendation that the current structure of ninety three individual local companies would be replaced by sixteen regional companies, comprising eight CIS and eight MABS boards.
As a statutory body, the Board has the sole right to make decisions on its day to day operations as it sees fit. It would not be lawful or appropriate for me, as Minister, to seek to intervene in such a decision taken by the Board.
The aim of the change is to improve the effectiveness of the control environment, financial management, and governance of CIS and MABS service networks. I know that CIB has not taken this operational decision lightly. It follows almost five years of analysis and consideration of options and extensive consultation with all stakeholders.
The reorganisation process is expected to take up to two years to complete. An implementation group has been established by CIB to assist with this process, membership of which will evolve in line with specific expertise requirements as the project progresses. CIB has held a number of regional consultations on implementation of the new structure during the month of May, attended by 350 representatives of boards, management, staff and volunteers of local services. Following on from these sessions, CIB in recent days has issued a questionnaire to all board members, staff, managers and volunteers across CIS and MABS companies to capture further views and feedback, particularly from those who, for one reason or another, could not attend the sessions held in May.
On foot of a recent procurement exercise, CIB is expected to shortly appoint an independent external provider to undertake a full Cost Benefit Analysis on the new regional model.
CIB is seeking to implement the Board’s decision in a consultative way and is making genuine efforts to allay concerns of staff and boards of local services in relation to the operation of the new structure.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
737. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of social welfare appeals lodged in each of the years 2012 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form; the percentage of appeals which were successful; the average waiting time in these years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32196/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe tables provide the details which have been requested by the Deputy from 2012 to date in 2017.
The figures provided in the tables for appeals which had a favourable outcome for the appellant relate to appeals which were either allowed in full or in part by an Appeals Officer, or which were resolved by way of a revised decision in favour of the appellant by a Deciding Officer/Designated Person.
There are a number of reasons why a decision which was refused at first instance might be successful on appeal and it is not necessarily the case that the first decision was incorrect. It is often the case that new evidence is provided with an appeal and that, as a result, the original decision may be revised by the Deciding Officer or Designated Person. This was the case in 35 per cent of favourable appeal outcomes in 2015 (5,200 cases), some 37 per cent of favourable appeal outcomes in 2016 (5,100 cases) and some 39.8% of favourable appeals to date in 2017 (2,253 cases).
Where the decision was not revised by the Department in light of the appeal contentions, further evidence is often provided by the appellant as the appeal process proceeds and in addition, the Appeals Officer may gain insights when they meet the appellant in person at oral hearing which may influence the outcome of the appeal.
The time taken to process an appeal reflects all aspects of the appeal process including the time spent in the Department preparing the appeal submission. The quasi-judicial nature of the system impacts on appeal processing times which are proportionate to the complexity of many of the issues under appeal which often require a high level of judgement, in addition to the need to ensure due process and natural justice.
Overall appeal processing times peaked in 2011/2012 and have improved year on year since then. For example, the average time taken to determine an appeal requiring an oral hearing reduced from 52.5 weeks in 2011 to 28.6 weeks in 2014, 25.5 weeks in 2015, 24.1 weeks in 2016 and 25 weeks to date in 2017. The average time taken to finalise an appeal decided by way of a summary decision reduced from 25.1 weeks in 2011 to 21.1 weeks in 2014, 18.1 weeks in 2015, 17.6 weeks in 2016 and 18.5 weeks to date in 2017.
Notwithstanding these improvements, the Chief Appeals Officer has advised me that appeal processing times will continue to be a priority for her office and will continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Appeal Receipts and Percentage of Favourable Decisions of Appeals Finalised 2012 – 2017
|
Appeal Receipts |
Appeals Finalised |
Favourable Decisions |
Appeals Disallowed |
Withdrawn |
|
|
2012 |
35,484 |
32,558 |
50.4% |
42.6% |
7.0% |
|
2013 |
32,777 |
38,421 |
55.0% |
39.0% |
6.0% |
|
2014 |
26,069 |
31,211 |
56.5% |
37.7% |
5.8% |
|
2015 |
24,475 |
25,406 |
58.8% |
36.1% |
5.1% |
|
2016 |
22,461 |
23,220 |
59.2% |
35.9% |
4.9% |
|
2017 |
10,481 |
9,707 |
58.4% |
35.5% |
6.2% |
Appeal Processing Times 2012– 2017
|
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
|
2012 |
27.8 |
39.5 |
|
2013 |
25.8 |
33.9 |
|
2014 |
21.1 |
28.6 |
|
2015 |
18.1 |
25.5 |
|
2016 |
17.6 |
24.1 |
|
2017 (to 30/6/2017) |
18.5 |
25.0 |
738. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the average waiting time in 2017 in respect of a decision for all social welfare payments paid on a weekly basis; the average waiting time for appeal for each of these payments in cases in which there is no oral hearing and an oral hearing respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32197/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the tables.
Social Welfare claims by average waiting times 31 May 2017
|
Scheme |
Average Waiting time (weeks) |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
1 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
2 |
|
One-Parent Family Payment |
5 |
|
State Pension Contributory |
5 |
|
Widow’s, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension |
1 |
|
State Pension Non-Contributory |
12 |
|
Free Travel |
2 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
18 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
1 |
|
Treatment Benefit |
6 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
6* |
|
Paternity Benefit |
6* |
|
Family Income Supplement (New) |
3 |
|
Carer's Allowance |
13 |
|
Carer’s Benefit |
7 |
|
Disability Allowance |
12 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
7 |
|
Illness Benefit |
1 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
1 |
|
*As at end-April 2017 |
Appeal processing times 01 January 2017- 31 May 2017
|
Average processing times (weeks) Summary Decisions |
Average processing times (weeks) Oral Hearings |
|
|
Carers Allowance |
20.5 |
22.8 |
|
Carers Benefit |
16.3 |
21.3 |
|
Disability Allowance |
16.3 |
21.2 |
|
Illness Benefit |
27.5 |
31.0 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
24.1 |
30.4 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
15.8 |
20.3 |
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
24.9 |
37.3 |
|
State Pension (Non-Contributory) |
21.6 |
34.3 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Means) |
16.3 |
24.6 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
15.7 |
24.3 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
15.6 |
17.9 |
739. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 1989 of 20 June 2017, when an application for domiciliary care allowance will be processed for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32210/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department is currently experiencing delays in the processing of Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) claims. We are extremely sorry for any worry or concern this may cause to parents/guardians of children with additional care needs. At present it is taking 20 weeks on average to finalise an application. Applications are processed in date of receipt order. There are a number of factors that have contributed to the extended time required to process claims.
First, there is a significant increase in the volume of applications being received. The numbers applying for DCA have increased significantly since 2009, when the Department took over administration of the scheme from the HSE. The year on year increase in volumes over recent years has consistently been in the 15-20% range due to an increase in population and more awareness of the scheme. Over 1,000 claims were received in May, along with a further 700 in June; whereas the average would have been 400 per month a few years ago.
Secondly, following a High Court ruling in 2016, there is now a need for the Department’s medical assessors to provide the deciding officer with a more detailed opinion on the child’s eligibility for the scheme and for the deciding officer in turn to provide more detailed reasons for their decision when communicating this to the customer. These factors have resulted in the time taken to finalise applications increasing significantly and as a result the numbers being processed have reduced and the timescale to finalise each application has increased
Corrective actions are being taken, with additional deciding officers assigned to work on the scheme. Once these deciding officers become fully operational, the increase in claim processing capacity should allow for an improvement in processing times.
An application for DCA in respect of this child was received in the Department on the 22nd February 2017. While it is not feasible to provide an exact date of when a particular application will be finalised, the applications currently being finalised were received in early February 2017. This application will be considered by a Deciding Officer and the decision notified as soon as possible.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
740. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Protection the unallocated spend within her Department for 2017; the expenditure allocated to programmes in 2017 which are due to cease in 2017; the funds that will become available within her Department's expenditure profile in 2018 due to changes in demand for services or changes to costs within her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32220/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra741. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection the unallocated spend within her Department for 2017; the expenditure allocated to programmes in 2017 which are due to cease in 2017; the funds that will become available within her Department's expenditure profile in 2018 due to changes in demand for goods and services and or changes to costs within her Department and so on; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32239/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 740 and 741 together.
The 2017 Revised Estimates Volume provides for a total of €19.854 billion for expenditure on the schemes, services and administration of the Department of Social Protection. This entire sum is allocated by sub-head and there is no unallocated amount. The 2017 allocations by sub-head are the amounts which were estimated late last year to be those required for this year. It should be noted, however, that most of the schemes operated by my Department are demand driven and, as a result, the final out-turn is dependent on a wide range of factors including developments in the wider economy and the labour market, in particular.
The Budget Day estimates published last October provide for expenditure of €19.936 billion in 2018. The Department is currently preparing its existing level of service requirement for 2018. This will take into account existing and anticipated trends in recipient numbers, average payment values, the impact of carryover costs from the Budget 2017 measures, the number of pay-days (by scheme) in 2018, increases or decreases in administration costs as well as projected demographic and labour market impacts. Accordingly, it should be noted that expenditure on any given scheme can rise or fall in any given year because of these factors (and that each individual factor can have either a negative or positive impact on expenditure).
Given the scale of overall expenditure and the wide range of schemes operated this is a complex and time consuming task and it is too early to predict at this stage what the actual requirement for 2018 will be. The process underway will feed into the Estimates and Budgetary process later this year.
742. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing rent supplement by 20% in counties Dublin and Cork. [32331/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra743. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of creating new rent supplement thresholds at sub-county levels for all local electoral areas that are designated as rent-pressure zones and allowing a 10% increase in thresholds in these new areas. [32332/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra746. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households in receipt of rent supplement in each respective year since it was introduced to date in 2017. [32502/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra747. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of new recipients of rent supplement in each respective year since it was introduced to date in 2017. [32503/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 742, 743, 746 and 747 together.
Rent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 41,200 recipients for which the Government has provided €253 million for in 2017.
The Department carried out a review of the rent limits in line with the commitments contained in the Programme for a Partnership Government and increased limits were introduced in all areas of the country with effect from 1 July 2016. The rent limit review conducted represents a realignment of the maximum rent limits with agreed rents generally benchmarked against the 35th percentile of those rents registered with the Residential Tenancies Board.
Initial analysis shows that increasing rent limits by 20%, for almost 23,000 rent supplement recipients in Dublin and Cork would result in a full year cost of approximately €39 million once fully implemented.
Analysis of rent supplement tenancies by local electoral area is not possible given current data collection methodologies for rent supplement claims, however, increasing rent limits by 10% for those counties with designated Rent Pressure Zones, namely: Cork; Dublin; Galway; Kildare; Meath; and Wicklow would result in a full year cost of approximately €22.5 million once fully implemented.
As the Deputy will be aware the strategic policy direction of the Department is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of being a short-term income support following the nationwide rollout of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. Any further review of prescribed rent limits would have to be considered in a budgetary context and in conjunction with my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government.
Statistics on rent supplement recipients since 1999 are provided in the tables along with statistics in relation to rent supplement awards from 2014 to date, information for earlier years is not readily available.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Table 1: Rent Supplement - Recipient Numbers: 1999 to Present
|
Year |
Recipients |
% Change |
|
1999 |
41,873 |
|
|
2000 |
42,683 |
1.90% |
|
2001 |
45,028 |
5.50% |
|
2002 |
54,213 |
20.40% |
|
2003 |
59,976 |
10.60% |
|
2004 |
57,874 |
3.50% |
|
2005 |
60,176 |
4.00% |
|
2006 |
59,861 |
-0.50% |
|
2007 |
59,726 |
-0.20% |
|
2008 |
74,038 |
24.00% |
|
2009 |
93,030 |
25.70% |
|
2010 |
97,260 |
4.50% |
|
2011 |
96,803 |
-0.50% |
|
2012 |
87,684 |
-9.40% |
|
2013 |
79,788 |
-9.00% |
|
2014 |
71,533 |
-10.30% |
|
2015 |
61,247 |
-14.30% |
|
2016 |
48,041 |
-21.60% |
|
2017 |
41,240* |
*As at end June 2017
Table 2: Rent Supplement – New Awards 2014 to end June 2017
|
Year |
No. of New Awards |
|
2014 |
27,389 |
|
2015 |
20,186 |
|
2016 |
13,622 |
|
End June 2017 |
500 |
744. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications currently being assessed for each social welfare payment; the average turnaround time in 2017; the expected date a decision would be made in respect of an application lodged in July 2017, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32355/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the table.
|
Scheme |
Pending Start of May 2017 |
Average Time To Award (weeks) (Jan – May 2017) |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
3,094 |
1 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
6,129 |
2 |
|
One-Parent Family Payment |
1,171 |
6 |
|
State Pension Contributory (Dom) |
3,533 |
6 |
|
Widow(er)'s Contributory Pension |
300 |
1 |
|
State Pension Non-Contributory |
2,321 |
11 |
|
Household Benefits |
2,564 |
2 |
|
Free Travel |
10 |
2 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
2,649 |
16 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
2,841 |
1 |
|
Child Benefit (Domestic & FRA) |
1,485 |
3 |
|
Child Benefit (EU Regulation) |
1,030 |
30 |
|
Treatment Benefit |
31,929 |
6 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
5,398 |
6 |
|
Paternity Benefit |
1,840 |
6 |
|
Family Income Supplement (New) |
3,707 |
3 |
|
Carer's Allowance |
4,512 |
12 |
|
Disability Allowance |
5,991 |
12 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
1,835 |
7 |
|
Illness Benefit |
3,128 |
1 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
150 |
1 |
745. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection when extra supports will be made available to the self-employed; if the self-employed will become eligible for the illness benefit in addition to the invalidity pension; the short-term benefits available to self-employed people who become ill and are unable to work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32445/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSelf-employed workers will be eligible to apply for invalidity pension from December 2017. This is a major reform as self-employed people could have access to income support without having to go through a means test, if they become permanently incapable of work as a result of an illness or disability.
Since March 2017, self-employed people have access to the treatment benefit scheme which includes free eye and dental exams, and contributions towards the cost of hearing aids. This measure benefits over 300,000 self-employed workers and their dependants. From October 2017, treatment benefit entitlements will also be extended so as to provide further dental and optical benefits for both the self-employed and employees.
As part of an examination of a further extension of illness benefits to self-employed people, I will take account of the recently published results of survey of self-employed workers, which indicated that self-employed people are open to paying a higher rate of social insurance in return for additional benefits, and of the forthcoming actuarial review of the social insurance fund, which will include an examination of the cost of extending specific benefits to the self-employed. Together these two reports will inform the development of benefits for self-employed people.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
