Written Answers Nos. 577-595
577. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the pension being paid to a person (details supplied) is the correct amount; if the tax deductions are correct; and if an examination of the matter will be expedited. [48989/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned is in receipt of maximum rate of state pension (contributory), together with an increase for their qualified adult, also payable at maximum rate.
State pension (contributory) payments are not taxed but pension payments are regarded as income for income tax purposes. The income tax liability of a person depends on their overall financial circumstances. Any matters relating to the income tax affairs of the person concerned should be directed to the Office of the Revenue Commissioners.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
580. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of retained firefighters who are in receipt of jobseeker's payments. [49000/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe identification of ‘retained fire fighters’ is dependent on the recipient informing the relevant INTREO office of their auxiliary profession.
On this basis, at the end of October 482 people who had identified themselves as a retained fire fighter were receiving a jobseeker’s payment from my Department.
581. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an application for maternity leave for a person (details supplied) will be expedited. [49023/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMaternity benefit applications are processed in commencement date order and at present claims with a commencement date of 25 December 2017 are being processed.
The person concerned has submitted an application with a leave commencement date of 24 December 2017. This claim is already in process but cannot be finalised until confirmation of her UK contribution record is received. This record has been requested from the UK; once it is available a decision will be made and communicated to her.
582. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average costs associated with processing and answering written and oral parliamentary questions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49123/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) has always been committed to being as transparent and helpful as possible to all members of the Oireachtas. In this regard the Department has set up dedicated enquiry telephone lines and specific email addresses for each section in the Department solely for the purpose of dealing with queries from members of the Oireachtas in relation to individual social welfare cases/claims. This also helps reduce the costs of answering Parliamentary Questions (PQs).
DEASP receives one of the highest number of PQs of all Government departments. In 2017 to date, nearly 4,000 PQs were tabled to the Department. There were approximately 3,676 Written PQs and 316 Oral/Priority PQs. The majority of PQs refer to the status of claims by individuals in relation to the variety of schemes administered by the Department.
There are approximately 600 staff members of varying grades involved at some level in distributing, answering and submitting PQs for approval across the Department. The length of time spent on dealing with PQs can vary from a few minutes to a number of hours per week. As the processing of answering PQs is undertaken as part of the normal day to day work of the individual sections within the Department it is not possible to readily isolate the costs of processing PQs from the overall administrative costs of the Department.
583. Deputy Maria Bailey asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a person who is officially retired from the Department of Education and Skills, having completed the necessary 40 years’ service for pension purposes and has been compelled to retire after 40 years' service is required to sign on for jobseeker's allowance even though the person is not actively seeking work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49157/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is no statutory retirement age in the State, and the age at which employees retire is a matter for the contract of employment between them and their employers. Questions relating to the employment conditions, including retirement and pension arrangements, for public and civil servants are a matter for my colleague Pascal Donohoe T.D., Minister for Finance & Public Expenditure and Reform.
There is no obligation on a person to make a claim for any social welfare payment. Where a person exits the workforce before reaching State pension age they may apply for either the contribution based jobseeker’s benefit or the means-tested jobseeker’s allowance schemes.
Jobseeker’s payments compensate for periods of involuntary unemployment only and for this reason social welfare legislation provides that all jobseekers must satisfy certain qualifying conditions in order to be entitled to an unemployment payment including being available for and genuinely seeking full-time work.
People in receipt of a jobseeker's payment must engage with my Department's activation measures and can face sanctions if they fail to do so. However, from January 2014 these criteria were eased for people aged 62 and over, such that they are not obliged to engage with the activation process. They are still able to voluntarily avail of an array of supports, which are available from my Department if they wish to return to work, training or education.
584. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the percentage of community services programmes generating traded income of 30% or more; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49184/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra585. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if it is policy to remove services and support from community services programmes which are unable to generate traded income of 30%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49185/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra586. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the socio-economic factors taken into consideration when granting or removing service and support for community services programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49186/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 584 to 586, inclusive, together.
The Community Services Programme (CSP) provides financial support to community companies that provide revenue generating services of a socially inclusive nature. The CSP works on a social-enterprise model. This means that it does not fully fund contract holders but requires that they generate revenue by charging fees or raising funds. All CSP recipients are obliged to meet these criteria. These social enterprises also remain responsible for their own budgets and financial liabilities.
It is not policy to remove services and support from community services programmes that are unable to generate traded income of 30% of overall annual turnover. Approximately 57% of all CSP supported enterprises meet the 30% guidance figure which, it should be noted, excludes fund-raising and donations.
CSP service providers are community businesses that operate using a social enterprise model of delivery, which means they are trying to become less dependent on state support. The defining characteristic of CSP services is that they are set up to provide social and economic value and are managed as going concerns with business and revenue targets set within a business plan. CSP investment is allocated through a co-funding approach, with a salary contribution provided towards the costs of employing a manager and/or a specified number of full time equivalent positions (FTEs) to community businesses that deliver services to, and create employment for, people from disadvantaged groups. Service providers are able to operate by generating sufficient traded income to cover their company and service operating costs (e.g. premises rent, vehicle costs, utilities, materials, etc.) as CSP support provides partial grant support towards the cost of each staffing position and does not cover operating costs.
Services must generate sufficient traded income to be viable and sustainable entities. Services that do not generate sufficient traded income are unlikely to be effective and risk the closure and loss of service to their local area. To identify and support organisations that are in difficulty, a review of each service provider’s annual financial statements is undertaken by Pobal, who operate the programme on behalf of my Department. Any positive or negative trends in financial performance are noted. The figure of 30% of turnover for traded income provides an early indicator of possible financial issues. It is also part of a ‘rule of thumb’ that includes CSP funding not being more than 50% of annual turnover. This acts as a guideline for organisations. Any decision to reduce or remove grant support is taken after a broader assessment of the contract holder in areas such as service performance, the need for each staff position and financial data. To this end, Pobal and my Department look at the contract holder’s track record and performance. This includes an assessment of the capacity of work scheduled against the level of CSP allocation (including any spare capacity or under-utilisation in relation to the CSP funded positions in terms of the level of income generation) and whether it could be done under a relevant activation programme which, in some cases, can be much more effective and less of a cost to the organisation.
All CSP contract holders must periodically submit a business plan to Pobal for assessment. Pobal will then provide a recommendation to my Department for a decision on the issue of a future CSP contract. This business plan provides prospective new entrants and existing contract holders the opportunity to highlight relevant socio-economic information pertaining to their service and geographical area.
The purpose of the business plan is to encourage organisations to undertake a strategic review of their operations to ensure the services they provide match the continuing needs of the local population or sector of society being served. Secondly, as CSP support is sourced from public funds, a value for money determination is made. The information provided in the business plan is also necessary to demonstrate that CSP investment is meeting an evidenced need in a particular community. It is important for service providers to use available statistics such as the Pobal HP deprivation index in their business plan, supported by local research, to verify the need for the service and demonstrate that they meet the criteria of the programme. In summary, any decision to grant or remove CSP support does takes available socio-economic information into account.
I hope this clarifies the matters for the Deputy.
587. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a self-employed person who is paying class S PRSI and who is now incapable of working will be able to apply for invalidity pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49200/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSelf-employed workers will be eligible to apply for invalidity pension from 1 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. The Department has commenced a national radio and print media campaign to ensure that self-employed people are aware of this significant development and to provide details of how to apply.
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 have been extended so as to provide further dental and optical benefits for both the self-employed and employees.
I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
588. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration is being given to give dental hygienists a dental treatment benefit contract in order to allow persons avail of a free scale and polish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49207/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn order to hold a contract under the Department’s treatment benefit scheme, a practitioner must be entitled to operate in their own right. Dental hygienists cannot currently operate independently. Under the Irish Dental Council’s code of practice, “Dental work carried out by a dental hygienist may only be carried out under the supervision of a registered dentist, who has first examined the patient and who has indicated to the dental hygienist the course of treatment to be provided.” As a result, it is currently not possible for dental hygienists to hold a contract with this Department.
I understand that consideration is being given by the Department of Health to allow a range of health professionals, including dental hygienists, to operate in independent practice. This is under consideration as part of proposed new legislation to replace the Dentists Act 1985.
My Department is awaiting the outcome of these considerations.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
589. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an exceptional needs payment will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49214/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to Parliamentary Question 48047-17. Following on from this PQ, application forms were sent to the person concerned by the designated person. According to the records of the Department these forms have not been returned and there has been no contact from the person concerned.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
590. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will indicate eligibility for a carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49216/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy department received an application for carers allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 12 December 2016.
The maximum rate of CA was awarded to him on 27 February 2017 and first payment issued to his nominated post office on 16 March 2017.
Arrears of allowance due from to 15 December 2016 to 15 March 2017 issued on 6 April 2017.
The person concerned was notified on 27 February 2017 of this decision, the reason for it and of his right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
591. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if financial assistance can be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied) who wishes to undertake a carer's course; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49237/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraPeople engaging with the JobPath service receive intensive individual support to help overcome barriers on their journey back to full-time sustainable work.
Each person is assigned a personal advisor who assesses their skills, experience, challenges and work goals and agrees a personal progress plan (PPP) that includes a schedule of activities, including relevant training and educational programmes.
There are no barriers to any participants pursuing training, including further education and training courses, providing they are relevant to the agreed PPP.
Where a course is not available through an existing funded provision a client can be provided with financial assistance to secure suitable alternative training. This process is managed by the Job Path provider on a case by case basis.
In the case of the customer mentioned above, the JobPath provider has advised my Department that they have already sourced a fully funded course in her preferred area of work with the local Education and Training Board and will discuss with her at her next scheduled appointment.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
592. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason that clerical officers within her Department have had to take on extra responsibilities in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49242/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraClerical Officers in my Department are liable for any duties appropriate to their grade. Subject to this, and given the ongoing changes in the delivery of services by the Department, staff members at all grades may be required to undertake different work, either in their original business unit or in another business unit on reassignment.
593. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her views on whether the business object model implementation, BOMi, system within her Department is sufficiently accurate in its calculations; the procedures in place to assess the information inputted into BOMi; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49243/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Business Object Model Implementation (BOMi) system is my Departments primary modern technology platform for processing claims and payments across all schemes. The BOMi system has issued payments to customers of my Department from 2013 to date.
Accuracy of BOMi system calculations is achieved through the adoption of key measures that are built into every part of the system.
A comprehensive quality assurance process is in place to ensure that software based calculations performed by BOMi systems are accurate. This process involves multiple phases of system, user acceptance and regression testing prior to implementation of each software release. Testing phases are supported by a very large suite of automated tests which are constantly updated. Representatives of each business area also participate in a rigorous end-to-end acceptance test prior to each software release.
To further ensure accuracy of information, access to input data on BOMi system is controlled by role based security and only Officers assigned with the appropriate role can enter data on BOMi. All accesses to the BOMi system and all updates to the data therein, are recorded and are audited.
All aspects of the BOMi system - including system processes, operating procedures and information accuracy are also subject to regular independent audits.
594. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of complaints made about participation in or interaction with the JobPath programme, by county, in tabular form; her plans to review the operation of this programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49244/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraTo date 131,986 Jobseekers have been referred to the service, with 421 complaints received in total – 0.32 per cent. 305 of these were related to Customer Service, 61 involved policy issues, 40 related to client not wishing to engage, 8 Data Protection queries and 7 related to Legislation.
As of 10 November, 366 of these complaints have been resolved to a satisfactory level; the remainder (55) are being investigated at present.
A breakdown of the number of complaints on a county by county basis is not currently available.
Each JobPath provider has a comprehensive Complaints Procedure which is advertised in every location. The procedure contains levels of escalation whereby complaints are dealt with at the appropriate level of authority and ensuring that matters are fully addressed. In the event a customer has availed of this procedure but remains dissatisfied with the response to their complaint, they may request my department to carry out a review.
The JobPath providers log and record all complaints they receive and submit the total twice monthly to my Department. Likewise, my Department log and record all complaints received directly in respect of the JobPath service and forward them to the JobPath provider in line with their contract obligations.
JobPath is assessed on an on-going basis through regular inspections and performance reporting.
The inspections monitor compliance with the service level agreement and the contract generally, including the suitability and standard of accommodation, staffing levels, Irish language compliance, customer service and customer feedback, checking the client’s Personal Progression Plan, Review Meetings compliance, the checking of Job Sustainment Fee Evidence Types and Exit Plans.
To date, 46 on-site inspections have been carried out at provider service delivery locations, 9 of which were un-notified.
My Department has begun publishing a performance report for the service on a quarterly basis. The most recent report was published on the Department’s website in June and can be accessed at - http://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/JobPath_Performance_Report2017.pdf.
It is intended that a full econometric evaluation of the service will commence in early 2018.
In addition my Department commissions regular, independent, Customer Satisfaction Surveys to ensure that services are being delivered satisfactorily.
The outcomes of the customer satisfaction survey, also published in January, indicate that jobseekers are having a positive experience with the service. For example, jobseekers felt that they were receiving a good service (with 71 to 86% satisfaction vs. 5 – 8% dissatisfaction) and that the staff of the service made them feel valued (90+ %). Finally, the Department intends to commission a full econometric evaluation of the service towards the end of 2017, when a sufficient number of jobseekers will have completed their engagement period with the service and when a robust set of outcome data will be available to facilitate the analysis.
I trust this clarifies the matters for the Deputy.
595. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the way in which €71.2 million was allocated to and-or payments were made to contractors in the context of the JobPath scheme since 2015 to date in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49257/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraJobPath is a payment by results model and all set-up and day-to-day operational costs are borne by the companies. The companies are paid on the basis of performance and with the exception of the initial registration fee; payments are made only when a client has achieved sustained employment. The registration fee may be claimed once a jobseeker has developed a Personal Progression Plan (PPP). Job Sustainment Fees (JSF) are payable for each 13 week period of sustained employment, up to a maximum of 52 weeks (i.e. 4 payments).
Consequently the contractors will not be able to fully recover their costs unless they help a sufficient number of jobseekers to secure employment and then support them to sustain that employment over a 12 month period.
The overall cost of JobPath will be determined by the number of people who participate in the programme and the number who get sustainable jobs.
The total amount paid in fees from the outset of the service in July 2015 up to the end of September 2017 is €71.2m, however 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.
