Written Answers Nos 231-242
231. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if his attention has been drawn to the number of breeding dogs at a puppy farm (details supplied); if the establishment has been inspected; and if it is registered and in compliance with the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010. [21771/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra232. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if his attention has been drawn to the number of breeding dogs at a puppy farm (details supplied); if the establishment has been inspected; and if it is registered and in compliance with the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010. [21826/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 232 together.
The day to day regulation of dog breeding establishments to ensure compliance with the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 is a matter for local authorities and I do not have a function in these operational activities.
However, on foot of the Deputy's question, enquiries have been made by my Department with the relevant local authority, which has indicated that the enterprise referenced is currently registered as a Dog Breeding Establishment for up to 100 breeding bitches.
Veterinary inspections of the premises are carried out on an on-going basis. The Local Authority has also confirmed that no dog breeding establishment is registered or renewed in its area without an inspection to determine compliance with the Dog Breeding Establishment guidelines.
The most recent inspection was carried out by the Local Authority on the 10th May 2017, and it has confirmed that further inspections will be carried out in 2018.
The Local Authority has confirmed that the premises has been registered since 2015. It received two inspections in 2015, and a further two in 2016. Two of the previous inspections were completed jointly with Department of Agriculture & Marine Veterinary Inspectors.
233. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the process for registration of a marriage if required in less than three months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21873/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraLegislation governing marriages is found in Part 6 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 (as amended). Section 46 of that Act requires that the parties to the intended marriage give to a registrar three months’ notice of their intention to marry, unless an exemption has been granted by the courts under section 47.
Applications for an exemption may be made to either: (i) the Circuit Family Court in the jurisdiction in which either of the parties reside or carry on any profession, business or occupation or where the place of the intended marriage is situated; or (ii) the High Court.
An application may be made informally and may be held in camera. No court fee will be charged. An exemption will not be granted unless the applicants can show that it is justified by serious reasons and that it is in their interests.
234. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21745/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care. I confirm that my department received an application for CA from the person concerned on the 24 April 2018.
The application is currently being processed and once completed, the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
235. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount paid out by each community welfare office under the exceptional needs payment in 2017. [21747/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra236. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount paid out by each community welfare office under the exceptional needs payment to cover fuel costs in 2017. [21748/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 235 and 236 together.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The Government has provided over €36 million for exceptional and urgent payments in 2018.
Statistics are maintained relating to payments under the ENP scheme, however they are not maintained on the amount paid by each Community Welfare Office. Over 103,400 ENPs issued during 2017 at a provisional cost of €38 million.
In 2017 there were 2,140 payments made at a cost of over €586,000 under the ENP scheme for assistance towards heating related costs, which includes fuel and essential repairs to equipment. Details of theses payment by county are provided in the table.
Should the Deputy be aware of a case which may require an ENP, the person should be advised to contact their local community welfare service who may be able to offer assistance.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Heating category ENPs by County in 2017
|
County |
No. of Payments |
Expenditure |
|
Carlow |
34 |
€7,911 |
|
Cavan |
38 |
€9,636 |
|
Clare |
49 |
€13,672 |
|
Cork |
392 |
€139,498 |
|
Donegal |
68 |
€17,053 |
|
Dublin |
52 |
€30,983 |
|
Galway |
132 |
€30,328 |
|
Kerry |
108 |
€28,265 |
|
Kildare |
91 |
€25,585 |
|
Kilkenny |
72 |
€14,750 |
|
Laois |
35 |
€11,863 |
|
Leitrim |
48 |
€11,644 |
|
Limerick |
145 |
€38,657 |
|
Longford |
26 |
€5,270 |
|
Louth |
36 |
€13,330 |
|
Mayo |
78 |
€18,027 |
|
Meath |
33 |
€5,280 |
|
Monaghan |
5 |
€1,250 |
|
Offaly |
17 |
€4,350 |
|
Roscommon |
94 |
€20,193 |
|
Sligo |
134 |
€37,330 |
|
Tipperary |
221 |
€43,298 |
|
Waterford |
26 |
€9,502 |
|
Westmeath |
28 |
€5,948 |
|
Wexford |
117 |
€25,441 |
|
Wicklow |
63 |
€17,090 |
|
Total |
2,142 |
€586,152 |
These figures are taken from the Department’s ENP database and represent a snapshot of the ENPs as they are approved by an officer rather than when they are paid. The figures do not capture payments that are cancelled, payments that go out of date or overpayments recouped.
237. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her Department is carrying out an examination of the effectiveness of the fuel allowance payment; if other examinations into the payment are taking place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21749/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week from October to April, to over 338,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €227 million in 2018. 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’s schemes, including the Fuel Allowance scheme, are constantly reviewed to ensure that they are fulfilling their objectives. Recent changes to the scheme which helped increase its effectiveness include extending the duration of the scheme to 27 weeks and the introduction of an option for qualified households to receive their fuel allowance payment in two lump sums, thereby allowing people to buy fuel in bulk and potentially avail of special offers or discounts on the purchase of the particular fuel that meets their specific needs.
Fuel allowance is not the sole income support mechanism through which assistance is provided to people with special or additional heating needs. My Department also pays an electricity or gas allowance as part of the household benefits package at an estimated cost of €237 million in 2018. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, a special heating supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances that have special heating needs. Exceptional needs payments (ENP) may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which an applicant is unable to meet out of his/her own resources.
Income support is only part of the answer in terms of addressing fuel poverty. The best way to tackle fuel poverty in the long term is to improve the energy efficiency of the dwelling through proper building and household insulation. Initiatives such as the Warmer Homes Scheme, operated by Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland, under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment have a very valuable role to play in that regard. Furthermore, that Department also has responsibility for the Government’s main approach to this issue, contained in “A Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty 2016-2019” which is available on that Department’s website at www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/energy/publications/Pages/Strategy-to-combat-energy-poverty.aspx.
The Government is committed to protecting vulnerable households from the impact of energy costs through a combination of supports, investment in programmes to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock and energy efficiency awareness initiatives.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
238. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has set up a working group to examine child maintenance; if such work is ongoing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21750/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs I advised the Deputy in response to recent questions on this issue, the establishment of a service to assist lone parents to seek child maintenance payments would be a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, as the Family Law Acts, which place a legal obligation on parents to maintain their children, are under the remit of that Department.
In cases where the family unit has broken down, obligations regarding child maintenance continue to apply, and relevant maintenance payments can be arranged either directly between the parents themselves or through supports like the Family Mediation Service, the Legal Aid Board and the Courts.
To date I have had a number of meetings within my own Department in this regard. My Department is now reviewing the current maintenance and liable relative procedures only in so far as they relate to the one-parent family payment scheme administered by my department, and work has commenced on this review. This will necessitate my Department liaising with the Department of Justice and Equality as the Department responsible for the Family Law Acts. I hope to convene a meeting in the weeks ahead, following the completion of this work.
239. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will meet with representatives of an organisation (details supplied) regarding the closure of the defined benefit scheme at a company; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21751/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraScheme trustees have duties and responsibilities under trust law, under other relevant legislation and under the Pensions Act, 1990, as amended. The duties of pension scheme trustees include administering the trust in accordance with the law and the terms of the trust deed and rules. Consequently any decisions made by corporate or individual trustees of an occupational pension scheme are governed by the relevant legislation. The provisions of the Pensions Act are enforced through the supervision of the Pensions Authority.
Although the Pensions Authority is under the aegis of my Department, it regulates pension schemes entirely independently of my Department. Therefore, I am not in a position to directly intervene in individual pension schemes and it would not be appropriate for me to meet with unions regarding such schemes.
If scheme members or Deputies have concerns about any such pension scheme they should address queries directly to the Pensions Authority.
Neither I nor the Pensions Authority has the power under legislation to intervene to compel an employer to continue to make contributions to a scheme. Even where a scheme is closed to new members or to future accrual of benefits, the sponsoring employer role continues in relation to that scheme.
Almost all Irish defined benefit schemes have a rule that allows the employer to cease contributions, usually after a notice period. Currently there is no legislative obligation on the employer to make contributions and no further liability on the employer where contributions cease. Neither is there an obligation on the employer to give notice to members or to consult in advance of ceasing contributions.
However, in the case where a restructuring of benefits is proposed, the employer and the trustees of a pension scheme are required to notify scheme members, beneficiaries and the authorised trade unions. Furthermore, changes made to the Occupational Pension Schemes (Section 50 and 50B) Regulations in 2015 require trustees to also notify groups representing the interests of pensioners and deferred scheme members in a scheme in such a situation.
The Roadmap for Pensions Reform, which was published recently, details specific measures that will modernise our pension system. It sets out under Strand 4, ‘Measures to Support the Operation of Defined Benefit Schemes’, that the Government is committed to advancing the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017. The purpose of this Bill is to respond to the ongoing difficulties in DB schemes and to increase protections for members as well as encouraging employers to ensure that schemes are well funded and managed.
The general scheme of the Bill, which was published in May 2017, contained a number of key measures relating to DB pension schemes. These proposed provisions will ensure that an employer cannot “walk away” at short notice from the pension scheme it is supporting by providing a 12 month notification period where an employer is seeking to cease making contributions to a scheme. The amendments seek a middle road between the current position where employers can abandon DB schemes and full and immediate debt on employer provisions. The measures will act to support existing provisions in the Pensions Act and will provide for further protection for scheme members’ benefits and enhance employer responsibilities for their schemes.
The amendments also provide for more frequent monitoring of the financial position of schemes and will further provide that, where a scheme is in deficit and a funding proposal has not been put in place in a timely manner, the Pensions Authority may direct steps to be taken to ensure that the scheme meets the funding standard.
It is important to note that if this new legislation is enacted, a scheme will have to give a minimum notice period of twelve months before contributions can be stopped. However, it will not prevent a company from ceasing contributions once the minimum notice period is served provided the scheme meets the minimum funding standard.
These provisions are quite technical and complex. Work to finalise them is at an advanced stage and I hope to be in position to bring forward the amendments at Committee Stage at the end of May or early June. With the cooperation of the Oireachtas, the Government intends to pass this legislation before the summer recess.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
240. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when she will receive the Data Protection Commissioner's report into the public services card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21752/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) formally advised my Department, on 21st February 2018, that their first preliminary report on the PSC would be sent the Department in mid-March for comment.
The second preliminary report on MyGovID, Single Customer View and the Public Service Identity was to be sent by April for comment.
No further communication has been received from the ODPC since this notification was received.
I hope that this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
241. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent by her Department on all means of advertising, including the social welfare fraud campaign and campaigns run by her Department in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21753/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department administers over 70 separate schemes and services, which affect the lives of almost every person in the State. In 2016, some 1.7 million applications for benefits, assistance and access to schemes were received and processed, and over 82 million individual payments were made to people across all age groups and to employers.
The Department is fully committed to ensuring that members of the general public are fully aware of the welfare supports and services that are available to them and notified of any scheme changes which may affect them. The Department’s public information/advertising campaigns span national and regional print media and radio, digital advertising, ‘out of home’ which includes bus, train and Luas, and social media advertising. Advertising is targeted appropriately through the best mix of media to ensure that the Department’s messages effectively reach the target customers.
All advertising expenditure undertaken by the Department is tendered for in accordance with Government and EU procurement guidelines, including use of framework agreements from the Office of Government Procurement.
Details of the campaigns undertaken in 2017 and the total costs of each campaign are set out in the table which follows.
|
Campaign Name |
Total Campaign Costs (excl. VAT ) - Including all newspaper, radio, outdoor and online advertising costs and design costs. |
|
MyGovID (February) |
€59,848 |
|
Welfare Fraud (April) |
€163,923 |
|
Treatment Benefit (April) |
€87,715 |
|
Back to School Clothing & Footwear (July) |
€55,409 |
|
Paternity Benefit (July/August) |
€106,823 |
|
Fuel Allowance Lump Sum (August) |
€54,376 |
|
Jobsweek 2017 ( September) |
€3,147 |
|
Fuel Allowance Lump Sum (November- reminder) |
€43,813 |
|
Treatment Benefit (November) |
€78,887 |
|
Invalidity Pension (December) |
€75,140 |
|
National Minimum Wage (December) |
€46,498 |
|
Total |
€775,579 |
242. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount spent by her Department on advertising the public services card in 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21754/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraSAFE Level 2 (SAFE 2) registration, used by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, allows a person to verify their identity once, not just for access to services provided by my Department but also for an increasing number of public services provided by other State agencies. Once a person is registered to SAFE 2, they can be issued with a Public Services Card (PSC).
There was no expenditure or public information campaign dedicated to advertising the Public Services Card in 2017.
In 2017, my Department produced an explainer video on the SAFE Level 2 Registration and the Public Services Card. This video, made available on the Department’s website, has attracted over 41,000 views to date. The total cost of production of the video was €10,061.40 (incl. VAT).
Also in October 2017, the Department created a detailed seventy three page document titled “Comprehensive Guide to SAFE Registration and the Public Services Card”, with associated design costs of €7,749 (incl. VAT). This comprehensive guide provides detailed information on all aspects of SAFE2 Registration and the PSC in a questions and answers type format. It is available on the Departments website at www.welfare.ie and provides useful information for the general public, department customers and staff.
