Written Answers Nos. 205-229
205. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the calculation method for employee's PRSI contribution for those earning between €352.01 and €424 will be simplified (details supplied); if not, if the entry level will be increased to €424; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39160/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn general employees pay PRSI at the Class A rate of 4% of their weekly earnings. For weekly earnings of €352 or less no PRSI is charged. Once weekly earnings exceed €352, Class A PRSI at the rate of 4% is charged on all earnings. Prior to the introduction of the PRSI credit in January 2016, the weekly PRSI charge for employees whose earnings for the first time exceed €352 increased from nil to €14.08. This "step effect" created a significant poverty trap for those who received an increase in their earnings or who increased their engagement in the workforce.
The PRSI credit was introduced in 2016 to address this "step effect" by reducing the weekly PRSI charge from €14.08 to €2.08, at earnings of €352.01. For weekly earnings between €352.01 and €424.00, the maximum weekly PRSI credit of €12 is reduced on a tapered basis. At earnings of €424.01, the credit is exhausted.
The fact that the PRSI credit applies between €352 and €424 means that the measure is targeted at those in the earnings range directly affected by the previous "step effect" and ensures the cost efficiency of the measure. It is estimated that the credit will have a cost of €18.3m in 2019. While it is appreciated that there is a calculation involved in the determination of the level of credit to apply to individual employees, this calculation is fully explained on the Department's website, www.welfare.ie and in the Department's information guides and leaflets.
Increasing the PRSI employee threshold to €424 would lead to the creation of a new "step effect" where no PRSI charge would arise at €424 but an increase in pay would mean a charge of €16.94 would arise. This new, higher, "step effect" would create a new poverty trap which would have to be alleviated by the introduction a new PRSI credit. This would incur further costs to the Social Insurance Fund.
Increasing the employee PRSI threshold to From €352 to €424 would cost €25.8m and affect 102,000 employees.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
206. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to remove means-testing for guardian's payments for children who are orphaned and cared for by family members; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39203/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraGuardians Payments scheme, first introduced in 1936, was originally called orphan’s payment. It was renamed guardian’s payment in July 2006, in recognition of the fact that the original remit of the scheme had been extended to include certain children who had not lost both parents through bereavement.
There are two Guardians Payment schemes: Guardian’s payment (contributory), based on the PRSI contributions of the orphans parents or step-parent; and guardian’s payment (non-contributory), which is based on the means of the orphan.
A Guardians payment is made to a person caring for a child who satisfies the definition of an “orphan” under social welfare legislation. A child is considered an orphan if they are under 18 (or 22 if in full time education) and both parents are deceased; or one parent is either dead or unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child and the other parent is unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child.
Currently, there are around 1,600 people receiving guardian’s payments in respect of approximately 2,300 children; approximately 1,100 are in receipt of guardians payment (contributory) and approximately 500 are in receipt of guardians payment (non-contributory). Expenditure on guardian’s payments schemes (contributory and non-contributory) was €19.7 million in 2017.
If either of the child’s parents or step parents paid 26 weeks social insurance contributions, the orphan is entitled to Guardian’s payment (contributory), provided they satisfy the other conditions. If no entitlement to guardian’s payment (contributory) exists, an assessment for entitlement to guardian’s payment (non-contributory) is made. Qualification for guardians payment (non-contributory) is determined based on the means of the orphan - not the person receiving the payment.
Means assessments for qualification for other services and supports are a matter for the relevant authority. For example, there no automatic entitlement to a medical card for a child in respect of whom a guardian’s payment is being made and any proposal to extend medical card eligibility to these children is a matter for consideration by the Minister for Health.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
207. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the previous occasion on which her Department reviewed guardian payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39204/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraOne of the roles of the Department is to provide income support to families with children in the State. Guardian’s payment (contributory) and guardian’s payment (non-contributory) are, respectively, social insurance and social assistance (means-tested) payments made to a person caring for a child, where that child is defined as an orphan under social welfare legislation. The purpose of the guardian’s payment scheme is to provide income support in respect of those children whose parents are unable to provide for them, through death or other circumstances.
Currently, there are around 1,600 people receiving guardian’s payments in respect of approximately 2,300 children. Expenditure on guardian’s payments schemes (contributory and non-contributory) was €19.7 million in 2017.
The guardian’s payments scheme was reviewed in 2011. The main recommendation from that review was that my Department should consult with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs [then the Department of Health and Children] regarding the possible alignment of the foster care allowance scheme and guardians payment. That consultation has highlighted that there are very different policy perspectives and principles governing both schemes, that the nature and purposes of the schemes are diverse, and that the qualifying and operating conditions of the schemes vary considerably.
Since that review, budget increases of €20 per week have been implemented in Budgets 2017 and 2018. The latest increase of €5 per week, implemented from March 2018, brings the weekly rate to €181; the highest rate of weekly child income support paid by my Department.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
208. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the existing fare agreements with transport providers involved in the free transport scheme; the year in which these fares were agreed upon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39212/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the National Recovery Plan 2011 – 2014 funding for the Free Travel Scheme was frozen at €77m per annum, equivalent to the levels of expenditure on the scheme in 2010. Prior to this cap on expenditure the rate of payment to operators participating in the scheme was reviewed regularly and adjusted on the basis of changes in rates of fares. Funding for the scheme was increased by €3m in Budget 2016 to allow more operators join the scheme and by a further €10m in 2018, bringing the current allocation to €90m.
Payments to private travel operators participating in the free travel scheme are determined by way of a survey of their passenger numbers. An average fee is agreed on foot of surveys undertaken over a six month period and based on the operator’s own fare charges. This is then discounted by 30% to reflect the fares foregone nature of the scheme. New private operators seeking to enter the scheme or existing operators seeking an increase in their payments must engage in this survey process. At any given time, there are some private operators engaged in the survey process.
In relation to the CIÉ Group, rather than carrying out specific surveys of usage, my Department moved many years ago to a service model based on the transportation infrastructure and the introduction of new services e.g. DART, LUAS and removal of the restrictions on free travel during peak hours. At each stage, my Department has negotiated rates and discounts to reflect these developments.
My Department pays the CIÉ Group centrally in respect of transport services provided nationwide by Bus Átha Cliath, Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann PSO routes. Provision was made in Budget 2018 to allow for the reduction in the level of discount required from Bus Éireann Expressway from 40% to 30%, putting it on an equal footing with other commercial operators participating in the scheme.
I hope that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
209. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of allowing lone parents in employment to receive both the jobseeker's transition payment and working family payment until their child has finished secondary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39284/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra219. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of allowing lone parents in employment whose children are aged between seven and 14 years of age to receive both the jobseeker's transition payment and working family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39312/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 219 together.
My Department provides a number of options for income support to lone parents once their entitlement to the One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) ceases. These include the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) payment where the youngest child is aged 7-13 years (inclusive) and the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) payment which may be paid to lone parents where the youngest child is aged 14 or over. The Working Family Payment (WFP), is also available to lone parents who are working 19 or more hours per week. Lone parents who move to WFP may also apply for the Back to Work Family Dividend (BTWFD).
The concurrent payment of JST and WFP contradicts the policy goal of the changes to the OFP scheme, which were to tackle long-term social welfare dependency - and its associated poverty risks - through a tapering of income supports and a more active engagement process offering enhanced educational, training and employment supports.
Lone parents currently on JST who increase their working hours to 19 or more per week can transfer from JST to WFP. A lone parent in receipt of WFP is not at risk of poverty and so the goal of income adequacy is met without the need for the concurrent payment of JST and WFP.
The cost of concurrently paying JST and WFP or of increasing the age limit for a qualified child for the jobseeker's transitional payment (JST) to while the youngest child remains in secondary school is not easily estimated.
There are significant barriers to undertaking such an exercise. For example, customers may no longer be within the welfare system, while others could seek to move from alternative payments such as Jobseekers Allowance (JA), the Working Family Payment (WFP) and the Back to Work Family Dividend (BTWFD) back to JST. It would be difficult for my Department to estimate the magnitude of this flow into and between schemes with any degree of accuracy.
Likewise, the number of young people 18 years of age and over who are still in secondary education, and the proportion of those who are the children of lone parents in receipt of benefits is not readily available or easily estimated. As these unknown factors are critical to providing a reliable costing my Department is not in a position to provide the costing requested.
210. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of removing the habitual residency condition as a condition for access to child benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39289/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraChild Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to almost 628,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure of more than €2 billion in 2018.
In order to qualify for payment of child benefit, a person must satisfy what is known as the Habitual Residence Condition. It is not possible to predict with any degree of accuracy the cost of removing the habitual residency condition for access to Child Benefit.
For example, and to consider just one group of people who may not meet this condition, according to figures produced in July of this year by the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) there were just over 1,500 children resident in RIA accommodation. However, as this Department does not hold information regarding their ages or school attendance records it is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the numbers eligible or the cost of extending child benefit to these children. Other groups who may not initially meet the HRC condition could include returning immigrants or people temporarily resident or resident for short stays, who retain a centre of interests elsewhere. As these numbers vary constantly a reliable estimate of cost is not possible.
As a general guide on cost, every 1,000 additional Child Benefit claims would cost €1.68 million.
211. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost of equalising to the adult rate reduced rate pensions and jobseeker's allowance for those under 26 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39290/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe full year cost of increasing the reduced personal weekly rates for those aged 66 and over in receipt of the State Pension Contributory and the Widow/er's and Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension to the maximum weekly rate of €243.30 is estimated at c. €333 million in 2019. This cost includes proportionate increases for qualified adults, where applicable. It does not include the cost of increasing pro-rata pension payments to the maximum rate.
The full year cost of increasing the age-related reduced rates of Jobseeker's Allowance for those under 26 years of age, from €107.70 per week and €152.80 per week to the maximum rate of €198 per week, is €59.6 million. This includes the cost of increasing the €107.70 rate qualified adult rate to the maximum €131.40 per week, and any associated costs in the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.
It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2019.
212. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of making child benefit payable to families with children over 18 years of age who are enrolled in secondary school reflecting the higher educational costs for families with adolescents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39291/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraChild Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children up to their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to more than 631,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children, with an estimated expenditure of more than €2 billion in 2018.
Based on Department of Education and Skills figures on the numbers of 18 and 19 year olds in full-time secondary education in 2017, the estimated annual cost of extending the upper age limit to include 18 and 19 year olds in full-time secondary education is in the region of €65 million.
The Deputy’s question indicates no upper age limit and would therefore also include young people of 20 years and above, thus giving rise to costs in excess of this figure.
Given the universal nature of Child Benefit, making it payable in respect of young people over 18 years of age for the duration of their enrolment in second-level education would not be a targeted approach. Any adjustment to the payment can result in benefits being spread very thinly, rather than making a difference where there is most need.
Under EU regulations Child Benefit is defined as a family benefit and is exportable in cases where the claimant is working in Ireland but where the children are living abroad. We have no way of predicting with any degree of accuracy the potential in-flow in this category for young people who turn 18 and remain in second level education in other Member States.
213. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending statutory paid maternity and paternity leave to a year, both shared and unshared; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39304/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's maternity benefit scheme is payable for 26 weeks and paternity benefit for 2 weeks. The 2018 Estimates provides for expenditure of approximately €264 million on Maternity Benefit and €16 million on paternity benefit. The estimated weekly cost of extending the duration of maternity and paternity benefit, based on 2019 estimated average weekly recipients, is approximately €9.7 million and €6 million respectively.
The following table provides details of the additional full year cost of increasing the duration of maternity benefit by 24 weeks and paternity benefit by 50 weeks, providing a total of 52 weeks for each parent.
The table also provides details of the cost of increasing the duration of paternity benefit by 24 weeks to bring the leave for both parents to a combined total of 52 weeks (when added with the existing 26 weeks already available to mothers).
Estimated annual cost of increasing the duration of maternity & paternity benefit based on 2019 estimated recipients at a rate of €240 per week
|
No. of additional weeks |
Estimated cost (€m) |
|
24 weeks maternity benefit |
233 |
|
50 weeks on paternity benefit |
300 |
|
24 weeks on paternity benefit |
144 |
Any extension to schemes can only be considered as part of the budgetary process in the context of overall welfare improvements.
The Deputy is advised that there are additional costs to the Exchequer as these estimates do not include the costs of salary top-ups for public/civil servants or substitution costs.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
214. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the weekly allowance for children living in direct provision to the current rate for a qualified child including a €5 increase for over 12's and the adult weekly allowance to €38.80 as recommended by the working group on the protection process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39306/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland has opted in to the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive with effect from 30 June 2018. As a result, direct provision allowance is being renamed daily expenses allowance. The Government has provided over €5.6 million for the allowance in 2018. This is paid to applicants for international protection who live in the direct provision system where they are provided with full board accommodation and other facilities/services by the Reception and Integration Agency of the Department of Justice and Equality.
The allowance is currently paid at the rate of €21.60 per week per adult and per child. There are approximately 3,700 adults and 1,500 children residing in the system of direct provision in respect of whom the allowance is being paid.
The McMahon Report on Improvements to the Protection Process recommended that the adult rate of the allowance should be increased to €38.74.
The additional full-year cost, based on the current numbers, of increasing the weekly adult rate, for each adult, from €21.60 to €38.74 is approximately €3.3 million.
The additional full-year cost, based on the current numbers, of increasing the weekly child rate, for all children, from €21.60 to €31.80 is approximately €795,600.
The additional full-year cost of providing an extra €5 per for children aged over 12 years is approximately €58,500.
Any increases to the rate of this allowance would have to be approved by Government and considered in a budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
215. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing universal child benefit by €5. [39307/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe estimated full-year cost of increasing the monthly rate of Child Benefit by €5, from €140 per month to €145 per month, is €73.29 million.
It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2019.
216. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the one-parent family payment and jobseeker's transition payment to €161 per week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39308/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand the Deputy to be referring to the income disregard applying to these payments, rather than the payments themselves.
Based on the income data for existing customers on one parent family payments and jobseekers transition payments, the estimated cost of increasing the income disregard for the one-parent family payment and jobseeker's transitional payment for this cohort from €130.00 to €161 per week is in the region of €8 to €8.5 million per year.
217. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the jobseeker's transitional payment until the youngest child is 18 years of age and until a child finishes secondary school, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39310/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe policy goal of the changes to the OFP scheme were to tackle long-term social welfare dependency - and its associated poverty risks - through a tapering of income supports and a more active engagement process offering enhanced educational, training and employment supports.
My Department continues to provide a range of options for income support to lone parents once their entitlement to the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) payment ceases. These include the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) payment which may be paid to lone parents where the youngest child is aged 14 or over, and the Working Family Payment (WFP), available to lone parents who are working 19 or more hours per week. Lone parents who move to WFP may also apply for the Back to Work Family Dividend (BTWFD).
There are significant barriers to accurately estimating the cost of extending the jobseeker's transitional payment (JST) until the youngest child is eighteen years of age, and until a child finishes secondary school. For example, some customers may no longer be within the welfare system, while others could seek to move from alternative payments such as Jobseekers Allowance (JA), the Working Family Payment (WFP) and the Back to Work Family Dividend (BTWFD) back to JST. It would be difficult for my Department to estimate the magnitude of this flow into and between schemes with any degree of accuracy.
Likewise, the number of young people 18 years of age and over who are still in secondary education, and the proportion of those who are the children of lone parents in receipt of benefits is not readily available or easily estimated. As these unknown factors are critical to providing a reliable costing my Department is not in a position to provide the costing requested.
218. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the threshold for one-parent family payment and jobseeker's transition payment to an increased limit of €500 per week with a €50 increase for each additional child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39311/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the case of One Parent Family payment (OFP), the earnings data necessary to enable a reliable calculation is not available to the Department, as claimants with earnings above the €425 threshold will have exited the scheme and the Department will have no sight of their numbers or earnings.
Insofar as the jobseekers transitional (JST) payment is concerned there is no specific "earnings threshold" in place. The allowance ceases to be paid when the means (as assessed by the Department) exceeds the payment amount for the individual, which is in turn based on the personal rate plus the relevant number of child dependant increases payable for the particular claimant.
220. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of removing the means-test for maintenance payments, particularly for rent allowance payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39286/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraRent supplement plays a vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 27,400 recipients for which the Government has provided €180 million for in 2018.
Rent supplement is a statutory means tested scheme, payable at differentiated rates of payment according to the applicant’s means and accommodation requirements, and is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) appropriate to their family circumstances, less a weekly minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources.
For rent supplement, maintenance payments of up to €95.23 per week are fully assessable on the basis that vouched accommodation costs of up to this amount are disregarded in the assessment of weekly social assistance payments such as jobseeker’s allowance and one-parent family payment. Where a person has weekly maintenance payments of more than €95.23, the next €75 is disregarded in full with 25% of any additional maintenance above €170.23 also disregarded. The contribution towards a customer’s rent is the aggregate amount of: €95.23 primary payment disregard plus 75% of any maintenance payments in excess of €170.23 plus the customer’s €30 minimum contribution. The interaction between rent supplement, the primary scheme and maintenance ensures that recipient retains their full primary payment entitlement whilst making a reasonable contribution towards their accommodation costs.
Any alteration in the amount of maintenance payment being disregarded for rent supplement would have to consider reciprocal alterations in the disregards of the respective primary payments. Any unilateral changes to the rent supplement scheme, i.e., not altering primary payment schemes’ disregards, could only be considered in a budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available.
The cost impact of this exercise, of a unilateral removal of the €95.23 rent supplement provision, is not possible to calculate at this time .
The calculation of differential rents for HAP with respect to maintenance payments is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government.
221. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39135/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an oral hearing of the appeal of the person concerned took place on 22nd August 2018 and that the Appeals Officer is now considering the appeal in the light of all of the evidence submitted, including that adduced at the oral hearing. The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision when the appeal has been determined.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and 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.
222. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a homeless person on a community employment scheme is not eligible for the fuel allowance when they are housed and were not in receipt of fuel allowance previously; and her views on whether this effectively penalises a person that is on a community employment scheme and then secures a long-term home. [39139/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. One allowance is payable per household. Those participating on work schemes such as Community Employment (CE) are entitled to Fuel Allowance if they fulfil the conditions for receipt of same. CE participants who are not in receipt of the allowance can have their entitlement to Fuel Allowance reviewed if their circumstances change while they are participating on the scheme.
The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or with other qualifying persons.
If the Deputy has a particular case in mind and wishes to forward the details I will ensure that it is examined by the Department.
223. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) is receiving a reduced rate of disability allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39172/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraDisability Allowance is a means tested payment.
The person concerned is in receipt of DA since 8 November 2016 at a reduced rate as he was assessed with means from property he owns.
Notification of this decision issued to the person concerned on 8 November 2016. They were also notified of their right to a review of this decision or to appeal it to the independent social welfare appeals office (SWAO). No request for a review or appeal was received.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
224. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason payments to a person (details supplied) were reduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39173/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned was awarded Invalidity Pension from 20 September 2018.
The payment of Illness Benefit for €34.93 for the person concerned is a two day payment for the dates 18th and 19th September 2018.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
225. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a homeless person on a community employment scheme is not eligible for the fuel allowance when they are housed and were not in receipt of fuel allowance previously (details supplied). [39234/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 27 weeks (a total of €607.50 each year) from October to April, to over 368,000 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.
Participants on a Community Employment scheme can be paid fuel allowance where they had applied for or were awarded fuel allowance prior to commencing on the scheme and where they satisfy or continue to satisfy the conditions. Claimants moving to a Community Employment scheme cannot accrue entitlement to fuel allowance while on the scheme.
Any decision to include a Community Employment scheme as a qualifying payment for fuel allowance would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in the context of budget negotiations.
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 and this may include exceptional heating costs.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
226. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of back to school grant applications received from persons living in direct provision in each year since 2012; the number of these grants which were successful; the reasons given for unsuccessful applications in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39245/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn. The Government has provided €49.5 million for the scheme in 2018 which operates from June to September.
BSCFA, unlike most other means assessed schemes, is not subject to the habitual residence condition and is payable to eligible families living in the direct provision system.
Statistics are maintained relating to payments under the BSCFA scheme, however they are not maintained on the number of applications or the outcome of those applications. The tabular statement below shows the number of BSCFA payments made to families residing in the direct provision system in the years 2013-2018. Statistics are not available for 2012.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Tabular Statement: Number of Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance Payments made to families residing in the Direct Provision system, 2013-2018:
|
Year |
Number of Payments |
|
2013 |
680 |
|
2014 |
660 |
|
2015 |
530 |
|
2016 |
430 |
|
2017 |
530 |
|
2018 (provisional, up to 21/9/2018) |
480 |
227. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the employers' PRSI incentive schemes that exist to encourage employers to take on new employees; and the cost of these in a full year. [39256/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy is advised that the employers’ PRSI exemption scheme was replaced by the JobsPlus Scheme on 1 July 2013.
JobsPlus provides a direct monthly financial incentive to employers who recruit employees who are long-term on the live register and transitioning into employment. It provides employers with two levels of payment: €7,500 and €10,000.
The €7,500 is paid primarily to those who are 12 months or more on the live register with the higher grant paid in respect of those who have been unemployed for more than 24 months. The incentive is paid in monthly instalments over a two year period provided the employment is maintained.
There is currently sanction for up to 6,000 employments to be supported through JobsPlus, with a projected expenditure estimate of €30 million for 2018.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
228. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if eligibility for the household benefits package and the fuel allowance could be affected in a situation whereby the child of a parent who is in receipt of disability allowance commences employment. [39264/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 27 weeks (a total of €607.50 each year) from October to April, to over 368,000 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.
To qualify for a fuel allowance under the fuel allowance scheme, a person must satisfy a number of criteria, including live alone or only with a qualified spouse/civil partner/cohabitant or qualified child(ren). For the purposes of fuel allowance and household benefits, a qualified child is one for whom an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) is payable.
If an IQC is no longer in payment for a son or daughter who commences work and is not in receipt of a qualifying or disregarded Social Protection payment then entitlement to the fuel allowance payment will be affected.
The household benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The package is generally available to people living in the State, aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. For a child to be an excepted person for HHB purposes the claimant must be in receipt of an IQC for the child or the child is in receipt of a qualifying payment in their own right. If an IQC is no longer in payment for a son or daughter who commences work and who is not in receipt of a qualifying or disregarded Social Protection payment then entitlement to the HHB package will be affected.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
229. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the class or rate of contributions that must be paid by a person seeking an invalidity pension; if voluntary contributions paid by a person are reckonable for invalidity pension purposes; the nature of contributions paid by a person (details supplied) for the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39278/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraInvalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
To qualify for IP a claimant must, inter-alia, have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last or second last complete contribution year before the date of their claim.
Only PRSI classes A, E, H or S contributions are reckonable for IP purposes. Voluntary contributions are not reckonable to qualify for IP.
Over the past ten years the gentleman referred to has paid Class S contributions and, in more recent years, voluntary PRSI contributions.
The Department received a claim for IP for the gentleman concerned on the 7 December 2017. His claim was disallowed on the grounds that the contribution conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. He was notified on the 10th January 2018 of this decision, the reason for it and of his right of review and appeal.
The gentleman referred to requested a review of the decision of 10 January 2018 and following a review of all the information available to the department it was decided that there was no change to the original decision. He subsequently appealed the decision and his appeal was disallowed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
