Written Answers Nos. 586-605
586. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to ensure the viability and sustainability of towns and villages in rural areas in which a decision has been taken to close the local post office; the efforts being made to mitigate against the harmful consequences of these closures on such local economies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47900/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment has policy responsibility for the postal sector, however, I am acutely aware of the value placed by rural communities on services such as the local post office. In my role as Minister for Rural and Community Development I am absolutely clear on the importance of ensuring that these communities can access the services they need so that they remain vibrant places in which to live and work.
Investment in rural Ireland is taking place right across Government. The Action Plan for Rural Development is a comprehensive cross-Government plan which sets out a wide range of measures focused on supporting and building sustainable communities; growing jobs and enterprise; improving access to services; maximising tourism, culture and heritage assets; and improving connectivity in rural areas.
Since its publication, Government departments have been working towards delivery of the measures contained in the Action Plan. The Third Progress Report on the Action Plan is due to be published shortly and I can confirm significant progress continues to be made across the range of measures.
Continued implementation of the Action Plan for Rural Development, together with the additional €1 billion investment provided for through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, will bring positive benefits to our rural communities. I expect to be able to announce the first group of projects to be supported by the Fund before the end of this month.
My Department also administers a range of funding programmes that support local communities throughout Ireland. Of particular importance for those towns and villages most disadvantaged in terms of access to services are the CLÁR Programme, the Community Enhancement Programme, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the funding being provided to our public libraries.
Additionally, funding delivered through the LEADER Programme and the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme provides supports tailored to the specific needs of individual areas.
The Government is also continuing to explore ways to sustain the viability of the post office network into the future. Last month, the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment launched a new Digital Assist pilot initiative with An Post. Ten locations across the country will act as pilots for the provision of new services and I am delighted that my Department has been able to provide funding of €80,000 for this programme. The first unit has been unveiled in Ballymore Eustace post office in Co Kildare.
In terms of directly facilitating access to services in rural Ireland, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has provided a funding allocation of €14.9 million for local link services in 2018. Such funding facilitated 1.9 million passenger journeys last year – providing a vital service for rural communities.
587. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the work and projects being undertaken in towns and villages in County Donegal as part of the Action Plan for Rural Development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47901/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Town and Village Renewal Scheme is a key part of the Action Plan for Rural Development and supports the rejuvenation of towns and villages across the country to help them to achieve their full potential.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme was first launched by the Government in the second half of 2016, prior to the publication of the Action Plan, when €10 million was allocated to 170 projects under the scheme.
Since the launch of the Action Plan for Rural Development in January 2017, I have allocated further funding of almost €43 million to over 500 projects throughout the country under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The scheme has therefore provided in excess of €53 million to over 670 projects since 2016.
The allocations made to projects in Co. Donegal under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme can be found on my Department’s website at https://drcd.gov.ie/about/rural/town-village-renewal-scheme/.
Town and villages in Co. Donegal have also benefited from funding under the CLAR programme. Details of the projects funded under CLAR are also available on my Department's website, at https://drcd.gov.ie/about/rural/clar/.
588. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when a decision will be made on the submission made by Cork County Council for funding for the Kanturk relief road under the rural regeneration programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47902/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra589. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when a final decision on projects (details supplied) is expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47932/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra590. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when final decisions on projects (details supplied) are expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47984/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra591. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when final decisions on projects (details supplied) are expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48004/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra592. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when final decisions on projects (details supplied) are expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48065/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra593. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when successful applications for the rural regeneration and investment fund will be announced by category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48388/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 588 to 593, inclusive, together.
The first call for applications for the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund closed at the end of September. €1 billion is committed to the Fund over a 10 year period to support rural economic development and help build strong communities.
There was an excellent response to the first call, with nearly 300 applications received. Applications for the Fund are currently being examined by the Project Advisory Board, made up of representatives from key Government Departments and external experts, which was established to oversee the assessment process. Category 1 "shovel ready" projects have been prioritised in the assessment process and Category 2 projects - those which need development funding to become potential Category 1 applications in future calls for applications - will be considered at a later date.
I expect to receive the first set of recommendations from the Project Advisory Board in relation to Category 1 projects for funding shortly. I will consider those recommendations once they are submitted and will make an announcement thereafter.
As the work of the Project Advisory Board continues, further announcements on successful Category 1 and Category 2 projects will follow.
594. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of the retirement age (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47673/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is no legally mandated 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. While such a contract may have been entered into with a retirement date of 65, in the context of the previous State pension arrangements, there is no legal impediment to the employer and employee agreeing to increase the duration of employment for one or more years, if both parties wish to do so. In this regard, the age at which public servants retire is a matter for the Minister of Public Expenditure and Reform.
With respect to retirement ages, the Workplace Relations Commission has produced a Code of Practice on Longer Working and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has published guidance material for employers on the use of fixed-term contracts beyond normal retirement age, which may prove useful to the organisation and employees concerned.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
595. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a decision will be made regarding a carer's allowance review for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47674/18]
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 child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
If a person is in receipt of another social welfare payment in their own right (other than unemployment payments or supplementary welfare allowance) or being claimed as a qualified adult on their spouse/partner's payment, a half-rate carer's allowance can be paid too as long as all the normal conditions for receipt of CA are satisfied.
The person concerned was in receipt of Illness Benefit up to 24 September 2018. As a result CA was paid to her at half-rate.
As a result of the cessation of her Illness Benefit, it has been decided that the person concerned is entitled to full rate CA from 27 September 2018.
Arrears of allowance due from 27 September 2018 to 14 November 2018 have issued.
The person concerned was notified on 15 November 2018 of this outcome and of her right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
596. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application for a disability allowance by a person (details supplied). [47689/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraBased on the evidence supplied in support of this person’s application, his application for disability allowance (DA) was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition was not satisfied. The person in question was notified in writing of this decision on 30 April 2018.
They requested a review of the decision by a deciding officer (DO) and supplied further medical evidence on the 18 October 2018.
The person concerned will be notified directly in writing once this review is complete.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
597. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a person (details supplied) will receive payment; the reason for the delay in same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47692/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIllness Benefit (IB) is a payment for people who cannot work due to illness and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
The person concerned was advised by letter dated 9th October 2018 that he was not entitled to payment of IB as he does not satisfy all of the contribution conditions.
Although the person concerned satisfied the first PRSI contribution qualifying condition, unfortunately, he does not satisfy the second PRSI qualifying condition which is as follows:
- 39 weeks of PRSI contributions paid or credited in the relevant tax year, of which 13 must be paid contributions. If a person does not have 13 paid contributions in the relevant tax year, then 13 paid contributions in one of the following tax years can be used instead:
- Either of the two tax years before the relevant tax year
- The last complete tax year (before the year in which your claim for Illness Benefit begins)
- The current tax year
or
- 26 weeks of PRSI contributions paid in the relevant tax year, and 26 weeks of PRSI contributions paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year.
The relevant tax year is the second-last complete tax year before the year in which your claim for Illness Benefit begins.
The person concerned has no paid or credited contributions in the relevant PRSI contribution year which is 2016.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
598. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there is a mechanism that can be availed of in a circumstance (details supplied). [47704/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe social insurance system is based on the "contribution week". This week begins on the first day of January each year.
Each contribution week where a person is engaged in insurable employment a contribution is paid based on the nature of their employment, for most workers earning over €38 per week this contribution will be made at Class A. Only one contribution per week may be used to qualify for a State pension (contributory) (SPC). Therefore, in cases where a contributor may have two employments in the same week only one contribution will count towards the qualifying conditions for SPC.
Similarly, a contribution year is made up of 52 contribution weeks and where a person has two or more employments throughout the year the maximum number of contributions that will be reckoned for State pension (contributory) will be 52, even if there are 104 contributions recorded for the contributor in that year.
One of the main features of the social insurance system is the contributory principle. Employees, along with the self-employed must pay the appropriate number of contributions in order to gain entitlement to any payment, including SPC. Any relaxation to the qualifying conditions for SPC or any other scheme would have a negative impact on the future financial viability of the social insurance fund.
Pensioners who do not qualify for the State pension (contributory) may apply for the means tested State pension (non-contributory).
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
599. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures she has taken to ensure that illness benefit payments are made on time due to the fact that the changeover to the new system has caused considerable stress for persons in the system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47708/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department transferred administration of the Illness Benefit (IB) scheme to its core Business Objects IT platform in August 2018. Although the system change has worked effectively for over 80% of IB customers, significant difficulties arose following implementation for a number of customers.
My Department is taking three main steps to resolve the issues impacting on payments. First, we have deployed additional staff to process the tasks and respond to the customer enquiries. Second, we have developed some new IT routines or ‘workarounds’ that address the payment gap issues and to ensure a faster flow-through to payments. Third, we are reviewing the design rules in the system to afford greater flexibility in processing of claims and certificates.
Payment volumes were restored to normal levels in the last two weeks and my officials are monitoring them on a daily basis to ensure that they remain at this level. Any further issues that may arise will be dealt with as they are identified. In addition to these system issues, the Department acknowledges that it did not communicate effectively with customers.
In order to ensure that we learn from the lessons of this experience, I have arranged for an independent review into how the changes to IB were planned, implemented and – importantly – communicated to customers. I expect this work to be completed by the end of the year.
Finally, I would like to sincerely apologise again for the difficulties and frustration experienced by customers who did not receive the correct IB payment or who experienced delays in their payments over the last few weeks.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
600. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) is waiting a significant amount of time for a review of an invalidity pension application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47720/18]
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.
A claim for IP was received from the person concerned on the 12 July 2018. Her claim was disallowed on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. She was notified on 13 September 2018 of this decision, the reasons for it and of her right of review and appeal.
The person concerned requested a review of this decision and submitted further evidence in support of her request. Following a review of all the information available the deciding officer is satisfied that the conditions for the scheme are satisfied.
The lady referred to has been awarded IP with effect from the 12 July 2018. Payment will issue to her nominated bank account on the 29 November 2018. Any arrears due from 12 July 2018 to 28 November 2018 (less any overlapping social welfare payment) will issue in due course. The lady in question was notified of this decision on the 15 November 2018.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy
601. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 17 of 8 December 2016, if she will address a matter regarding the case of a person (details supplied). [47722/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Redundancy Payments Act an eligible employee is entitled to compensation on being made redundant. In the first instance it is the employer’s responsibility to pay statutory redundancy.
The purpose of the Redundancy Payments Scheme is to compensate employees for the loss of their job by reason of redundancy in cases where the employer can prove to the satisfaction of my Department that they are unable to make the payment.
To date, no claim form for redundancy has been received in my Department in respect of the person specified.
Under the terms of the scheme, the redundancy claim form must be signed by both the employer and the employee before being submitted to my Department.
If the employer refuses to engage with an employee and sign their redundancy form, the employee must apply to the Workplace Relations Commission to have them adjudicate on their entitlement under the Redundancy Payments Act 1967, as amended.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
602. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to address the situation by which domiciliary care allowance is not payable in respect of certain children with a disability in circumstances (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47734/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraDomiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is an allowance established as a recognition of the extra care and attention that is provided by parents at home for a child with a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention which is substantially in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age.
The qualified person to receive DCA is the person with whom the child is considered to be normally resident, as defined by section 140C of SI 162 of 2009 and section 13 of SI 142 of 2007.
Payment of DCA is subject to the following rule, "a qualified child who resides with a person for less than 5 days in any one week shall not be regarded as normally residing with that person for the purposes of domiciliary care allowance", (Section 140C (2) of SI 162 of 2009 refers) unless the child is in an institution for some of the week.
There is no provision under current legislation to pay both parents on an alternate week basis or any split arrangement. Any proposal to do so would require detailed analysis and careful consideration as it would be complex to legislate for. As a consequence, it is likely to be difficult to implement and operate, and could result in a range of unintended consequences.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
603. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding an illness benefit claim submitted by a person (details supplied) on 24 September 2018, which has not been lodged or processed by her Department; if the reason certificates for the application have not been processed will be investigated despite them being physically submitted weekly since the claim date to her Department's office in County Sligo; the further reason neither the application or certificates have been processed in Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47738/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department administers the Illness Benefit (IB) scheme to those customers who cannot work because they are sick or ill provided they are covered by the appropriate class of social insurance (PRSI) and satisfy the PRSI conditions.
Unfortunately, we appear to have no record of receiving an application for IB from the person concerned. One of my officials is contacting him as a matter of urgency and will assist him in making an application.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
604. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to change the criteria for fuel allowance in cases in which a person that was on a community employment scheme and in receipt of fuel allowance but had to cease employment due to injury was then placed on jobseeker's benefit and is no longer eligible for a fuel allowance payment. [47742/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe fuel allowance is a payment of €22.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €630 each year) from October to April, to over 372,000 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.
The criteria for fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. Therefore the fuel allowance is a means tested payment and qualifying payments are those payments that are considered long term payments by my Department. People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to energy poverty than people who have only recently become unemployed, and may only be jobless for a short period.
Jobseekers benefit is a short term non-means tested scheme and therefore is not a qualifying payment for the fuel allowance. Any decision to extend the eligibility criteria for the fuel allowance scheme to include people on short term payment schemes such as jobseekers benefit would require additional funding for the scheme, and would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme a recipient of a social welfare or health service executive payment who has exceptional essential heating costs due to ill health or infirmity and who cannot provide for such costs from within his or her own resources may qualify for a heating supplement. There is no standard rate for a heating supplement. Each case is examined on its merits and the Community Welfare Officer determines the amount to be paid taking account of the level of the expenses in question and the ability of the applicant to contribute towards his or her exceptional heating costs.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
605. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an illness payment for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47753/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll payments and arrears due to the person concerned are up to date.
If the customer remains ill and unfit for work, a further medical certificate should be submitted to the Department as soon as possible to ensure further payments can continue to be made to him.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
