Written Answers Nos. 624-644
624. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding payment to opticians based on optical benefit taking up to eight weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53010/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe optical benefits provided by the Department under the treatment benefit scheme are made available to qualifying customers via a network of opticians who hold contracts with the Department. Opticians contracted to provide these services are paid once per month, in line with the terms of their contract.
All optical benefit claims submitted to the Department via the WelfarePartners on-line portal (96%) or via paper claim forms are processed immediately and included in the next scheduled payment. There is no delay in issuing payments and all claims are paid promptly.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
625. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a decision has been made on an application by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry for an invalidity pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53017/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe gentleman referred to has been awarded invalidity pension with effect from 08 November 2018.
Payment will issue to his nominated post office on 10 January 2019. Any arrears due from 08 November 2018 to 09 January 2019, less any overlapping social welfare payment, will issue as soon as possible. The gentleman in question was notified of this decision on 12 December 2018.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
626. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the length of time reviews on applications for carer's allowance are taking; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53052/18]
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.
In order to qualify, applicants must show that they are habitually resident in the State, that their means are less than the statutory limit; that they are providing full-time care and attention; and that the person being cared for requires full-time care and attention.
For entitlement to exist, these conditions must be satisfied on an on-going basis.
Once claims are in payment, my Department periodically reviews them to ensure that there is continued entitlement. Depending on the circumstances in each case and to make best use of resources, a review may only concentrate on a specific condition of entitlement, be it the requirement for full-time care, the provision of full-time care or the means of the carer.
Furthermore, a person can at any stage request a review of their claim where they consider there is a change in their circumstances including a change to their means which could affect their rate of entitlement.
The Department does not maintain statistics on the length of time taken to process reviews, whether these are initiated by the Department or requested by the customer. The time taken to conduct a review is dependent on the type of review being carried out and the information available at the time of the request. In some cases, it may be necessary to refer a claim to a social welfare inspector for an investigation of means or provision of care, this can lead to some reviews taking a longer time to complete than others.
At all times every effort is made to complete the reviews as quickly as possible.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
627. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a decision has been made on a non-contributory pension appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53076/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was referred on 12 December 2018 to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing.
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 trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
628. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there is provision to allow for carer’s leave to be extended in the case of a person (details supplied) due to extenuating and serious medical circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53077/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarer's Benefit (CARB) is a statutory PRSI-based payment made to a person who leaves the workforce to care for a child or an adult in need of full-time care and attention. Social welfare legislation provides that it is payable for a maximum of 104 weeks in respect of each person being cared for and there is no provision in legislation for the extension of that period.
Carer's Leave, which is administered by the Department of Justice and Equality, also has a statutory limit of 104 weeks for each person being cared for.
Where entitlement to carer's benefit expires and the person concerned continues to provide full-time care and attention to a person, they may have an entitlement to carer's allowance (CA) which is a means tested social assistance payment.
The lady referred to by the Deputy should consider applying for that scheme and I have arranged for a CA application form to issue to her. Should she apply, her application will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
Given her recent diagnosis, this lady should also consider making an application for Illness Benefit (IB). It is possible that CA could be paid at half-rate in addition to IB, as long as the normal CA scheme conditions are satisfied.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
629. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount paid to An Post per transaction to administer social welfare payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53091/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department makes approximately 79 million social welfare payments per annum of which nearly 42% are via the post office network. Payment via the post office network are governed by the Department’s contract with An Post. This contract sets out the fee rate payable to the company for providing this service to the Department. This is a commercial contract and details of the price structure fee rate is therefore not available for public release.
In 2017, there were over 33 million welfare payments made in post offices which resulted in a total fee due to An Post of just over €51.5 million.
630. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide a report on the work of the programme framework for community employment drug rehabilitation schemes during 2018; the funding provided for same in 2018; the number of individuals supported; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53094/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, Community Employment (CE) aims to help the long-term unemployed to re-enter the workforce by breaking their cycle of unemployment through a return to a regular work routine and through the provision of training and development.
The CE Drug Rehabilitation Programme Framework was implemented in January 2016 and involves a multi-agency approach to rehabilitation and is designed to meet the challenging needs of individuals in recovery and to ensure effective and sustainable outcomes. This integrated service response is based on interventions from a wide range of voluntary and community based addiction services and includes statutory engagement through the HSE and Local Education and Training Boards (LETBs). The engagement of Local and Regional Alcohol and Drug Task Forces is also a feature of the scheme activities.
The Department continues to support the objectives of the national drugs strategy “Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery” 2017-2025 with focused services for the labour market re-integration of people recovering from substance misuse. Primary amongst these is the CE Programme with an allocation of 1,000 dedicated ring-fenced drug rehabilitation places.
Schemes are delivered by CE sponsoring organisations with experience in the area of drug treatment and rehabilitation. Likewise, the CE Supervisors have experience and competence in the rehabilitation area. All participants engage in an individual learner plan (ILP) which tracks, records and reports on all achievements throughout the programme. Participants move towards re-engagement in community and working life at their own pace in a supportive environment and can progress towards further training or employment. Funding is made available for approved training to support individual goals.
At the end of November 2018, there were 47 dedicated drug rehabilitation CE schemes nationally. A total of 980 participants were placed in drug rehabilitation places on CE (875 in the dedicated ring-fenced drug rehabilitation schemes and 105 in the drug rehabilitation placements in CE mainstream schemes). The estimated cost of the dedicated schemes is in the region of €24m.
631. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason an illness benefit payment has not issued to a person (details supplied) for six weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53140/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned is in payment and all arrears owing to her have been issued.
The claim is both medically certified and paid up until the 10th December 2018.
If the person concerned remains ill and unfit for work, a further medical certificate should be submitted to the Department as soon as possible in order for further payments to issue.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
632. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the review of carer's allowance means will be expedited in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53209/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned has been receiving a half-rate carer's allowance (CA) since 15 September 2016 as her husband was claiming an increase on his jobseeker's allowance in respect of her.
As her husband's jobseeker's allowance has ceased on his return to work, the person concerned sought an increase to full rate CA.
Because CA is a means-tested payment, her husband's means from employment must be assessed as part of that review. Information was requested from the person concerned on 13 December 2018.
Once this information is received and the review is complete the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
633. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason means reviews for carer's allowance are taking over six months to be completed in view of the fact it is causing financial hardship for carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53211/18]
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.
In order to qualify, applicants must show that they are habitually resident in the State, that their means are less than the statutory limit; that they are providing full-time care and attention; and that the person being cared for requires full-time care and attention.
Once a CA claim is in payment, a person can at any stage request a review of their claim where they consider there is a change in their circumstances, including a change to their means, which could affect their rate of entitlement.
The time taken to conduct a review is dependent on the type of review being carried out and the information available at the time of the request. In some cases, it may be necessary to refer a claim to a social welfare inspector for an investigation of means or provision of care, and this can lead to some reviews taking a longer time to complete than others.
At all times every effort is made to complete the reviews as quickly as possible.
Anyone experiencing financial difficulties while awaiting a decision on or a review of any social welfare payment can contact their local Intreo Centre and enquire as to their entitlement to a payment under the Department's Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
634. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to allow self-employed persons to take up the illness benefit payment; if this will necessitate an increased contribution from persons who pay the S class PRSI stamp; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53238/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe issue of extending additional social insurance benefits to the self-employed paying class S PRSI was considered in the Actuarial Review of the Social Insurance fund (SIF) as at 31 December, 2015, which I published on the 18 October 2017. The review, required by legislation, was carried out by independent consultants, KPMG. It examines the projected income and expenditure of the SIF over the course of the 55 year period from 2016 to 2071.
As part of the review the independent consultants were required to project the additional PRSI expenditure if invalidity pension and illness, jobseeker’s and carer’s benefits were extended to class S self-employed workers and the PRSI contribution rates required to provide these benefits on a revenue neutral basis.
The Actuarial Review calculated the first year cost in 2018 and the cost of the schemes out to 2071. The estimated cost of extending illness benefit to the self-employed would be €40m in the first year rising to €331m by 2071. The review shows that when considering the increased equalised contributions for the 20 year period beginning in 2018 PRSI Class S would need to increase by 20% to 4.8%, in the absence of exchequer subventions.
The review indicates that, where the four benefits examined are extended to the self-employed, the class S rate of PRSI contribution would need to increase substantially in order to ensure that the benefits are delivered in a revenue neutral manner. It estimates that when expenditure on the additional benefits is considered over the entire projection period, PRSI rates would need to increase by 94% under a scenario of no subvention from the exchequer. This is equivalent to an increase of the Class S contribution rate from the current 4% rate to 7.8%.
This increased contribution is attributable to the costs of extending these additional benefits to PRSI class S contributors. It does not take account of the value to PRSI class S contributors of access to the range of existing benefits, and in particular State pension contributory. The consultants estimated that the typical cost of State pension (contributory) on its own is of the order of 10% to 15%, depending on other factors including rate of average earnings and date of commencing paying PRSI. Adding in the other benefits referenced the total class S rate of contribution to ensure revenue neutrality would be of the order of 20% per annum.
Self-employed workers who earn €5,000 or more in a contribution year, are liable for PRSI at the class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. This provides them with access to the following benefits: State pension (contributory), widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory), guardian’s payment (contributory), maternity benefit, adoptive benefit, paternity benefit and treatment benefit. Entitlement to invalidity pension was extended to the self-employed from December 2017. As you aware extension of jobseeker's benefit was announced in Budget 2019.
This compares favourably with employees who, in general, are liable to the class A rate of 4%. In addition their employers are liable to PRSI at the rate of 8.6% on weekly earnings up to and including €376 or at the rate of 10.85% where weekly earnings exceed €376. Accordingly the combined rate of PRSI rate paid in respect of class A employees is 12.6% or 14.85%, depending on the level of weekly earnings. These class A employees are entitled to the full range of social insurance benefits.
While the very short term financial position of the SIF is more favourable than that envisaged in the actuarial review it should be noted that the medium and long terms trends still are valid.
The findings of the Review will play an important role in informing the overall debate on policy developments in relation to the SIF in the years ahead, including the financial sustainability of the Fund given the expected demographic challenges and consideration of extending the scope of benefits for workers generally, including the self-employed.
635. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the procedures in place to identify persons on non-contributory pensions who can benefit from the total contributions system being introduced for the post-2012 contributory pensioners; when they will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53243/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 23 January last, the Government agreed to allow pensioners, born on or after the 1st September 1946, affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands, to have their state pension (contributory) entitlement calculated under an interim “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA). The changes also provide for up to 20 years of home caring periods in the calculation of that entitlement for those who took time out of the workplace for parenting children under age 12, or individuals who needed increased levels of care.
The changes apply to those who reached pension age on or after 1st September 2012 and were awarded less than maximum rate, on post Budget 2012 rate bands. The changes do not apply to anyone already entitled to maximum rate state pension (contributory). The changes also apply to those who have a reduced rate state pension (contributory) entitlement but are currently in receipt of higher rate state pension (non-contributory). My Department is currently identifying these pensioners, born on or after 01 September 1946. Those identified will be part of the review and will be contacted directly in the coming months. Examination of the social insurance records of these pensioners has commenced. As social insurance records are unique to individual pensioners, this manual examination phase is expected to continue for a number of weeks.
The first pension reviews are expected to get under way, following enactment of enabling legislation in quarter 1 2019, with outcomes or requests for further information issuing to pensioners.
Where a higher rate of entitlement is established, the person will be changed over to state pension (contributory) immediately after an individual's review is completed. Given the numbers involved, it will take my Departments a number of months to work through all the reviews. In all cases, where the outcome of the review results in an increase in state pension (contributory) entitlement, the increase will be backdated to 30 March 2018 or the date of a person's 66th birthday if later, and arrears will be paid.
Personal pension entitlement rates will not be reduced as a result of this review. If a pensioner does not qualify for an increased rate, they will continue to receive their existing rate of entitlement.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
636. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if pre-2012 pensioners who are of the view they could benefit from the new total contributions system being introduced can ask for a review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53244/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraA policy to introduce the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to pensions calculation was adopted by Government in the National Pensions Framework in 2010, as was the decision to base the entitlements of all new pensioners on this approach from around 2020.
In advance of this, on the 23rd January this year, the Government agreed to a proposal that will allow pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated by an interim “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA) which will include up to 20 years of new HomeCaring Periods. This approach is expected to significantly benefit many people, particularly women, whose work history includes an extended period of time outside the paid workplace, while raising families or in a caring role. The TCA will ensure that the totality of a person’s social insurance contributions - as opposed to the timing of them - determines their final pension outcome. The HomeCaring Periods can be claimed for any year in which they occurred - they are not limited to years since 1994.
People whose pensions were decided under the 2000-2012 ratebands were subject to a significantly more generous regime than those who qualified before or afterwards, as a Yearly Average of only 20 contributions per year (out of a maximum of 52) could attract a 98% pension. The effect of those changes, as it impacted upon those new pensioners since 2012, will be familiar to anyone who followed the debate on this matter over the last 6 years. If pre-2012 pensioners were also allowed avail of HomeCaring Credits, their arrangements, as a group, would continue to be significantly more generous than those of post-2012 pensioners. There would also be a very significant cost which would be expected to be of the order of several hundred millions of euros each year. This in turn could significantly impact funds for future pension increases with consequential implications for pensioner poverty.
For those with insufficient contributions to meet the requirements for a State pension (contributory), they may qualify for a means tested State pension (non-contributory), the maximum personal rate for which is €232 (over 95% of the maximum rate of the contributory pension). This rate of payment does not include rent allowance, household benefits or fuel allowance. Alternatively, if their spouse is a State pensioner and they have significant household means, their most beneficial payment may be an Increase for a Qualified Adult, based on their personal means, and amounting up to 90% of a full contributory pension.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
637. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of an application for illness benefit by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53249/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department administers the Illness Benefit 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.
The person concerned does not satisfy the PRSI qualifying conditions for a payment of Illness Benefit. It is open to the person concerned to apply for Disability Allowance if she is suffering from an incapacity that is likely to last for at least one year. Disability Allowance is a means tested scheme. If the person concerned has an urgent financial need she can apply for assistance under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme at her local Intreo centre.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
639. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding an application for illness benefit by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53288/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Illness Benefit claim for the person concerned has been processed and is paid up to the 15th December 2015.
The person concerned claimed Illness Benefit from the 3rd December 2018 but as no payment is made for the first six days of Illness, these are commonly known as waiting days, payment commenced from the 10th December 2018.
The claim is medically certified up to the 13th January 2019.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
640. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person receiving rent allowance will have the allowance reduced if transferring from a community employment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53301/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraRent supplement continues its vital role in housing families and individuals, with the scheme supporting approximately 24,800 recipients at a total cost €179.5 million for 2018.
Rent supplement is subject to a means test that is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of their rent, has at least an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) less a minimum contribution towards their rent. The current weekly minimum contribution is €30 for a single adult household and €40 for a couple.
The rent supplement assessment provides for a gradual withdrawal of payment as hours of employment or earnings increase. Income from Community Employment (CE), in excess of the standard SWA weekly rate of payment attracts an additional income disregard and is assessed as follows; the first €75 of such additional income together with 25% of any additional income above €75 is disregarded for means assessment purposes. This ensures that the amount of rent supplement payable is appropriate to the person’s family circumstances whilst providing an incentive for earning additional income, ensuring a pathway back to employment.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
641. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53359/18]
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.
An increased payment can be made where full-time care is being provided to two people.
The person concerned is in receipt of CA for one care recipient since 8 June 2017.
My department received an application for CA for a second care recipient on the 11 July 2018.
The application has been referred to a local social welfare inspector (SWI) to assess the level of care being provided, assess means and confirm that all the conditions for receipt of carer’s allowance are satisfied.
Once the SWI has reported, a decision will be made and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
642. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 528 to 530, inclusive, of 11 December 2018, the amount that has been recouped since her Department began recouping moneys from the estates of deceased persons in cases in which an overpayment was identified due to means not declared; the number of cases that have been opened by her Department since the practice commenced; the number of cases in which money was recouped; the number in which money was not recouped; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53368/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraProvisions in respect of the recovery of sums overpaid from the estates of deceased customers has been a feature of the social welfare system for several decades. Sections 18 and 19 of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1960 made provision for this matter with respect to pension payments. The provisions were subsequently broadened to cover other overpayments on other schemes and subsequently repeated in the Social Welfare Consolidation Acts enacted in 1981, 1993 and 2005.
Seeking payments from the estates of deceased customers is one of a range of methods used by the Department to recover sums overpaid. Other methods include deductions from on-going social welfare payments, regular instalment payments, lump sum payments and attachments to financial assets and earnings.
Before any arrangement is put into place, the Department must engage with the customer to agree a suitable arrangement that reflects their personal and financial circumstances and the requirement to repay the debt at quickly as possible. Other debt recovery options may also be required where a person refuses to engage with the Department.
Data for the period 2015 to date is set out in the table below in respect of the number of cases which were managed under the estate process, together with the outstanding value of debt to be managed at the end of October 2018. The debt management systems in place prior to 2015 do not allow for similar data to be generated for years prior to 2015.
Due to technical limitations, the Department is unable to report on the value of the payments received in any particular year in the time available to reply to this question. However, it is possible to say that the difference between the sum raised and the sum currently outstanding is broadly equal to the sum recovered.
In this context, it should be noted that it possible that some cases of debt may have to be written-off in part or in full after a period of time if the estate proves to be insolvent. Similarly, in some cases, settlement of a lesser amount than the sum assessed as overpaid may be deemed to be the most effective course of action to take to secure partial recovery of any sum overpaid.
TABLE: Total number and value of Estate cases raised - 2015-2018 - and balance outstanding at end October 2018
|
Year overpayment raised |
No. of cases raised |
Value raised |
Balance outstanding as at end October 2018 |
Original value of debt settled |
|
2015 |
494 |
€18,535,506 |
€916,336 |
95% |
|
2016 |
649 |
€20,525,410 |
€1,498,347 |
93% |
|
2017 |
517 |
€14,429,628 |
€1,131,583 |
92% |
|
2018 (to end October) |
493 |
€11,534,738 |
€3,724,918 |
68% |
|
€65,025,282 |
€7,271,184 |
89% |
Given the legal and other processes involved, including the need to dispose of property, it can take a considerable number of years to conclude the management of an estate. Where such circumstances exist, payment of any sum due to the Department may be delayed until all processes are completed by the personal representative and executors of the estate.
The table sets out the number and value still outstanding at the end of October 2018.
Table - Number and value of Estate cases outstanding @ end October 2018
|
Year overpayment raised |
Cases outstanding end October 2018 |
Balance outstanding as at end October 2018 |
|
2000 |
6 |
€89,128 |
|
2001 |
14 |
€279,381 |
|
2002 |
7 |
€105,925 |
|
2003 |
17 |
€401,494 |
|
2004 |
8 |
€141,404 |
|
2005 |
4 |
€145,087 |
|
2006 |
7 |
€91,399 |
|
2007 |
4 |
€63,134 |
|
2008 |
6 |
€108,458 |
|
2009 |
7 |
€173,554 |
|
2010 |
5 |
€98,916 |
|
2011 |
6 |
€135,647 |
|
2012 |
13 |
€104,242 |
|
2013 |
41 |
€379,357 |
|
2014 |
40 |
€470,210 |
|
Sub-total 2000-2014 |
€2,787,336 |
|
|
2015 |
51 |
€916,336 |
|
2016 |
87 |
€1,498,347 |
|
2017 |
91 |
€1,131,583 |
|
2018 (to end October) |
208 |
€3,724,918 |
|
Total All |
622 |
€10,058,521 |
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
643. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 539 of 11 December 2018, the number of persons to date who have gained employment through the JobPath service; the number who have returned to claim social welfare payments having previously taken up employment through the JobPath scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53371/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides a range of activation supports to enable persons in receipt of a jobseeker's payment, to move to full-time employment with a sustainable income. These supports include the JobPath Service, which was launched in July 2015.
JobPath provides an intensive personal service which focuses on the skills and experience of each person.
To date, just over 195,000 clients have commenced their engagement period with the service. Some 43,851 clients have commenced employment, either on a full-time or part-time basis.
My Department does not collate data in regard to individual clients returning to claim social welfare payments having previously secured employment while engaged with the JobPath service. The specific data requested is therefore not currently available. However the Deputy will note the successful outcomes for many Jobseekers who have engaged with the service through gaining sustained employment. As the Deputy is aware the programme is 52 weeks and it can take time to for outcomes to filter through. For customers referred up to June 2017 the job starts and sustainments as at Sept 2018 are set out in the table.
Outcomes for referrals up to June 2017 (as of September 2018) %
|
Number of clients to commence employment |
26,928 |
28% |
|
Number of clients to sustain 13 weeks' verified employment |
16,493 |
17% |
|
Number clients to sustain 26 weeks' verified employment |
13,527 |
14% |
|
Number of clients to sustain 39 weeks' verified employment |
11,058 |
12% |
|
Number of clients to sustain 52 weeks' verified employment |
8,919 |
9% |
