Written Answers Nos. 301-318
301. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is a plan in place in her Department to quickly and efficiently process pandemic unemployment payment applications if Ireland needs to go to a Plan for Living with Covid-19 level 5 designation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29773/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Pandemic Unemployment Payment is available to employees and self-employed persons who lose their employment due to the impact of Covid-19. The quickest and most efficient way to apply is online at www.MyWelfare.ie and approximately 97% of applications are received online. Claim inflows and subsequent processing are monitored on a daily basis. While the majority of claims are awarded automatically, resources are in place to deal with cases which fall out of the award process. I can assure the Deputy that the processing of Pandemic Unemployment Payments is a key priority for my Department.
I hope that this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
302. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if there is a plan in place in her Department to increase the levels of pandemic unemployment payment rates if Ireland needs to go to a Plan for Living with Covid-19 level 5 designation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29774/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Pandemic Unemployment Payment was implemented as an emergency measure intended to last for 6 to 12 weeks. However, the impact of Covid-19 has been deeper and will last longer than anticipated back in March.
Changes have been made to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment to ensure it continues to be sustainable over the longer duration of the scheme by linking the payment rates to employees’ previous earnings. Because of the decisions this Government has taken, the scheme has been extended until the end of March 2021 and remains open to new applicants until the end of 2020.
Any further changes to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be made having regard to the evolving public health situation and available resources.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
303. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of fuel allowance; the number of applications for fuel allowance; the number of refusals for fuel allowance over the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29811/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fuel Allowance is a means tested payment of €24.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €686 each year) from October to April, to low income households, at an estimated cost of €295.35 million in 2020. This figure includes the additional four weeks of the Allowance which were paid to support these vulnerable households during the COVID-19 emergency. The purpose of the payment is to assist households with their winter heating costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the heating costs and is not intended to meet these costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.
Current figures indicate that approximately 362,000 households are in receipt of Fuel Allowance. Those who qualified for Fuel Allowance last year automatically receive the payment again this year provided they continue to fulfil the eligibility requirements. They do not therefore need to re-apply. Due to the payment of Fuel Allowance across different IT platforms, accurate numbers of claims received and disallowed are not readily available. However, based on the information available, approximately 27,500 applications have been received in 2020 to date, with 14,500 disallowed. Approximately 21,600 were disallowed in 2019, 22,000 in 2018 and 21,100 in 2017.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
304. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application to remain on the rural social scheme will be approved in the case of a person (details suppled). [29839/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned completed his overall lifetime limit of 6 years on the Community Employment (CE) Programme (rather than the Rural Social Scheme) on 21st August 2020. During his time on CE he completed 7 modules of training, and achieved a QQI Major award in Hard Landscape Construction. The purpose of the training and support that the person concerned received while on CE was to prepare him for full-time sustainable employment.
The aim of the CE programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their communities. The programme helps break the cycle of unemployment and improve a person’s chances of returning to the labour market. Participation on CE is intended to be for a temporary fixed-term. These placements are not full-time sustainable jobs. There are participation limits in place to ensure that as many unemployed people as possible are able to benefit from the scheme.
The Department's Activation service can work with the person concerned to ensure that the benefits and experience he received during his time on CE are maximised. This process will help identify potential employment opportunities and offer support to him in overcoming any barriers to employment.
Under the Service Support Stream (SSS) of the CE Programme, participants aged 62 years and over may remain continuously on CE up to the State pension age subject to availability of places on the SSS, satisfactory performance on the project, the agreement of the sponsoring organisation and approval by the Department as SSS places are subject to a limit to 10% of participants per individual CE project. The person concerned may apply for the Service Support Scheme on reaching 62 years.
305. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will address a matter regarding an application for an invalidity pension (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29840/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that they were in touch with the Deputy who had agreed to withdraw the Parliamentary Question on the basis that the person concerned had in fact submitted an appeal for disability allowance and not invalidity pension.
I am also advised that the Office had written to the Deputy explaining the status of the disability allowance claim and I understand that the Deputy was satisfied with the response.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for 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.
306. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of officials in her Department who are private secretaries; the role, salary scale and allowances of each; the Minister whom they are assigned to; the way in which they were chosen for the role, be it open competition or closed internal competition; and if she will also include the grade of each private secretary. [29874/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is one private secretary assigned to the Minister in my Department. The private secretary is at the grade of Higher Executive Officer and is paid on the salary scale for that grade. They are also paid the private secretary allowance, which amounts to €20,685 annually. Selection of the private secretary is by way of an internal process confined to staff of the Department.
307. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for the back to education allowance can be reviewed in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29875/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) application for the person concerned was refused on the basis that she has previously undertaken two courses of education and not completed them.
An applicant who is not satisfied with a recommendation of a Case Officer may request to have their application re-examined. The request must state the basis for which a review has been requested and must also be accompanied by any new evidence or information to address the reasons for refusal of the BTEA application.
In the case of the person concerned, a request for a review was received on 5/10/2020 and this has been forwarded to the relevant business area. A letter issued to the person concerned on 8/10/2020 requesting additional information in support of her review request.
On receipt of the requested information her application will be reviewed and she will be informed of the outcome.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
308. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29904/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, has decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for 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.
309. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to recognise fibromyalgia as a condition under which sufferers are entitled to the disability allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29915/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection provides a range of income supports, including disability allowance, for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability.
Entitlement to disability allowance is not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability itself but on the extent to which a person’s capacity to work is restricted by illness or disability.
In all cases a deciding officer makes a decision in line with the provisions specified in the relevant social welfare legislation including supporting medical evidence supplied by the applicant and taking into account the opinion of the Department’s Medical Assessor.
Disability allowance is also a means tested payment and is subject to a habitual residency requirement.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
310. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for a PPS number by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29951/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that my Department has allocated a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to the individual referred to by the Deputy. A letter issued to the person concerned on 7th October 2020 with details of the PPSN.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
311. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person’s time on maternity leave is credited as a contributory period, either paid, credited, reckonable contribution and so on for the purposes of the social insurance fund and access to certain benefits; if such a period on maternity leave is not treated as a credited period for their contributions record, her plans to change the regulation governing this for persons on maternity leave; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29953/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraA person on maternity leave will automatically be awarded credits while they are in receipt of maternity benefit. These credited contributions keep the person's record up to date for benefit entitlement purposes.
If an individual avails of unpaid statutory maternity leave they must get their employer to complete an application for maternity leave credits when they return to work and return this application to the Department in order to have unpaid maternity leave credits applied to their contribution record.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
312. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount spent on buying individual portions of bottled water as part of the school lunch programme in DEIS schools; the amount spent per each school involved in the programme; and the average according to the expenditure per student covered in the programme, in tabular form. [30016/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,580 schools and organisations benefitting 250,000 children. The objective of the scheme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to a lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
The rate of payment per meal, per child, per day is contained in the attached table.
The maximum rate for the drink component of a lunch or a dinner is 30c whether for individual bottles, or single servings from bulk dispensers; drinks can be water, milk or unsweetened juices. Schools that have drinking water available to students can opt to provide an additional piece of food normally a piece of fruit, or opt for a reduced rate per meal of €1.10 for lunch and €1.60 for dinner.
Figures are not collated on the number of schools that provide water as the drink and if they use the individual portion water bottles.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Table 1: Max rates for school meals per child per day
|
Meal |
Max Rate of Payment (per child per day) |
Minimum number of food items |
Examples of Food to be Provided |
|
Breakfast/Snack |
€0.60 |
2 items |
1 serving of wholemeal/wholegrain cereal or bread PLUS 1 serving of fruit OR 1 serving of milk, yogurt or cheese |
|
Lunch |
€1.40 |
1 substantial item + 1 small item + a drink |
Wholemeal/wholegrain sandwich or roll containing 1 serving meat, poultry, egg or cheese and 1 serving salad PLUS 1 serving fruit PLUS a drink (e.g. water, milk, unsweetened juice) |
|
Dinner |
€1.90 |
Hot meal + drink |
1 serving meat, poultry, egg, beans PLUS 1 serving potatoes, pasta or rice PLUS 2 servings vegetables/fruit PLUS a drink (milk, water, unsweetened juice) |
|
Hot Meal |
€2.90 |
Hot Meal |
1 serving meat, poultry, egg, beans PLUS 1 serving potatoes, pasta or rice PLUS 2 servings vegetables/fruit |
313. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Social Protection if an allowance will be made for the deployment of the mobile PSC unit in order that a person (details supplied) can receive their PSC; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30032/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to authenticate a person's identity, is a face- to-face process which results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC).
At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, my Department temporarily postponed the SAFE registration process. This decision was taken to comply with HSE and WHO guidelines in respect of social distancing.
The SAFE registration process has recently been reintroduced in the Department’s offices across the country. The reintroduction of the service is being facilitated in compliance with all relevant guidelines to ensure the health and safety of the Department's customers and staff.
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the Department is not in a position to deploy its mobile PSC unit service in respect of people who wish to be SAFE registered.
It is important to note that the legislation provisions governing the PSC clearly state that a PSC can only be requested by, and accepted by, public bodies specified in legislation, as proof of the person’s identity and only for the purpose of a transaction between that person and that specified body.
It cannot be used as a form of photo identification in any other circumstances.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
314. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Social Protection when the case of a person will be examined (details supplied). [30073/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for maternity benefit was received from the person concerned on 22/09/2020. The Department wrote to her on 25/09/2020, requesting that she have her employer complete a form MB2 confirming details of her maternity leave and to return the completed form to Maternity Benefit section.
Once this information is received, a decision will be made on her application.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
315. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30090/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraExceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) are provided for in legislation by Section 201 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005, as amended. The legislation does not confer a statutory right or entitlement to ENPs and every application is considered separately.
ENPs may be considered in exceptional circumstances, where, because of the nature of the requirement, it would be unreasonable and unrealistic to expect the customer to meet the need from their own resources. ENPs may be considered in circumstances where the non-payment of same may cause serious hardship to the customer and/or their family.
ENPSs are not intended to cater for expenses which are predictable and reoccurring and which should be budgeted for out of regular weekly income and should not be used to supplement primary Social Welfare payments and should only arise under exceptional conditions and not become a regular or standard practice. It is expected that weekly social welfare payments should cover normal clothing needs and assistance for clothing should only arise under exceptional conditions and not on a regular seasonal basis, or as standard practice.
According to the records of my Department an ENP was paid to the person concerned in respect of clothing in October 2019. No current application for assistance with the purchase of clothing has been received by the Community Welfare Service in Dun Laoghaire. It is open to the person concerned to submit an application in respect of a clothing need and the application will be considered on its merits by the Designated Person.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
317. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will investigate the possibility of reducing the minimum threshold a person must be in receipt of social welfare in order to gain access to a community employment scheme in the context of the pandemic (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30105/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraCommunity Employment (CE) is a positive initiative that enables the long-term unemployed to make a contribution to their communities whilst up-skilling themselves for employment opportunities. The scheme can play an important role in breaking the cycle of long-term unemployment for some people and improve their chances of employment.
In order to qualify for CE, a number of conditions, including being in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment for a specific period, must be met. The focus of CE is on the cohort of long-term unemployed people and the programme is monitored on an on-going basis to ensure that the schemes are meeting the training and development needs of the CE participants and also delivering the intended services in the local communities.
The priority for my Department is to ensure that all employment and activation programmes have the best outcomes for participants. A number of new conditions were introduced on CE in July 2017 to further support progression and broaden access to CE to a wider range of people. CE continues to support those who are furthest removed from the labour market and it is not the Department's intention to amend the CE guidelines or qualifying criteria at this particular time.
As the Deputy will be aware, as part of the July Stimulus Package, the Government announced 3,000 additional places on State Employment Schemes, including the CE Scheme. This will provide opportunities for an increase in existing CE participant numbers and services provided to local communities.
A number of factors will inform the decision on the allocation of the additional places. These factors will include, training and development opportunities on schemes, participant development requirements, existing employment support schemes and regional Live Register data.
I am fully committed to the future of this programme and will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the CE participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities.
318. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Social Protection if former public servants who are not in receipt of a contributory State pension qualify for the living alone allowance and fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30160/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe fuel allowance is a payment of €24.50 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €686 each year) from October to April, to an average of 352,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €261.35 million in 2020. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.
My Department also pays an electricity or gas allowance under the Household benefits scheme at an estimated cost of €194 million in 2020. This is paid at a rate of €35 per month, 12 months of the year.
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. A Public Service pension is not a qualifying payment for fuel allowance. Qualifying payments for those aged 66 or over include State Pension (Contributory or Non-Contributory), Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension (Contributory), Deserted Wives Benefit, Incapacity Supplement under the Disablement Pension Scheme, Death Benefit Pension under Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme as well as certain social security payments from a country covered by EU Regulations or a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement. All other qualifying conditions must also be satisfied to receive the payment.
The Living Alone Increase is a €14 increase in the weekly rate of payment of certain Irish social protection payments, awarded where the recipient is living alone. For those aged 66 or over, payments include State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-contributory) , Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Widow's/Widower's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and Deserted Wife's Benefit. It is not a stand-alone payment. There are no circumstances where the living alone increase can be paid to people who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department.
Any decision to allow former Public Servants who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment to receive the fuel allowance or the living alone increase would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in the context of budget negotiations.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, exceptional needs payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet from their own resources, and this may include exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
