Written Answers Nos. 380-399
380. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of eligibility for a social welfare payment in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41303/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs advised on 10th November 2020 in PQ 34923/20 it is open to the person in question to make an application for a jobseeker payment. As of yet, however, the Department has no record of an application being made.
If the person concerned has made an online application for JA she should provide details of her email address to the Newbridge Intreo Centre so that her application can be registered.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
381. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a PPSN application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41310/20]
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 solicitor representing the applicant on 4th December 2020 with details of the PPSN.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
382. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a PPSN application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41350/20]
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 individual concerned on 3 December 2020 with details of the PPSN.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
383. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection when a PPS number will issue to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41353/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that my Department has allocated a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to the individual referred to by the Deputy. Letters issued to the individual on 4th August and again on 2nd December 2020 with details of the PPSN.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
384. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection when a PPS number will issue to persons (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41354/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that officials of my Department have contacted the individual referred to by the Deputy so that we may proceed to progress her and her children's Personal Public Services Number (PPSN) applications.
Upon receipt of outstanding information, these applications will be processed without delay.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
385. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether it is reasonable that a person (detail supplied) seeking to obtain their pension backpay to the date of initial application is now being asked in correspondence of 24 November 2020 about personal expenditure in years 17, 18 and 19; and if appropriate, the reason such questions would not have been raised in earlier correspondence of 30 September 2020. [41377/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraState pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record.
For the purposes of the means-test, at the outset and at any review intervals during the lifetime of the claim, a claimant must provide, on request, full and up to date details of any income(s), assets, savings and investments they may hold.
The pension entitlement of the person concerned is being reviewed by a Deciding Officer to establish their possible entitlement to backdating for the period sought. On 30 September 2020, a request for information issued to the person concerned in order that their weekly means could be correctly assessed for the relevant period. The Deciding Officer sought additional information, required to complete their determination., on 24 November 2020.
On receipt, the information received will be examined by the Deciding Officer who will respond to the person concerned without delay.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
386. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection when a PPS number will issue for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41401/20]
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 on 2nd December with details of her PPSN.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
387. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection when a PPS number will issue for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41419/20]
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 on 2nd December with details of his PPSN.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
388. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has spoken formally with her UK counterpart since her appointment [41430/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince my appointment as Minister for Social Protection I have not had occasion to speak formally with my UK counterpart.
I participated in the North South Ministerial Council Plenary meeting on 31st July with my counterparts from Northern Ireland with a further meeting planned in December.
I have also spoken via video conference with my Northern Ireland counterpart Minister for Communities Carál Ní Chuilín MLA.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
389. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of medical assessors within her Department in 2019 and to date in 2020; the number of vacant medical assessors currently within her Department; and the estimated full year cost of clearing the vacancies in tabular form. [41431/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department, like all Government Departments and agencies, is required to operate within a staff ceiling figure and a commensurate administrative staffing budget.
The staffing needs for all areas within the Department are continuously reviewed, taking account of workloads, management priorities and the ongoing need to respond to new demands across a wide range of services. This is to ensure that the best use is made of available resources with a view to providing an efficient service to those who rely on the schemes operated by the Department.
The table below provides the number of Medical Assessors in my Department at year end 2019 and as at the end of October 2020. The below figures include the Chief Medical Assessor and the Deputy Chief Medical Assessor. The figure for full time equivalents (FTE) takes account of staff that avail of work-share options.
|
- |
FTE |
Staff Count |
|
Dec 2019 |
30.10 |
33 |
|
Oct 2020 |
30.30 |
33 |
The Department plans to fill a small number of Medical Assessor positions in early 2021. The current salary scale for Medical Assessors is
€81,055.00 €86,048.00 €89,072.00 €92,738.00 €96,377.00 €100,044.00 €103,136.00(NMAX) €106,343.00 (LSI1) €109,547.00 (LSI2).
I trust this clarifies the position.
390. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 300 of 26 November 2020, if she will give the matter further consideration in view of correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41550/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhen assessing an application for a Training Support Grant (TSG), a Case Officer must carry out their assessment in accordance with the Operational Guidelines for the scheme.
As the scheme is designed to fund quick access to short-term training, one of the disqualifications listed in the guidelines states that short-term training is typically regarded as being a period of 9 months or less. Longer duration training or courses of study are more properly provided by Solas/ETB or other agencies or which are likely to be supported under the Back to Education Programme or Part-Time Education Option.
The guidelines also provide that all decisions made under this scheme can be reviewed by an officer not involved in the original decision. Accordingly, a Case Officer not involved in the original decision undertook a review of the TSG application from the person concerned and on completion of the review upheld the original decision; that the chosen course of study exceeded the maximum time allowed under the terms of the scheme.
It is open to the person concerned to contact the Activation Team in Ballymun if she wishes to pursue alternative options open to her.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
391. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in Dublin Fingal receiving pandemic unemployment payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41587/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not tabulate Pandemic Unemployment Payment data by place of residence below county level, and so I am unable to provide specific figures for Dublin Fingal. I can notify the Deputy that as of 8th December 2020, 113,692 individuals were resident in County Dublin. This represented 32% of the total in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
County breakdowns are published each week at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f4c60c-covid-19-statistics/.
392. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in Dublin Fingal currently on the Live Register; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41588/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not tabulate Live Register data by place of residence below county level, and so I am unable to provide specific figures for Dublin Fingal. I can notify the Deputy that in the November Live Register, 50,184 individuals were resident in County Dublin. This represented 26% of the total Live Register.
393. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a series of questions raised in correspondence of 24 November 2020 to a person (detail supplied) were not previously raised in earlier correspondence on 30 September 2020; if the person should have had reasonable expectation in having a decision after responding to the questions raised on 30 September 2020; and her views on whether the person is being fairly treated in their request for backdating their pension to the date of original application. [41701/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraState pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record.
For the purposes of the means-test, at the outset and at any review intervals during the lifetime of the claim, a claimant must provide, on request, full and up to date details of any income(s), assets, savings and investments they may hold.
The state pension non-contributory entitlement of the person concerned is currently being reviewed by a Deciding Officer. On 30 September 2020, a request for information issued to the person concerned in order that their weekly means could be correctly assessed for the relevant period. The Deciding Officer sought additional information on 24 November 2020, required to complete their determination.
On receipt, the information received will be examined by the Deciding Officer who will respond to the person concerned without delay.
As state pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment, in all cases where backdating of pension commencement is requested, it is necessary and standard procedure for the Deciding Officer to establish the weekly means of the claimant and their possible pension entitlement over and during the period sought.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
394. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a surviving person who was jointly assessed with their deceased partner by her Department for all other entitlements is excluded from the widowed or surviving civil partner grant; if she will consider amending the legislation governing the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41714/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe widowed or surviving civil partner grant is a once-off payment of €6000 and is available to widows, widowers or surviving civil partners who have one or more dependent children living with them at the date of death, or a widow or surviving civil partner whose child is born within 10 months of the date of death of her spouse or civil partner. The applicant must also qualify for certain Social Protection payments.
Because of the varied nature of the many schemes administered by my Department, qualifying criteria and conditions for receipt of a scheme will vary depending on a number of circumstances. These circumstances may include marital status, assessable means or PRSI contributions. The reason a partner does not receive a widowed or surviving civil partner grant in the circumstances outlined by the Deputy is that the person has not entered into marriage or a civil partnership with the person they were co-habiting with. Entering into a marriage or civil partnership is a legal act, which confers both rights and obligations on both parties that do not exist in law between co-habiting couples.
The legal context governing relationships such as marriage is regulated by the Minister for Justice. Aside from the wider legal issues regarding the status of marriage and civil partnerships, which is a much broader policy area than its implications under the remit of my Department, extending the current provisions to people who have not undertaken equivalent legal obligations would carry significant costs and would also raise significant issues about scheme criteria.
Any decision to extend the qualifying criteria for the widowed or surviving civil partner grant would have to be considered in the context of the legal issues that it would raise both for this scheme and across the social welfare system more generally as well as having regard to the budgetary implications.
Under the supplementary allowance scheme, my Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income, which may include help with bereavement expenses.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
395. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if entitlement to a pandemic unemployment payment from March 2020 will be examined in the case of a person (details supplied); the process for seeking such payments to backdated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41754/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs previously outlined in Question 500 on 10/11/2020, the person concerned is not eligible for a Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) from March as she became unemployed prior to 13/03/2020, the qualifying date when the PUP was introduced. According to the records of my Department, the person concerned ceased self-employment on 21/01/2020 and was awarded a Jobseeker’s Benefit (Self-Employed) payment from 23/01/2020 to 15/07/2020.
The person concerned subsequently applied for a Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 23/10/2020, stating that her date last worked was 21/10/2020. She received her first PUP payment into her nominated bank account on 03/11/2020.
Arrears for the period 16/10/2020-22/10/2020 will be paid into the person’s nominated bank account on 11/12/2020.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
396. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) who has moved home from abroad and has made PRSI contributions since but falls just short of the requisite PRSI contributions for maternity benefit will be given maternity benefit; and if not, if either of the solutions (details supplied) will be put in place. [41774/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraMaternity benefit is a statutory payment made for 26 weeks to employed and self-employed women who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions on their own insurance record. Contributions paid in another EU Member State can also be taken into account when determining any claim to maternity benefit.
There is no plan to consider amending the maternity benefit scheme along the lines suggested by the Deputy and the option of receiving a reduced benefit in these circumstances does not exist. However, if the person concerned submits an application for maternity benefit and provides details of any previous employment within a country covered by EU Regulations, enquiries will be made to determine if she can qualify for maternity benefit.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
397. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider amending the back to education allowance scheme, BTEA, in relation to the cost of education allowance to allow two members of the same household to receive the payment; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that students returning to college under the scheme had done so in the belief that they would each receive the allowance but were informed that in cases in which the primary customer and qualified adult are engaged with BTEA, the maximum rate of payment is €500 per academic year; if her attention has been further drawn to the fact that this household limitation is not well advertised (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41776/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraFrom 1st September 2017 the Cost of Education allowance of €500 per academic year is payable to all BTEA customers with a qualified child payment on their claim subject to fulfilling all conditions on the primary scheme.
Where both the primary customer and the qualified adult are engaged with BTEA the maximum rate of payment of the Cost of Education Allowance in respect of their combined claims is €500 per academic year.
As the persons concerned are in receipt of primary payments in their own right and claiming half rate increases for qualified children, their claims will be reviewed and a review decision will issue in due course.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
398. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider adding those who are on maternity benefit to the list of those eligible to receive the Christmas bonus for 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41783/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Christmas Bonus will be paid in the week beginning 7th December to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, and lone parents in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on social welfare payments for all, or most, of their income. Short-term schemes, including Maternity Benefit, do not qualify for the Christmas Bonus.
In recognition of the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on employment levels and the sudden financial impact on individuals, the Bonus will be paid this year, on an exceptional basis, to people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment for a period totalling 17 weeks or more and who are in payment on the date the Bonus is paid. It will also be paid to people on jobseeker payments who have been in receipt of these payments for four months or more.
In total, the Bonus will be paid to 1.6 million people, at a cost of €390 million.
Any changes would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context.
399. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae 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. [41798/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered on 2 October 2020 and the file papers were received from the Department of Social Protection on 29 October 2020. The appeal was referred on 3 November 2020 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 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.
