Written Answers Nos. 145-167
145. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she plans to meet with representatives of local employment job schemes in relation to the proposed tendering of services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34949/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the context of my Department procuring public employment services and its future plans there has been extensive engagement over the past 3 years with all external providers of public employment services, including the Local Employment Services. More recently both I and my officials have had significant engagement in recent months with the Irish Local Development Network, the representative body of the majority of local employment services. My Department has worked to keep them informed on the direction of reforms to the Department's contracted public employment service model in the lead up to a major procurement process.As the Deputy is aware, phase one of this procurement process is now underway. A request for tender for employment services in the North-East and Midlands was published on 26 May, with a deadline of 7 July for the receipt of tenders. In line with established guidelines, ministerial or departmental engagement with potential tenderers during a live procurement process would not be appropriate. However, I do wish to make it clear that I and my officials will of course be happy to continue to engage with the ILDN and other stakeholders outside the current procurement window. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
146. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which she expects appeals against various social welfare decisions to be facilitated in early date including oral hearings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35280/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.The time taken to process an appeal reflects a number of factors, including that the appeals process is a quasi-judicial process with Appeals Officers being required to decide all appeals on a ‘de-novo’ basis. In addition, appeals decisions are themselves subject to review by the High Court and decisions have to be formally written up to quasi-judicial standards. Significant efforts and resources have been devoted to reforming the appeal process in recent years. As a result, average appeal processing times have generally improved between 2018 and 2020 from 30.0 weeks for an oral hearing in 2018 to 27.1 weeks in 2020, and from 24.8 weeks for a summary decision in 2018 to 15.5 weeks in 2020. Processing performance has in the past number of years been affected by a relatively large number of retirements in the Appeals Office - although these staff have been replaced it takes time for a new Appeals Officer to reach full productivity. Nevertheless, the latest data for the period January to May 2021 shows a further improvement to 26.3 weeks for an oral hearing and 13.3 weeks for a summary decision. Further improvements in appeals processing times is a priority for the Chief Appeals Officer. Where a claimant has been refused a social welfare payment, regardless of the scheme involved, and is appealing that decision, if their means are insufficient to meet their needs it is open to them to apply for supplementary welfare allowance in the interim. If their application for supplementary welfare allowance is refused, they can also appeal that decision. The supplementary welfare allowance appeal will be prioritised for attention within the Appeals Office as soon as the appeal file and submission is received from my Department. Appeals Officers make summary decisions on appeals based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral hearing. Hearings are currently being conducted online or by telephone. Due to the current level of Covid-19 restrictions in-person oral appeal hearings have been suspended.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
148. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who have benefited from the parent’s benefit since its introduction and since its expansion in April 2021 by county. [35416/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe total number of parents benefit claims submitted in the period from 1st November 2019 to 31st March 2021 was 25,107. The Department is not in a position to provide a breakdown by County for claims received/registered in this period. The number of parents benefit claims created from 1st April 2021 to 27th June 2021 was 15,391.Below please find the breakdown by County for claims created from1st April 2021 to 27th June 2021.
|
County |
No. of claims Received |
|
Armagh |
17 |
|
Carlow |
176 |
|
Cavan |
274 |
|
Clare |
387 |
|
Cork |
1992 |
|
Derry |
8 |
|
Donegal |
433 |
|
Down |
28 |
|
Dublin |
3911 |
|
Fermanagh |
11 |
|
Galway |
958 |
|
Kerry |
455 |
|
Kildare |
881 |
|
Kilkenny |
345 |
|
Laois |
230 |
|
Leitrim |
121 |
|
Limerick |
596 |
|
Longford |
126 |
|
Louth |
220 |
|
Mayo |
572 |
|
Meath |
726 |
|
Monaghan |
224 |
|
Offaly |
201 |
|
Roscommon |
215 |
|
Sligo |
219 |
|
Tipperary |
513 |
|
Tyrone |
10 |
|
Waterford |
392 |
|
Westmeath |
300 |
|
Wexford |
442 |
|
Wicklow |
392 |
|
Foreign Country |
16 |
It should be noted that while a claim may be awarded in one month, the leave and benefit could be availed of at a different time, or over a period of months, as it is available to use one week at a time.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
149. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the Total Contributions Approach 2012 review for those effected by the 2012 rate band changes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35334/21]
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, in January 2018, the Government agreed to a proposal that allows pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in rate bands to have their pension entitlement calculated using an interim “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA) which includes up to 20 years of a new HomeCaring periods.The provision for the HomeCaring Periods Scheme fundamentally changed the entitlement of many who spent time out of the workforce caring for others. It, for the first time, acknowledged home caring periods prior to 1994. Interim TCA provides for up to 20 years of home caring periods to be considered. Those who have a 40 year record of paid and credited social insurance contributions, subject to a maximum of 20 years of credits/homecaring periods, qualify for a maximum contributory pension where they satisfy the other qualifying conditions for the scheme. Work began on examining the social insurance records of over 94,000 pensioners in September 2018. Where these reviews resulted in an increase in the pensioner’s rate of payment, the increase was backdated to 30 March 2018 or the pensioners 66th birthday, as appropriate. As at the end of October 2019, with the project completed, 94,258 reviews had been finalised; of these, 53,092 (56%) were women and 41,166 (44%) were men. Of the 53,092 women reviewed 28,528 (54%) received an increase while the rest remained on their existing rate. Of the 41,166 men reviewed, 9,956 (24%) received an increase and the remainder continued to receive their same rate of payment. No pensioner had their pension payment reduced as part of this review. As part of the Programme for Government, a Commission on Pensions was set up to look at sustainability and eligibility issues with the State Pension and the Social Insurance Fund. More broadly, it is also considering the issue of retirement ages in employment contracts and how the pension system can further accommodate carers, who are predominantly women. The Commission will outline options for the Government to address issues such as qualifying age, contribution rates, total contributions and eligibility requirements. The Commission is due to report on its findings in the near future.I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
150. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has initiated the process to establish a dedicated and appropriately resourced employment status unit in the Workplace Relations Commission to examine and provide determinations on employment status regardless of whether they relate to social Insurance, employment or tax obligations as recommended in the report by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands in its Examination of Bogus Self-Employment of 16 June 2021. [35299/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI note the publication of the June 2021 'Report - Examination of Bogus Self-Employment' and the recommendations therein of the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development, and the Islands. My officials are considering those recommendations that pertain to my Department.The Deputy, however, will wish to be aware that responsibility for the Workplace Relations Commission, and any recommendation relevant to the extension of its remit and the resourcing of same, falls to my colleague, An Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar T.D.I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
151. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection if she plans to expand the free travel scheme for Budget 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35392/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe free travel scheme provides free travel on public transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately 999,000 customers with direct eligibility with an annual allocation of €95 million. People who are eligible for a free travel pass are those residents in Ireland aged over 66, those in receipt of certain social welfare payments, or those who satisfy the visual impairment condition for the blind pension. Customers of the scheme who are married, cohabiting or in a civil partnership receive a pass that allows their spouse / civil partner / cohabitant to travel with them for free. Certain incapacitated customers can get a companion pass which allows any person over age 16 years to accompany them for free. The Department of Social Protection is responsible for the administration of the Free Travel Scheme. The Scheme is non-statutory, having been introduced and extended by Ministerial Announcement. Decisions in relation to applications for non-statutory schemes are made by officers of the Department based on published guidelines setting out the conditions of entitlement in detail. The scale, extent and adequacy of public transport service provision, urban and rural, fall under the remit of my colleague Minister Eamonn Ryan at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.If the free travel scheme was to be extended to certain groups or cohorts not in receipt of qualifying social welfare payments but based on a medical condition, a medical assessment process would be required, significantly changing the nature of the scheme. Any decision to change the eligibility criteria of the free travel scheme along such lines would have significant costs and require additional administrative processes to be put in place. Accordingly, it could only be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations. The Government will finalise its consideration of the Budget in the coming months having regard to all of its commitments. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
153. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the scale of developmental interventions which she views will be necessary in the post-Covid-19 environment; and the innovations she is considering in their delivery. [34508/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile many have been displaced from their employment by the pandemic, a significant share of these people have already returned to work, and others will continue to return to their previous employment, as public health restrictions continue to ease. However, it is inevitable that some jobs will be permanently lost, and additional numbers of persons will require State support to find new jobs and in transitioning back to work.As outlined under the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, which was launched on June 1st 2021, a central focus of the recovery process will be on helping people get back to work, through the provision of employment support, additional training and work placement opportunities. Central to achieving this objective will be the Government’s forthcoming national employment services strategy, ‘Pathways to Work 2021-2025’, which is currently being finalised by my Department. By increasing labour market supports, and through the provision of employment support, activation and skills opportunities, the Pathways to Work strategy will act as a key delivery mechanism of the Economic Recovery Plan’s second pillar ‘Helping People Back into Work’. In order to meet the increased demand for activation and labour market support as a result of the pandemic, the capacity of the Public Employment Service will need to be significantly expanded. As outlined in the Economic Recovery Plan, this will be done through the assignment of 150 additional employment Case Officers (Job Coaches), as well as the expansion of regional employment services to cover the entire State. Additionally, new innovative digital channels of delivery will improve efficiencies in employment service delivery in the post-COVID labour market. This will involve Intreo moving to a blended service delivery model that encompasses both in-person and digital engagements. The Pathways to Work strategy will outline how the Public Employment Service – Intreo, will utilise both its existing and expanded capacity to deliver effective services post-COVID with an overall target of increasing the caseload capacity by 100,000 per annum.Another key element of the Pathways to Work strategy is the establishment of a new Work Placement Experience Programme for those out of work for at least six months, regardless of age. This programme, which has a target of 10,000 participants by end-2022, will provide jobseekers with the necessary workplace skills to compete in the labour market and to help break the vicious circle of “no job without experience, no experience without a job”. Moreover, training and mentoring opportunities will also be encompassed as a central component of placement, thereby ensuring greater development opportunities for participants.My Department is working closely with the Further Education and Training sector to provide access to training, upskilling and reskilling opportunities for the unemployed including those whose employment has been impacted by COVID. As set out under the Economic Recovery Plan, accelerating the rollout of 50,000 education and training places to support upskilling and reskilling will be essential in supporting economic recovery and ensuring any long-term scarring effects of the pandemic on the labour force are minimised for those whose jobs are permanently lost.Given the impact of the pandemic on young people, my Department is also supporting measures for young persons, to help them to regain their footing in the labour market. These will build on the EU’s new Reinforced Youth Guarantee and include expanding the JobsPlus scheme, which provides a financial incentive for employers to recruit young jobseekers in particular, to 8,000 places.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
154. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has initiated the process to amend the Workplace Relations Act 2015 given the publication by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands of its report on the Examination of Bogus Self-Employment report on 16 June 2021 (details supplied). [35332/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI note the publication of the June 2021 'Report - Examination of Bogus Self-Employment' and the recommendations therein of the Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development, and the Islands.
The Deputy seems to be referring to Recommendation 12 of that report, which states:
"12. The Committee recommends that the period for employers to pay backdated PRSI contributions that they previously avoided is increased from six months to six years. That would mean that the Workplace Relations Act 2015 be amended to allow adjudication officers and the Labour Court consider breaches of employment enactments for up to 6 years rather than the generally 6 months."
The Report's explanatory text to that recommendation reads:
"The Committee is of the opinion that the above recommendations would act as deterrents to employers misclassifying individuals as self-employed. However, the Committee also acknowledges that these changes would not necessarily make it easier for an individual to request an employment status classification from the scope section, especially without personal support. The Committee is of the opinion the opinion [sic.] that that [sic.] workers can best progress their right [sic.] under employment and social welfare legislation by exercising their constitutional right to become a member of a trade union."
The intent and meaning of this particular recommendation is not understood. My officials inform me that PRSI arrears are in fact assessed by my Department without any limitation on retrospection. Furthermore, I'm informed that the Workplace Relations Act does not govern the collection of PRSI.
My officials would of course welcome any clarification from the Committee on what this recommendation means and what the Committee hopes it would achieve. It should be noted, however, that if the Committee indeed has in mind an amendment to the Workplace Relations Act and a recommendation that is relevant to the Labour Court, such recommendation should instead be directed to the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment who has responsibility for employment rights, industrial relations and the apparatus that supports both.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
155. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to fulfil the Programme for Government commitment to develop a pension solution for family carers that recognises their important work. [35287/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government “Our Shared Future” includes a commitment to examine options for a pension solution for carers, the majority of whom are women, and particularly for carers of incapacitated children, in recognition of the enormous value of the work carried out by them. This Government acknowledges the important role that carers play and is fully committed to supporting them in that role. As the Deputy is aware, the Pensions Commission was established in November 2020 to examine sustainability and eligibility issues with the State Pension and the Social Insurance Fund, in fulfilment of a Programme for Government commitment. As part of its Terms of Reference the Commission has been asked to consider how the State pension system can further accommodate long-term carers. Details on the Commission's work, including agendas, minutes and presentations made to the Commission, are available on its website, PensionsCommission.gov.ie.As part of its work the Commission held a public consultation process. The Pensions Commission’s consultation document "Have your Say on Sustainable State Pensions into the future" identified "those who provide long-term care for most of their working age lives," as a group in which the Commission was particularly interested. The Commission asked interested individuals and organisations to send in written submissions by post or by email, or to respond to an online survey. The Commission received 200 individual and organisational submissions and over 1,100 survey responses were received. Some of these responses addressed issues related to long-term carers.The Commission invited relevant stakeholder groups, such as Family Carers Ireland and the National Women's Council of Ireland, to discuss with members issues facing family carers in relation to the State pension system. The National Women's Council of Ireland was also a panellist at the Commission’s virtual Stakeholder Forum. Once it has concluded its deliberations, the Commission will submit its recommendations to me in the coming weeks. I look forward to reading the Commission's recommendations for long-term carers. The Government has committed to taking action having regard to the recommendations of the Commission within 6 months of receiving the Commission's report.I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
157. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the eligibility criteria in the back of education allowance and jobseeker’s allowance and payment in terms of part-time education to ensure persons on part-time courses are not excluded from both; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35410/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department's Back to Education Allowance provides income support for people who wish to pursue full time second or third level courses. The Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) Grant, payable by the Department of Education and Skills, represents the primary support for people pursuing third level education.
The Part-Time Education option, already in place, enables unemployed persons to attend part-time day/evening courses of education or training and retain their Jobseekers Allowance or Jobseekers Benefit provided that they continue to satisfy the conditions of the scheme including being available for and genuinely seeking employment. The purpose of this scheme is to enhance the employability prospects of participants. If the Deputy has a query in respect of an individual case, they should provide the details of the case to my Department for review.
158. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the efforts she has made in respect of implementing a total contribution approach to the contributory pension system; when this system will be introduced; if this will include a provision for credited contributions that ensures that persons who take time out of the workforce to care for children and loved ones are not disadvantaged; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35355/21]
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, in January 2018, the Government introduced an interim “Total Contributions Approach” (TCA) which includes up to 20 years of new HomeCaring periods. This provision for the HomeCaring Periods Scheme fundamentally changed the entitlement of many who spent time out of the workforce caring for others. It, for the first time, acknowledged home caring periods prior to 1994. Interim TCA provides for up to 20 years of home caring periods to be considered. Those who have a 40 year record of paid and credited social insurance contributions, subject to a maximum of 20 years of credits/homecaring periods, qualify for a maximum contributory pension where they satisfy the other qualifying conditions for the scheme. As part of the Programme for Government, a Commission on Pensions was set up to look at sustainability and eligibility issues with the State Pension and the Social Insurance Fund. As part of this it is examining options to meet the Government commitment to introduce a Total Contributions Approach aligning a person's contributory pension more closely with the contributions they make. This will include a provision for credited contributions, ensuring that people who take time off work to care for loved ones are not disadvantaged. The Commission will outline options for the Government to address issues such as qualifying age, contribution rates, total contributions and eligibility requirements when it has concluded its deliberations. The Commission is due to report on its findings in the near future.I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
160. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if her review of the local employment services will include a new tendering process. [35356/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll current contracted public employment services contracts are due to expire on 31 December this year. My Department has therefore been reviewing all contracted provision including that provided by the local employment services with a view to contracting sufficient quality employment service capacity to meet the needs of those who are unemployed. To deliver this capacity my Department is undertaking a two phased procurement of employment services. A new model, the Regional Employment Service, will ensure multi-annual contracts with a strong focus on outcomes for the long-term unemployed. There has been a deliberate move away from the financial mirco-management of the local employment services contracts and a conscious focus on the need for tenderers to demonstrate the quality of engagements they can offer to the long-term unemployed. The broader geographic lots will ensure services are sustainable whatever the labour market conditions.The first phase, currently in progress, is the establishment of four Regional Employment Services across seven counties in the North-West and Midlands, in areas that are not currently serviced by a local employment service. This request for tender was published on the 26th of May, with a deadline of the 7th of July. The second phase of procurement will see the roll-out of the Regional Employment Service model to the rest of the State. This procurement will commence later in the year with a view to having new services in place for January 2022.
161. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress on the launch and implementation of the Pathways to Work strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35340/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs set out under the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, which was launched on June 1st 2021, a central focus of the recovery process will be on supporting people back into employment, with an overall ambition of exceeding pre-crisis employment levels by reaching 2.5 million people in work by the end of 2024.Central to achieving this ambition will be the forthcoming national employment services strategy, ‘Pathways to Work 2021-2025’. By increasing labour market supports, and through the provision of employment support, activation and skills opportunities, the Pathways to Work strategy will act as a key delivery mechanism of the Economic Recovery Plan’s second pillar ‘Helping People Back into Work’. Pathways to Work will outline how the Public Employment Service will utilise its existing and expanded capacity to deliver effective services in a post-COVID labour market. Measures under this new strategy will include increased capacity in the public employment service; Intreo, provision of an additional 50,000 education and training places, a new Government Youth Employment Charter and a new Work Placement Experience Programme for those out of work for at least six months. I plan to launch the new Pathways to Work strategy in July 2021. At the same time I plan to launch the new Work Placement Experience Programme, delivering on a key commitment under Pathways to Work 2021-2025.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
162. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the way her Department will process applications for various social protection payments that require certificates such as birth or death registration given that the recent cyber-attack seems to be impacting the ability to obtain these documents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34950/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe recent cyber-attack on the Health Service Executive has impacted the registration of all births, deaths and marriages. Registration of births, deaths and marriages ceased between the 14th May and the 11th of June. The HSE has now resumed registration services but, I am advised, it will take several weeks to clear the backlog of registrations, particularly in the Greater Dublin Area.Where delays have occurred in the registration of births, my Department will automatically pay any arrears in Child Benefit to families following registration. Child dependant payments on other social welfare payments will also automatically adjust following completion of a birth registration and assignment of a Personal Public Service Number to the child. Following the registration of a death, social welfare payments will be stopped automatically where they were in place for the deceased person. Where families are in need of financial support, they may be entitled to supplementary welfare payments. Information on access to these payments is available at local Intreo Centres. As a general rule, certificates are not required to access social welfare services as staff in scheme areas are provided with electronic access to the Civil Registration Computer System maintained by the General Register Office.I hope this information is of assistance.
163. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans in ensuring post-pandemic jobs schemes focus on ensuring quality employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35415/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe July Jobs Stimulus set out the Government investment plan of €200m investment towards training, education, skill development, work placement schemes, recruitment subsidies and job search and assistance measures; these measures aim to help those who have lost their jobs find a new one, retrain or develop new skills, in particular for emerging growth sectors. Building on the July Jobs Stimulus, the Economic Recovery provides for a funded work placement scheme to provide work experience for 10,000 jobseekers over two years, where the jobseeker has been unemployed for more than six months. Time spent on the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) will contribute towards eligibility. The programme will be open to all those who are job seeking with the particular aim of assisting those who have been affected by Covid-19 to pivot into new employment in new sectors through additional learning with new and relevant work experience. This work experience opportunity will provide valuable work and development opportunities to persons whose previous jobs are permanently lost due to Covid-19, as well as to those who were unemployed prior to the pandemic. The programme will support innovative learning and development opportunities for participants.This initiative builds on advice from the Labour Market Advisory Council that such placements have the capacity to keep unemployed people close to the labour market and provide them with quality work experience to increase their employability. The use of work placements to straddle the transition from education and training to full-time employment has proven successful in the past and it is important that a new scheme be developed further to provide valuable work experience for jobseekers. Two separate econometric evaluations by Indecon have been conducted of work and earnings outcomes from work experience/placement schemes in Ireland. These evaluations found that participants on such schemes had significantly higher job outcomes and earnings than a control group of matched participants who did not participate in such schemes.In addition, Jobplus provides subsidies to employers at two rates of up to €7,500 or €10,000 respectively per annum to provide further work quality work experience opportunities to persons on the live register. The Economic Recovery Programme provides for up to 8,000 places on this programme.I am pleased to advise that I will be bringing details of the new work placement experience programme, including the levels of payment to participants, to Government shortly for consideration and approval with a view to launching the programme shortly thereafter.
166. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 854 of 15 June 2021, her plans to defer the 13-week requalification period for partial capacity benefit until after the Covid-19 pandemic period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35304/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraPeople in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of 26 weeks) who wish to return to work are eligible for Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) for a period if their capacity for work is reduced as a result of their medical condition. The personal rate of payment of PCB is based on a medical assessment of a person’s restriction regarding their capacity for work and whether the person was in receipt of Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension (i.e. their existing rate of payment). The duration a person can be in receipt of PCB is linked to the payment they moved from, subject to a maximum of 156 weeks. For someone moving from Illness Benefit, the maximum duration of their PCB payment is 624 payment days (less the number of weeks they have been in receipt of Illness Benefit, including the minimum 26 weeks required to be eligible for PCB). In the case of Invalidity Pension the maximum duration of 156 weeks applies. My Department contacts customers 13 weeks in advance of the end date of the PCB payment duration period and the correspondence issued outlines options for the customer to consider prior to the payment ceasing. Where a person completes their allowed period on PCB, a new application can be made. The application must meet all the eligibility criteria including, in the case of persons in receipt of Illness Benefit, the requirement to have completed 26 weeks in receipt of the payment. There are no plans at this stage to amend the conditions underpinning the scheme. Apart from the above, my Department also provides support under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, for people who finds themselves in financial difficulties. The Department may also make an 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.
167. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will extend the hot meals pilot to reach more children and schools that are under the school meals programme.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35284/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to 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.As part of Budget 2019, funding was provided for a pilot scheme from September 2019, providing hot school meals in primary schools at a cost of €1m for 2019 and €2.5m in 2020. The pilot involved 37 schools benefitting 6,744 students for the 2019/2020 academic year and was aimed primarily at schools with no onsite cooking facilities. In Budget 2021, I announced that an additional €5.5m would be provided to extend the provision of hot school meals to an additional 35,000 primary school children, currently receiving the cold lunch option. Invitations for expressions of interest were issued to 705 primary schools. A total of 281 expressions of interest were received in respect of 52,148 children.The 35,000 places were allocated to each local authority area based on the number of children applied by local authority as a percentage of the total number. A minimum of one school for each Local Authority area was selected. Thereafter, a process of random selection was used for each area. As a result of this process, 189 of the 281 schools that submitted an expression of interest were selected. Due to the fact that the funding available was limited to 35,000 children, it was not possible to include all schools that submitted an expression of interest to avail of hot school meals. A number of schools which were selected decided not to proceed and these places have been reallocated to other schools.I am committed to continuing to grow the hot school meals element of the school meals programme and building further on the significant extension announced as part of Budget 2021. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
