Written Answers Nos. 570-589
570. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Gary Gannon den Aire Oideachais de bhun Ceist Pharlaiminteach Uimhir 146 ar an 4ú Márta 2021, agus Ceist Pharlaiminteach Uimhir 147 ar an 19ú Bealtaine 2021, cathain a bheidh scoil (sonraí tugtha) i gContae Bhaile Átha Cliath in ann bogadh isteach san fhoirgneamh buan nua; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [53415/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraTá an láithreán criosaithe scoile ag An Corrbhaile, Domhnach Bat, atá á fháil ag mo Roinn chun slí a dhéanamh d’fhoirgneamh buan don scoil dá dtagraíonn an Teachta, beagnach i gcrích ó thaobh an tíolactha dhlíthiúil. Tá an tionscadal nasctha le hiarratas ó úinéir na talún faoin bhForbairt Tithíochta Straitéisí. Tuigeann mo Roinn gur taisceadh an t-iarratas seo leis an mBord Pleanála.
Tá oifigigh i mo Roinn ag obair leis an úinéir talún i gcónaí ar na pleananna d’fhorbairt an láithreáin. Ní féidir liom aon fhaisnéis bhreise a sholáthar ag an bpointe seo mar gheall ar íogaireacht tráchtála a bhaineann le héadáil an láithreái.
571. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will address the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52815/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for domiciliary care allowance (DCA) was received form the person concerned on the 21st May 2021. Entitlement to DCA is based on the additional care needs of the child and is not dependent on having an assessment of need or any specific diagnosis completed in advance of making the application. The application in this case was not allowed as the child was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for the allowance. A letter issued on the 11th August 2021 setting out the decision of the deciding officer to refuse the allowance.
An appeal was registered by the Social Welfare Office on the 9th September 2021 and received in Domiciliary Care on the 15th September 2021. As part of the appeals process, the application was re-examined by a deciding officer and the person concerned was notified on the 21st October 2021 that the review was unsuccessful. An appeal submission was prepared and forwarded to the Social Welfare Appeals Office on the 21st October 2021. The Social Welfare Appeals Office will contact the person directly about the outcome of the appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
572. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if the allowable periods for the homemaker’s scheme qualifies as contributions for the purposes of meeting the required 520 PRSI contributions to qualify for a contributory pension; if not, the applicable years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51997/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Pension (Contributory) is a PRSI-based pension, financed by contributions made by current workers and their employers, and paid to pensioners, at a rate based upon their PRSI record when working. A person is required to have a minimum of 520 paid reckonable PRSI contributions in order to qualify for the State Pension (Contributory). The actuarial value of the State Pension is estimated at over €300,000 which requires people who claim a contributory pension to have made at least 10 years of paid contributions over the 50 year term of a working life. It is reasonable to require people who seek a contributory pension to have made at least 10 years paid contributions into the Social Insurance Fund which finances it.
The State pension system provides significant recognition to those whose work history includes an extended period of time outside the paid workplace, often to raise families or in a full-time caring role.
This is provided through the award of credits and/or the application of the Homemaker’s Scheme (under the Yearly Average method for payment calculation) and/or the application of HomeCaring Periods (under the Aggregated Contribution Method (also known as the interim Total Contributions Approach).
Details of these are –
- Credits – PRSI Credits are awarded to recipients of Carer’s Allowance (and Carer’s Benefit) where they have an underlying entitlement to credits. Credits are also awarded to workers who take unpaid Carer’s Leave from work.
- The Homemaker’s Scheme - The scheme, which was introduced with effect from 1994, is designed to help homemakers and carers qualify for State Pension (Contributory). The Scheme, which allows periods caring for children or people with a caring need to be disregarded (from 1994), can have the effect of increasing the Yearly Average.
- HomeCaring Periods – This Scheme makes it easier for a home carer to qualify for a higher rate of State Pension (Contributory). HomeCaring Periods can only be used under the Aggregated Contribution Method (also known as the Interim Total Contributions Approach) of pension calculation. HomeCaring Periods may be awarded for each week not already covered by a paid or credited social insurance contribution (regardless of when they occurred) to a maximum of 20 years.
Since April 2019, all new State (Contributory) Pension applications are assessed under all possible rate calculation methods, including the Yearly Average and the interim Total Contributions Approach, with the most beneficial rate paid to the pensioner. The elements which make up each method are set out in legislation.
It should be noted that if a person does not satisfy the conditionality to qualify for State Pension (Contributory), s/he may qualify for the means-tested State Pension (Non-Contributory), the maximum rate of which is over 95% that of the maximum rate of the State Pension (Contributory). Alternatively, if his/her spouse is a State pensioner and has significant household means, his/her most beneficial payment may be an Increase for a Qualified Adult, based on his/her personal means, and amounting to up to 90% of a full contributory pension.
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.
The Commission has now concluded its work and has submitted its final report to me. The report has been published on the Government website. It is extremely detailed, running to several hundred pages, and covers a range of complex matters in relation to the Pensions system which will require very careful consideration. That will be done over the next 6 months with a view to bringing a recommended response and implementation plan to Government by the end of March 2022.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
573. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason community employment schemes are being closed down (details supplied); if this policy will be reversed; and if social welfare offices will be allowed to refer to persons to community employment schemes. [52002/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the Community Employment (CE) Scheme is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.
I am very aware of the challenges caused by the COVID-19 public health restrictions. While referrals to active CE vacancies continued throughout the pandemic, where such referrals could be made in compliance with public health guidelines in place at that time, I am pleased that referrals of long term unemployed persons to CE schemes are now be getting back to more normal levels, across the country.
Both I and my Department are very aware of the need to continue to support CE schemes during the current recovery period. To continue to support CE schemes and ensure that important community services continued to be delivered, CE participants whose contracts were due to come to an end since October 2020 have had their contacts extended on a number of occasions. The latest extension will continue up until February 2022 and a coordinated and phased exit schedule will commence thereafter which will allow further time to fill vacancies arising. This approach, coupled with the increased rate of referrals to fill existing vacancies will mean that no CE scheme should be in danger of closing for the reasons cited by the Deputy. I should mention that time spent in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) will count towards eligibility for CE and other employment support programmes.
One of the measures included in the Pathways to Work Strategy announced by Government in July, 2021 was an increase in the capacity of the Public Employment Service in Intreo Offices and contracted services to further support jobseekers through the provision of job search advice and assistance. This increased capacity will support persons whose jobs are permanently lost due to COVID-19 as well as those unemployed pre-pandemic. These additional resources will also support the increased demand for new candidate referrals, from amongst unemployed persons, to fill existing and new CE vacancies. CE projects are encouraged to remain in close contact with the Department's Community Development Officers in order to ensure referrals are made in a timely manner to fill vacancies. Long term unemployed persons who are engaging with Intreo contracted employment services such as Jobpath also continue to be eligible for CE and can take up CE places, once they satisfy eligibility requirements.
The Deputy will also be aware that, building on the July Jobs Stimulus, and as part of the Pathways to Work Strategy, the Government is providing 3,000 additional places on Community Employment and Tús. Of these additional places, almost 1,500 have already been recently assigned to existing CE schemes. This is clear evidence of my commitment and that of the Government to the future of CE and I will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of both the CE participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities throughout the country.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
574. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 323 of 12 October 2021, if the part-time job incentive scheme will be included as an eligible scheme for the fuel allowance (details supplied); if not, the reason the scheme is not to be an eligible payment for fuel allowance; her views on whether it should be included moving forward; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52044/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs I outlined in my previous reply to the Deputy, qualifying payments for fuel allowance are those payments that are considered long-term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test.
Participants on the Part-Time Job Incentive Scheme (PTJI) are not means tested and they receive a fixed weekly allowance. This weekly allowance is paid regardless of how much a person earns. A person on Jobseeker's Allowance would, of course, be means tested on earnings from employment.
In the majority of cases a participant will remain on the PTJI scheme for only 12 months. Accordingly, it is not a long-term scheme and any proposal to include it as an eligible scheme for the fuel allowance would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
If a person on the PTJI scheme is having difficulty with exceptional heating costs s/he may seek help from my Department. Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, Exceptional Needs Payments may be paid to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of 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.
575. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the list of disregards available to those with a disability in respect of their social welfare benefits. [52049/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department provides social insurance and social assistance payments. Eligibility for social insurance payments is based on Pay Related Social Insurance contributions and social assistance payments are means-tested.
The assessment of means reflects the fact that there is an expectation that people with reasonable amounts of income or capital are in a position to use these resources to support themselves, so that social welfare expenditure can be directed towards those who need it most. The continued application of the means test not only ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need but that resources are targeted to those with greatest need.
The two long-term disability payments where a means test and disregards apply are the Disability Allowance (DA) and the Blind Pension (BP).
DA is the Department’s largest disability related payment with some 154,000 persons in receipt of DA as of August 2021. It is payable to persons between the ages of 16 and 66 with a specified disability which is expected to last at least 1 year, and who by reason of that disability, are substantially restricted in undertaking work.
BP is a small scheme with 1,047 recipients as of August 2021. BP is paid to blind people and certain people with low vision, aged between 18 and 66.
Cash/income that is assessed as part of the means test includes any income from employment or self-employment (and that of their spouse/partner, if applicable), income from a social security pension from another country and maintenance payments.
Capital assessed as part of the means test includes all monies held in financial institutions or otherwise, the market value of shares, as well as houses and premises owned by a claimant which may or may not be put to commercial use. Property personally used / the claimant’s home is never assessed as part of the means test, regardless of who is the legal owner.
Both DA and BP have been designed to support persons to pursue their employment ambitions, be that self-employment or insurable employment. The income disregards for the DA and BP allow claimants to earn up to €140 per week from employment or self-employment without their payment being affected.
The capital disregard allows for people to have capital to a certain level without their payment being affected. The tables below set out the formula used for determining weekly means from capital for DA and BP.
Table: Weekly means formula for capital, Disability Allowance
|
Formula |
Weekly Means |
|
First €50,000 |
Nil |
|
Next €10,000 |
€1 per €1,000 |
|
Next €10,000 |
€2 per €1,000 |
|
Excess of €70,000 |
€4 per €1,000 |
Table: Weekly means formula for capital, Blind Pension
|
Formula |
Weekly means |
|
First €20,000 |
Nil |
|
Next €10,000 |
€1.00 per €1,000 |
|
Next €10,000 |
€2.00 per €1,000 |
|
Excess of €40,000 |
€4 per €1,000 |
Earlier this year, a new income disregard was introduced for Disability Allowance recipients who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD. The disregard has been designed so that a person may receive funding of up to €20,000 per annum (i.e. if a recipient gets more than one bursary, the combination cannot exceed €20,000) without impacting on their payment. This disregard is available for a maximum of four years. Budget 2022 saw the eligibility for this disregard expanded to recipients of the Blind Pension from January 2022.
It should be noted that social welfare legislation also provides for the disregard of certain compensation awards when assessing the means of a person. These disregards include, for example, all income derived from compensation awarded by the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and in relation to disability caused by Thalidomide. Any payment made by the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board is also disregarded for social welfare means test purposes. In addition, ex gratia payments made to women who were admitted to and worked in the Magdalen Laundries, or through the Symphysiotomy Payment Scheme, or payments made by the Minister of Health in accordance with recommendations proposed by the Scoping Inquiry into the CervicalCheck Screening Programme are also disregarded.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
576. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to increase the means threshold for disabled persons when the income of their spouse is taken into account when assessing disability allowance applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52084/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra577. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether it is fair to include the income of a spouse when assessing applications for disability allowance in view of the additional costs that disabled persons encounter in their daily lives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52086/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 576 and 577 together.
Social welfare legislation provides that, for social assistance schemes, all income and capital (such as savings, investments and property other than the family home) belonging to the claimant and his or her spouse/partner, where applicable, are assessable for means assessment purposes.
The means test plays a critical role in determining whether an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency – such as disability, unemployment or caring.
If a claimant is married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting, the Department will assess the couple's means when carrying out a means test for a social assistance payment. This is the case even if only one of the couple is actually claiming a payment. This is not exclusive to Disability Allowance and applies to all of the Department's social assistance schemes.
The purpose of assessing household, rather than individual income, is to ensure that resources are targeted at households which need them most.
It should be noted that the household means limit for a Disability Allowance claimant with a spouse or cohabiting partner is higher than for a single claimant. This is because the rate of payment is calculated with reference to the family rate, which is based on full personal rate, a full qualified adult rate and full child dependent rate/s (where applicable) less means.
This means that, for example, a claimant living with their spouse or partner can have household means of up €337.50 and still retain entitlement to a minimum payment, compared to €202.50 for a single applicant.
From June 2022 the general means disregard for recipients of Disability Allowance will increase from €2.50 to €7.60 per week. Together with the €5 increase to the personal rate of payment and €3.30 increase for qualified adults from January 2022, this will mean that a claimant living with their spouse or partner with weekly household means of up to €350.10, or a single applicant with means of up to €212.60 will be entitled to a minimum payment.
The capital assessment formula applying to Disability Allowance is also unique in the social welfare system, in that the first €50,000 is fully disregarded; the next €10,000 assessed at €1 per thousand, the next €10,000 is assessed at €2 per thousand, with the remainder assessed at €4 per thousand. For most other social assistance schemes, the amount that is fully disregarded is €20,000.
Any changes to the means assessment criteria for Disability Allowance would need to be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context.
578. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the special access to the rent supplement for victims of domestic violence beyond the end of 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52189/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraLead responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic violence rests with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. In August 2020, I agreed a protocol with Tusla on a pilot basis to make rent supplement more easily accessible to victims of domestic violence.b This seeks to ensure that victims of domestic violence are not prevented from leaving their home because of financial or accommodation difficulties. The arrangements in this protocol are additional and complementary to, and not a substitution for, the range of other supports already in place for victims of domestic violence. There are currently 47 victims of domestic violence being supported with rent supplement under these arrangements. Under the protocol, after a six months period of support, it is expected that if the customer requires continued support, they will, if eligible, be able to migrate to HAP or other social housing supports supported by their local authority. A review of the pilot has been undertaken, involving key stakeholders, and I will be bringing the results of that review to Government shortly. Subject to the agreement of my Government colleagues, I will then be in a position to set out my intentions for the future direction of the pilot scheme.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
579. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which those who receive the fuel allowance in two payments will be affected by the increase in the fuel allowance; and if they will receive the same increase as those who receive a weekly payment over the course of the winter. [52192/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraQualified Fuel Allowance recipients who opt to receive their payment by way of lump sum received their first payment, of €392, during the week commencing 27 September 2021. The second lump sum will be paid in early January 2022.
In Budget 2022, the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance has been increased by €5 with effect from the week commencing 11th October 2021. Arrears of Fuel Allowance will be paid to those on lump sum payments, to cover the period from 11 October to year end, as soon as is practicable. It is intended that the second lump sum payment, due to issue in early January will be calculated and paid at the new weekly rate. Work on the enabling system changes is underway.
Fuel Allowance recipients, regardless of their preferred payment option will receive payments to the same value, inclusive of any arrears due, on foot of this Budget announcement.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
580. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Social Protection when local Intreo offices will return to their pre-Covid-19 activities; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that phone lines are not being manned in Intreo offices; when this will be remedied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52233/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy that in-person appointments are available at all Intreo centres and that all of these centres are open 5 days per week, as are our branch offices. Offices are open for walk-in service each morning and for appointments all day to 5pm. The current arrangements, are working well, but will be kept under review, in light of public health advice and the demand for services.
If a person wishes to make an in-person appointment for any of the Department's services, they can contact their local Intreo Centre or Branch Office and an appointment will be arranged for them. Contact details for all our offices are available on www.gov.ie.
We have also enhanced and developed other means of accessing my Department's services during the pandemic including by telephone and online and, for most people, these have worked well. Many people are now using www.gov.ie to obtain information and our easy to use online portal www.MyWelfare.ie to apply for various income supports. We would encourage people to continue to use these options wherever possible.
In addition, a National Intreo Contact Centre (NICC) has been established to deal with customer queries coming through a number of channels, including phone, to the Intreo Centres.
The NICC provides an integrated service to the customer and where a query cannot be dealt with on the initial phone contact, the NICC will engage with the local Intreo Centre to escalate the query to the area that can resolve it. To date, our officers are directly resolving approximately 86% of all queries that come to them with the balance escalated to local Intreo Centre staff as appropriate.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
581. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason persons who come off illness benefit and take-up a scheme lose their entitlement to the fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52249/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, to 365,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. 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.
Illness Benefit is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance. Therefore, a person cannot receive the Fuel Allowance payment while on Illness Benefit and so cannot lose entitlement to the payment when taking up a place on a scheme.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
582. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made to date in the determination of an application for a partial capacity benefit in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52263/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person in question is currently in receipt of Partial Capacity Benefit (PCB) from my Department. Her entitlement to continued payment of PCB is due to expire with effect from 18 November 2021. A letter dated 19 October 2021 issued to the person concerned confirming that payment of PCB is due to end on that date. The letter also outlined the options available to her.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
583. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent of further assistance that might be available to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52269/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned applied for the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) on 24/09/2021 to repeat year 4 of a third level course. The application was disallowed as the person concerned had previously been awarded BTEA for year 4 in the academic year 2020/21. A person can only receive approval on BTEA to repeat one academic year as a full-time student and only in limited circumstances. The person concerned had previously been awarded BTEA to repeat year 3 of his third level course in 2019/20.The BTEA is a non-statutory scheme, and therefore a person cannot appeal a decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. If the person concerned is not satisfied with the decision, he can request to have his case reviewed by an independent Deciding Officer. The person concerned should include any new facts or evidence in support of his case.I trust this clarifies the matter.
584. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will approve a child benefit application for a child (details supplied) given that information pertinent to a review of the original decision has not been forthcoming from the relevant agency. [52276/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraChild Benefit was awarded to the person concerned from the month after receipt of their application in February 2021. As per the governing legislation, backdating to an earlier date can be considered if evidence of good cause for the delay in applying can be shown. The deciding officer in this case, having considered all the evidence provided with the application, did not consider that backdating to an earlier date was warranted. This decision was appealed to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO), with the deciding officer's decision being upheld.
If the person concerned has new evidence to support her request for backdating that has not previously been submitted, it is open to her to provide it and a deciding officer will review the case. Their decision on the review can then be further appealed to the SWAO if the person concerned is not satisfied with the outcome.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
585. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the communication she has had with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to devise a scheme to immediately continue supporting artists and performance workers whose ability to work remains restricted or limited as they are being removed from the pandemic unemployment payment; the engagement her Department has had with artists and representative bodies to ensure necessary supports are in place to sustain the sector; and the reason no scheme has yet been designed as many artists were set to receive their last pandemic unemployment payment in the week commencing 25 October 2021. [52291/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced as an emergency measure in the exceptional circumstances of Covid-19 to provide financial support to employees including the self -employed, directly impacted by the Covid-19 public health measures mandated by the Government. To date expenditure on the scheme is almost €8.86 billion.
The number of customers supported by PUP has fallen each week from a peak of over 600,000 in 2020 to just over 90,600 last week as more employments and businesses are able reopen due to the gradual lifting of restrictions and successful roll-out of the vaccine programme. On 22 October Government approved the easing of further restrictions, but with caution, given the concerning number of Covid-19 cases. As we continue to gradually reopen the economy it is important in the interest of fairness and sustainability to restore standard Jobseeker payments in a controlled and considered manner.
In line with the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, the rate of PUP is changing using a tapered approach from September 2021 until February 2022 to align it with standard jobseeker’s payments. Further rate changes will take place from 16th November 2021 and 8th February 2022. As PUP customers move on to the €203 rate, they will be transitioned to standard jobseeker terms.
Having listened to sectors including those working in the performing arts sector, I deferred the commencement of the transition process which was due to start at the beginning of September until after all sectors were able to start to reopen after 22 October.
My Department has written to customers currently receiving the €203 rate of payment to advise that they will continue to receive PUP until 9th November and will then have the option of qualifying for a Jobseeker payment if they are eligible. The maximum personal rate for the Jobseeker schemes is also €203 per week.
I have also announced as part of Budget 2022 that the core weekly rates of Jobseeker payments will increase by €5 per week from January 2022 with proportionate increased rates for qualifying adults and children.
A self-employed artist exiting the PUP scheme and who is working in their business for up to 24 hours per week may apply for the Part Time Job Incentive for Self -employed. Recipients receive a payment of €128.60 per week and there is no income limit applied.
Alternatively, a self- employed person who is trading at a reduced level may be eligible for support under the means tested Jobseeker's Allowance Scheme subject to satisfying the statutory scheme conditions. The scheme for self-employed artists under Jobseeker’s Allowance is open to professionals from a wide range of artistic disciplines. The artists on the scheme are exempt from participating in the normal labour market activation activities for a period of 12 months, but all other scheme conditions apply.
Furthermore, the €1,000 Covid-19 Enterprise Support Grant to assist self-employed people to restart their business will continue to be available to self-employed people closing their PUP claims until the end of 2021. A self-employed person closing their PUP claim to reopen their business will be able to avail of this grant even if they have previously claimed it as part of an earlier reopening of their business in 2020.
The Arts and Culture Taskforce made a recommendation in October 2020 to introduce a pilot basic income scheme for artists. This was reflected in the National Economic Recovery Plan. Budget 2022 included the announcement of €25 million to pilot a new Basic Income Guarantee scheme for artists and arts workers. My colleague the Minister for Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has lead responsibility for this initiative. Her Department is examining the various options associated with introducing a pilot basic income scheme for artists and this is being overseen by the Arts and Culture Recovery Oversight Group. My Department is actively engaging in this process through both the Oversight Group and the associated technical sub-group.
Significant sectoral stakeholder engagement will take place in the coming weeks to inform the pilot scheme, and ensure that it meets the needs of the sector. Once that engagement is complete, details will be finalised and announced, with a likely pilot launch in early 2022.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputy at this time.
586. 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. [52293/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that my Department has allocated a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) to the deceased person referred to by the Deputy.
A letter issued to his daughter on 20 October 2021, providing her with her late father's PPSN.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
587. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received for disability allowance, carer’s allowance, invalidity pension and domiciliary care allowance in each of the years 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52372/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of claims registered for the schemes referred to by the Deputy in the years 2019, 2020 and to end-September 2021 are set out beneath in tabular form.
No of Claims registered
|
Scheme |
2019 |
2020 |
To End Sep 2021 |
|
Disability Allowance |
24,017 |
20,671 |
15,280 |
|
Carers Allowance |
19,402 |
18,774 |
14,742 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
10,336 |
9,991 |
6,530 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
8,719 |
7,289 |
6,993 |
588. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated number of persons that will benefit during the 2021-2022 fuel season from the allocations in Budget 2022; the breakdown for each measure; if information will be provided on additional recipients and the overall number of recipients for this timeframe in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52378/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, to low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. 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.
In Budget 2022, the Government announced a number of measures in relation to the fuel allowance scheme -
- An increase in the weekly rate of fuel allowance by €5 with immediate effect bringing it to €33. This measure is expected to benefit 398,000 households in 2022 at a cost of just under €55.8 million.
- From January 2022, the allowable means will be increased by €20 to €120 above the relevant State Pension Contributory rate. It is estimated that this will benefit some 4,500 households in 2022 at a cost of just under €4.2 million.
- The eligibility for Jobseeker’s and Supplementary Welfare Allowance recipients was enhanced by reducing the qualifying period from 15 to 12 months with effect from September 2022. This measure is estimated to benefit some 3,300 households in 2022 at a cost of just over €1.5 million.
It is important to emphasise that these figures represent an estimate of number of new beneficiaries. . It is equally important to emphasise that the fuel allowance scheme is demand-led and that any customer who satisfies the conditions of the scheme will, of course, be paid the allowance.
The Government has committed to very significant increases in a targeted package of social protection supports in Budget 2022. In addition to the measures set out above, the Government also increased -
- The Qualified Child Payment by €2 per week for children under 12 and €3 per week for children over 12.
- The Living Alone Allowance by €3 per week.
- The Working Family Payment thresholds by €10 per week.
These supports were selected to counteract the impact of the increased carbon tax on low income households. Analysis undertaken by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform using SWITCH, the ESRI tax and benefit model, to simulate the impact of the carbon tax increase and the compensatory welfare package estimates that the net impact of the combined measures is progressive and households in the bottom four income deciles will see all of the cost of the carbon tax increase offset, with the bottom three deciles being better off as a result of these measures.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
589. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the manner in which Budget 2022 changed farm assist with regard to agri-environmental disregards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52439/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Farm Assist Scheme is a means tested support for farmers on low incomes who satisfy the scheme’s statutory conditions including a means test. Recipients retain the advantages of Jobseeker's Allowance such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. The 2021 Further Revised Estimate provides for expenditure of €61.7 million on the scheme.
A commitment was made under the Programme for Government and in the 'Our Rural Future Rural Development Policy 2021-2025' to conduct a review of the means test for Farm Assist to better reward farmers who avail of the scheme.
The means test is flexible to allow for significant fluctuations from one year to the next. Income included in the means test is assessed in different ways and certain disregards apply. At present specified disregards apply to payments under the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme, the Agri-Environmental Options Scheme, and the Green Low-Carbon Agri Environment Scheme (GLAS), which are administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Disregards also apply under the National Parks and Wildlife Service Farm Plan Scheme administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The level of the disregard is €2,540, with 50% of the balance assessed as means. There are also annual disregards for dependent children: €254 for each of the first two children and €381 for the third and other children. Remaining farm income and income from off-farm self-employment is then assessed at 70%. In line with other means tested social welfare schemes, the first €20,000 of capital is not assessed.
Budget 2022 introduced a measure to extensively expand the list of agri-environmental schemes. Details of the schemes are currently being finalised and will require changes to the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 as amended. This will support the Government’s climate change agenda and will act as an incentive to farmers to participate in the schemes.
This measure will be implemented from October 2022 and will benefit approximately 1,530 Farm Assist customers next year. The additional costs are estimated to be approximately €0.5 million in 2022 and €2.2 million in a full year. Commencement dates for budgetary measures are dependent on the level of funding available and their implementation.
Furthermore, I have provided for an increase of €5 in the weekly rates of payment for working age schemes including the Farm Assist Scheme. The maximum weekly rate of payment will increase from €203 to €208 and proportionate increases will also apply for qualifying adult and child payment rates. This measure is affective from January 2022.
I trust that this clarifies the position at this time.
