Written Answers Nos. 461-480
461. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of providing an additional two week parent’s leave and benefit; the cost of increasing the leave and benefit from five to seven weeks per child as scheduled from August 2022; and the estimated cost of increasing the leave and benefit from seven to eight weeks in tabular form. [15800/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraParent's Leave and Benefit are currently available for five weeks to all eligible parents of children born or adopted from 1 November 2019 and must be used within the first two years of the child’s life or adoption. Parent’s Benefit is paid at €250 per week - the same rate as Maternity, Paternity and Adoptive Benefits.
Provision was made in Budget 2022 to increase the number of weeks of Parent's Leave and Benefit available to eligible parents from five weeks to seven weeks from July 2022.
The estimated cost of these additional two weeks in 2022 and for a full year are presented in the Table below. The estimated full year cost of extending parent's benefit by a further week, to eight weeks is also presented.
|
Measure |
Estimated Cost in 2022 |
Estimated Full Year Cost |
|
Increase Parent’s Benefit from five weeks to seven weeks |
€9.4 million |
€19.5 million |
|
Increase Parent’s Benefit from seven weeks to eight weeks |
N/A |
€9.75 million |
The estimated costs shown are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2022. It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
462. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way that an alleged overpayment has occurred in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15822/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing the Deputy’s representation and given that the overpayment dates back to 2018, I have asked my officials to undertake a full review of the overpayment assessed against the person concerned. My officials will write to the person concerned detailing how the overpayment occurred and with the outcome of the review within the next two weeks.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
463. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a late appeal will be accepted and an oral hearing will be facilitated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15844/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for Carer's Allowance by the person concerned was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 7 February 2019. I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an appeal for the person concerned was received in that Office on 21 March 2022.
An appeal against the decision of a Deciding Officer must be made within 21 days of a decision being notified. Appeals received outside of this time limit may be accepted at the discretion of the Chief Appeals Officer, taking into account the circumstances of the case. In view of the fact that 3 years have elapsed since the person concerned was notified of the decision, and in the absence of any reason for not submitting an appeal within the prescribed timeframe, I am advised by the Chief Appeals Officer that an appeal is unlikely to be accepted.
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.
If there has been any change in circumstances it is open to the person concerned to reapply for carer's allowance.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
464. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection when an appeal decision will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15849/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI confirm that an application from the person concerned for disability allowance (DA) was received by the Department on 22 November 2021.
The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.
The application was referred to a social welfare inspector (SWI) for a report on the person’s means and circumstances on 24th November 2021. A request to have the case prioritised has also been sent to the SWI. Once they submit their report to DA section, a decision will be made on the application and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
465. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a social welfare payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15853/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraInvalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
An application for IP was received from the person concerned on 17 February 2022. In order to establish medical suitability for IP, two forms issued on 09 March 2022. In addition on 22 March 2022, a deciding officer requested confirmation of the date he ceased self employment. On receipt of the completed forms and the requested information, the IP claim will be processed as quickly as possible and he will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
466. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the child benefit until the end of the school year in cases in which a child reaches 18 years of age but is still in full-time education during the leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15858/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraChild Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children in respect of all qualified children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 18th birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Child Benefit is currently paid to over 631,000 families in respect of almost 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of more than €2.1 billion in 2022.
There are currently no plans to extend Child Benefit in respect of full-time students in second level education who are over 18 years of age. Such an extension would have significant cost implications and would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.
Families on low incomes may be able to avail of a number of social welfare schemes that support children in full-time education until the age of 22, including:
- Increase for a Qualified Child (IQCs) with primary social welfare payments;
- the Working Family Payment for low-paid employees with children; and
- the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.
These schemes provide targeted assistance that is directly linked to household income and thereby support low-income families with older children participating in full-time education.
As part of Budget 2022, I increased the rates for a qualified child aged under 12 by €2 to €40 per week, and for a qualified child aged 12 or older by €3 to €48 per week, from January. I increased the level of the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance by €10 to €160 for each child aged 4 to 11 years and to €285 for each child aged 12 and over. I also equalised the income limits for one and two parent households, thereby making it easier for lone parents to qualify for that payment. Budget 2022 also provided for a €10 weekly increase in the income limits for Working Family Payment, and I am pleased that this will now come into effect from April, 2022.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
467. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection if a review of the invalidity pension application by a person (details supplied) will be carried out. [15875/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of a summary decision. Under social welfare legislation a decision of an Appeals Officer is generally final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by an Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or new facts.
I am advised that the person concerned has submitted additional evidence and that the Department has been requested to return the file to the Social Welfare Appeals Office. This file was assigned back to an Appeals Officer on 22 March 2022 and they will now review the case. The person concerned will be contacted when the review of the appeal decision has been finalised.
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.
468. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if new recruitment is underway to provide support teams to work with incoming refugees from Ukraine; the categories being recruited; and if they will be recruited into standard grades within the public service or in some other manner. [15880/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is redeploying existing staff to work in the hubs established in Dublin Airport and in other locations where people fleeing the war in Ukraine are being assisted on arrival in Ireland. These resources are being supplemented with additional temporary clerical staff being recruited through the Public Appointments Service (PAS). The position is being kept under review.
469. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the funding provided with respect to the employment wage subsidy scheme for 2022; the level of funding that has been drawn down to date; if her Department has revised the level of funding that will be required under the scheme in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15955/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe employment wage subsidy scheme (EWSS) replaced the temporary wage subsidy scheme with effect from 1 September 2020.
The table below outlines the level of funding provided in my Department's 2022 estimate for the employment wage subsidy scheme and a breakdown of funding provided from 2020 to February 2022:
|
€000 |
|
|
2022 Estimate |
600,000 |
|
. |
. |
|
EWSS Funding 2020 - Feb 2022 |
€000 |
|
2020 (Outturn) |
1,370,889 |
|
2021 (Provisional Outturn) |
4,570,531 |
|
2022 (January - February) |
499,108 |
|
Total |
6,440,528 |
The employment wage subsidy scheme is paid through the Vote of the Department of Social Protection while the Department of Finance has responsibility for policy matters in relation to the scheme and the scheme is administered by the Revenue Commissioners.
If the Department's expenditure is likely to exceed its voted allocation, a supplementary estimate will be sought later in the year.
470. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the progress on the recognition of non-binary persons in the collection and collation of personal data within the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15994/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe collection and collation of personal data within the State is a matter for the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in line with European and International practice. I am advised that the CSO has committed to conducting research and is engaging with stakeholders on this matter.
471. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a PPS number will be issued in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15997/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned applied for a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number online. This application was processed on 23/03/2022. Confirmation of the person’s PPS Number was issued to the address provided on 24/03/2022.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
472. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider a work-around for people who qualify for fuel allowance who rely on district heating systems for their homes and do not have a GPRN number; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16028/22]
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, which is supporting up to an estimated 400,000 households in 2022, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. 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.
A household can only be deemed to qualify for Fuel Allowance if they have submitted a completed fuel application form to my Department and a Deciding Officer has approved payment of Fuel Allowance to that household.
To qualify for Fuel Allowance a household must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions including being in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test, satisfy the household composition test and must be unable to provide for their heating needs from the resources of their household.
Fuel Allowance is not paid if a person’s heating needs are provided for in full as part of their accommodation. Therefore, if a household is heated as part of a district heating system and their heating needs are provided for in full, no Fuel Allowance is payable. If the household still contributes towards the cost of heating their home even at a subsidised level, they may still qualify for Fuel Allowance, if they satisfy the other qualifying conditions of the Fuel Allowance scheme.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
473. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) can expect to receive an appointment to apply for a PPS card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16031/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am sorry to hear of the person’s difficulty in contacting the Bishop’s Square Intreo Centre. The staff at the Intreo Centre are currently managing high volumes of phone calls and any delays in responding are regretted.
The person concerned was invited to a Public Services Card (PSC) appointment which was scheduled for 25/03/2022. Following this appointment a PSC card has issued to the person concerned which she should receive by post within 7-10 working days.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
474. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection when a carer’s allowance application by a person (details supplied) will be expedited. [16038/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
An application for CA was received from the person concerned on 21 March 2022.
Additional information in relation to the person’s application was requested by a deciding officer on 23 March 2022.
Once the information is received the application will be processed without delay and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the position.
475. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) will be provided with a copy of documents; if these documents were provided to her internal audit division under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and to the independent investigation carried out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16080/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAccess to the records referred to in this request has previously been sought by the requester and these records have been referenced in a number of Freedom of Information requests made to this Department. This Department has refused access to these records under Freedom of Information legislation. The Department is not, therefore, in a position to release them to the requester.
The documents referred to in the attachment were not provided to the Internal Audit unit in relation to the relevant Internal Audits/investigation.
In the Positive Working Environment Investigation Report, the investigator reports that he (the investigator) received a copy of the complaints; that the investigator read both documents; and that the investigator concluded that the records were not relevant to the PWE investigation.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
476. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if epilepsy will be considered as a qualifying condition in order to qualify for the free travel scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16081/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private 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 1,025,000 customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2022 is €95 million.
I am aware of the campaign by Epilepsy Ireland and recognise the issues and difficulties than can arise due to a person being diagnosed with epilepsy. I have recently met with representatives of Epilepsy Ireland to discuss their proposal in detail.
Following the meeting I have asked my Department officials to examine the issues raised by Epilepsy Ireland and to explore options to help alleviate these issues. Further meetings will be arranged once this exploratory work has been concluded.
However, it is really important to note that, in general, access to a free travel pass for those aged under 66 is linked to a person being in receipt of certain primary Social Protection payments such as Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Carer’s Allowance, Blind Pension and Partial Capacity Benefit. Crucially as many illnesses or physical conditions have an impact across a spectrum from mild to severe, entitlement to these schemes is not provided on the basis of a simple diagnosis but on the basis of the impact of that diagnosis on the individual concerned. In this way resources can be targeted to people with most need. Therefore, while a diagnosis of a particular medical condition will be required to establish if a person may be eligible for certain social welfare schemes, evidence of impact is also required before entitlement to the scheme or the related free travel scheme is established. The sole exception to this general approach is in respect of people who are blind.
It is also important to note that there are a range of disabilities and medical conditions that can prevent a person from holding a driving licence and to award a free travel pass to a person with any one of these conditions in isolation would immediately result in calls for all people who are not allowed to hold a driving licence because of their medical condition to receive the free travel pass and could result in challenges under the Equal Status Act.
While consideration is always given to any requests to improve or extend eligibility to the free travel scheme, uncoupling the link between receipt of particular social welfare payments and eligibility for the free travel scheme would so fundamentally alter the scheme that it would move it away from being a social welfare measure to being a general transport initiative.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department may award a travel supplement, where the circumstances of the particular case so warrant. The supplement is intended to assist with ongoing or recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary. Every decision is based on consideration of the circumstances of the individual case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the person concerned.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
477. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the case of a person (details supplied); if she will expedite the payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16107/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMaternity Benefit is a payment made to women who are on maternity leave from work and covered by social insurance (PRSI).
The Maternity Benefit award letter issued to the claimant in this case on 24th March 2022. The claimant will receive her first Maternity Benefit payment on Monday, 4th April, 2022. The commencement date of Monday, 4th of April, 2022 takes into account payments received recently by the claimant from other DSP schemes.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
479. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of retainers her Department has with outside organisations; and the cost of each retainer in tabular form. [16158/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not engage in retainer contracts within the ordinary meaning of the word, i.e., a fee paid in advance to secure the services of a person or a company.
My Department has many contracts for service with third parties. However, payment occurs after work is done and an invoice presented to the Department.
