Written Answers Nos. 81-97
81. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will engage with TUS and RSS around expanding and improving the service as well as addressing outstanding pay and condition claims by the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24653/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTús is a community work placement initiative aimed at providing short-term, quality work opportunities for those who are unemployed for more than a year. The scheme aims to improve the employability and work readiness of participants, by providing them with the opportunities to put work skills into practice and learn new skills enabling progression to work, further education or skill development.
The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative that provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation.
Both schemes are funded by the Department of Social Protection and are delivered through the national network of Local Development Companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta in Gaeltacht areas. These are collectively known as implementing bodies (IBs).
I have been hugely impressed by the range and value of the work undertaken on these schemes, many of which I have had the opportunity to visit and witness first hand. I and my Department interact regularly with schemes at ground level and at national level. I am happy to engage with Tús and RSS schemes on ideas to support participants, deliver on the aims of schemes while improving services to support local service provision by the community, voluntary and not-for-profit organisations. Reforms introduced to RSS and Community Employment schemes by Minister Humphreys and I last December, as well as the support provided to all schemes during the pandemic are examples of how Government supports schemes.
My officials met with union representatives of RSS and Tús supervisors along with a number of supervisors on the of 6th April last and discussed a number of issues, including cross cutting human resource policy issues. However, as you will appreciate the Department is not the employer of supervisors and they are not public servants. At this meeting the review of the RSS scheme was also discussed and my officials made it clear that this review will include consultation with scheme representatives to ensure the views of those working on the ground on schemes, along with those of other stakeholders, informs the review.
Last year Minister Humphreys and I introduced the Employment Support Services Operation Forum where we, along with Department officials, meet representatives from all schemes. This now meets three to four times a year. The meetings afford scheme representatives an opportunity to raise current issues relating to their schemes and both Minster Humphreys and I find the meetings to be extremely informative and very worthwhile opportunity for constructive exchanges of views and ideas with schemes.
82. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the closure of the Wicklow Town Citizens’ Information Centre (details supplied); if her Department proposes to fund a new centre at another location in the town; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17927/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Citizens Information Board (CIB) is the statutory body with responsibility for the Citizens Information Service (CIS). CIB provides funding to eight CIS companies that operate a national network of Citizens Information Centres. Each CIS is a limited company overseen by a board of directors and makes decisions independently on the delivery of services in their regions.
Therefore, decisions regarding the delivery of services in the region, including in Wicklow town are a matter, in this case, for the Board of the South Leinster CIS.
I understand that South Leinster CIS made the decision to discontinue services in their Wicklow town office from March 2020 due to health and safety concerns. The Board had undertaken an internal assessment of the premises and identified that they were unsuitable. I understand that the Board has looked for alternative arrangements and had identified a possible potential location. However, that premises required substantial financial investment before it could be utilised. I also understand that an alternative outreach office space has recently been identified in Wicklow town and that the Citizens Information Board is continuing to engage with South Leinster CIS with a view to progressing its use to meet local needs.
It is important to note that Citizens Information Services continue to be available in County Wicklow in offices in both Arklow and Bray. Arklow CIC is open for drop in callers on Tuesdays and appointments are also available on other days. Bray CIC is open for drop in callers on Mondays and Thursdays and appointments otherwise available. Callers can ring the offices five days a week with queries.The CIB and the Board of South Leinster CIS are committed to the continued ongoing delivery of high-quality services to the people of County Wicklow.
83. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she is taking to ensure the welfare of Ukrainian refugees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24215/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn March, the Council of the European Union unanimously adopted the implementing decision regarding the Temporary Protection Directive. This means that people arriving from Ukraine have been granted the status to avail of the supports and services, including income supports and employment services, provided by my Department.
In order to ensure people fleeing the war are supported as quickly as possible, my officials are located at the Ukraine Reception Facility at Dublin airport helping people to apply for PPSNs and assisting with income support applications. Officials from the Department of Justice and Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Education and Youth are also at the reception centre to issue confirmation of Temporary Protection and assist with accommodation needs.
The priority for my Department is to make payments as quickly as possible and thereafter to put arrangements in place to pay the most appropriate social welfare payment such as Jobseekers, One Parent Family Payment or State pension non-contributory to incoming Ukrainians. People may also apply for additional supports including Exceptional Needs Payments and Rent Supplement if appropriate.
Thanks to the fast tracking of PPSNs and simplified decision making for processing income support applications, almost 30,860 PPSNs have been allocated and 14,910 income support claims have been awarded, supporting over 26,000 people. Furthermore, 6,529 Child Benefit claims have been processed in respect of almost 9,700 children.
My Department has also been organising employment support events specifically for people covered by the Directive to provide Ukrainians with information on employment opportunities and supports and to assist them with applying for appropriate income support payments. To date almost 5,400 people have attended these events.
Information on my Department's supports is published on the Government website in both Ukrainian and Russian and interpretive services are available in all Reception Centres and offices. My Department remains fully committed to providing all necessary supports.
84. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who are in receipt of the blind pension; her Department’s work in this area to support persons with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24382/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Blind Pension is a means-tested payment paid to blind and visually impaired people who are habitually resident in Ireland. Eligibility for Blind Pension requires that a person’s vision is impaired to such an extent that they cannot perform any work for which eyesight is essential or cannot continue in their ordinary occupation. When awarded a Blind Pension a person automatically gets a Free Travel Pass and Companion Free Travel Pass. Recipients of Blind Pension may be entitled to the Living Alone Allowance and the Household Benefits Package from my Department as well as the Blind Welfare Allowance paid by the Health Service Executive.
The number of recipients on Blind Pension as of April was 1,026. There has been a steady decline in the numbers receiving Blind Pension over the last number of years. In 2015, there were 1,341 recipients of Blind Pension, this represents a reduction of almost 23.5%.
In Budget 2022 a number of measures were introduced to support people with disabilities:
- An increase of €5 across core social welfare payments,
- Increase to the upper earnings disregard limit for Disability Allowance and Blind Pension by €25 per week, from €350 to €375 per week,
- Increase in the rate paid under Wage Subsidy Scheme to private sector employers of €1 per hour, bringing it to the equivalent of 60% of the National Minimum Wage,
- Extension of three grants, currently available through Intreo centres, to EmployAbility contractors in 2022, these are:
- Job Interview Interpreter Grant
- Workplace Equipment Adaptation Grant
- Personal Reader Grant
- Increase to the general weekly means disregard for Disability Allowance to €7.60,
- Extension to Blind Pension of the means test disregard for PhD scholarship income,
- Increase to the Fuel Allowance of €5 to €33 per week,
- Increase to the Living Alone Allowance of €3, from €19 to €22 per week.
In addition to this my Department also provides employment-related supports for people with disabilities throughout the country.I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
86. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection her Department’s progress in supporting unemployed persons back into work, including those in long-term unemployment under the Pathways to Work 2021-2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24676/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department, through its Intreo service and together with its service partners, is constantly engaged in work to help jobseekers prepare for and secure employment. We do this through one-on-one case officer supports, through developing and funding employment and training programmes, through providing recruitment services such as JobsIeland.ie to employers, through offering recruitment subsidies targeted at people at most disadvantage and through working closely with our colleagues in the further education and training sector.
Much of this is below the radar but it is vitally important and has been shown to be very effective. I am very pleased that the CSO's Monthly April Unemployment release finds that the monthly unemployment rate and the youth unemployment rate have fallen significantly over the last twelve months and now stand at 4.8 percent and 5.6 percent respectively. As of this week there are 174,200 people on the Live Register, which is lower than the pre-pandemic level.
It is most welcome that the Live Register is lower than pre-pandemic levels following the unwinding of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment at the end of March. This can be understood in the context of a labour market that is performing extremely well and I'm particularly pleased to see significant increases in the participation rate for women.
The Pathways to Work strategy, to which the Deputy refers, has the aims of supporting both those who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and those who were already disadvantaged in accessing the labour market prior to the pandemic. It provides for a coherent response across five strands of action with 83 specific commitments. Broadly speaking, some key areas of focus include:
- Working with jobseekers through increasing case officer capacity. In this regard we have appointed an additional 100 job coaches in the Department and are currently engaged in a process to procure external case officer capacity. Our own case officers and job coaches are currently heavily engaged in supporting people recently arrived from Ukraine.
- Working with employers, both directly one-on-one and through hosting job fairs in Ireland and with the European Public Employment Services. For example, we have a particular focus on supporting construction sector employers through the recently launched Future Building Ireland programme. Over the next week we will be running over 40 events nationwide, including a major event in Tallaght Stadium, to connect jobseekers with employers and opportunities in the construction sector.
- Reforming our system of income support payments. This includes initiatives that have been progressed by my colleagues in relation to the development of statutory sick pay and the basic income for artists pilot, and steps I have taken to enable people retain welfare payments while pursing higher level programmes of education.
These are just some examples. In order to make sure that we continue to make progress in delivering on the Pathways strategy, I have asked the Labour Market Advisory Council to report to me later this year with their views on the progress being made in the implementation of these commitments.
87. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of phase 2 of the procurement process for the new local area employment service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24520/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is currently undertaking a significant expansion of public employment services. In particular, specialised employment services for those farthest from the labour market - previously available in just twelve counties - will soon be available State-wide for the first time.
In the first phase of this procurement, contracts for Intreo Partners - Local Area Employment Services (LAES) were agreed in late 2021 across four lots in seven counties in the Midlands and North-East. These new services are now operational and accepting referrals.
Phase two of this process is currently ongoing. The procurement of phase 2 of the Intreo Partners Local Area Employment Services commenced with the publication of the request for tender on 21 December last. Phase 2 took on board learnings from the limited procurement in phase 1 including for example a substantial increase in guaranteed annual referral numbers, enhanced requirements for social and community links and an increase in the number of lots.
This procurement was preceded by extensive consultation with all stakeholders, including the community sector providers and their representative body the ILDN. Every existing provider was visited on site by my officials and asked for their views on the way forward for the best provision of employment services, there has also been engagement with the staff representative bodies. In addition, the external consultants engaged by the Department to assist in the restructuring of these services also, and separately from the Department, consulted with existing providers.
My Department extended the deadline for the Requests for Tenders to 25 April to ensure all interested parties, including the community sector, had sufficient time to prepare quality tender responses that reflect their experience and capacity to deliver a quality service. I understand that tenders have been received and that an evaluation process is ongoing.
I am not and cannot be directly involved in or briefed on the identity of the bidders or the status of the evaluation process.
88. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline measures taken to prevent abuse of the Work Placement Experience Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24515/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) is a key policy initiative under the Government's national employment services strategy, Pathways to Work 2021-2025. It is a funded work placement scheme to provide quality work experience to unemployed jobseekers to build their skills and experience.
The placements run for 6 months at 30 hours per week to include time spent on training. All participants are paid a minimum of €311 per week, plus any social welfare increases for qualified adults and children.
Participation on WPEP by jobseekers is entirely voluntary.
There are a range of checks in place prior to and during placements to make sure both participants and host organisations comply with the conditions of WPEP. My officials inform me these are working well.
All organisations who offer a WPEP placement are checked before the placement is placed on the Department’s recruitment website; jobsIreland.ie. The compliance process entails checks to ensure the host is fully compliant with all tax, health and safety and insurance obligations. In addition, there are checks to ensure that an organisation does not exceed the limit on the number of placements a host can offer based on their number of employees and has not made employees redundant from similar roles in the previous 6 months.
The individual placements on offer are checked to ensure the description reflect that these are work experience and training roles and do not require prior knowledge or experience by participants.
Once a placement has been agreed and in place, a number of checks are in place to ensure participants receive a quality work experience. Hosts are required to agree a training plan to ensure that 60 hours of training are in place including 20 hours that are accredited or sector recognised in addition to a monthly compliance checklist over the duration of the programme. There are monthly compliance notifications and checks to make sure all is in order.
In addition, an assigned Case Officer from Intreo liaises with the host and participant during the placement and undertakes two monitoring meetings, either in person or virtually, to ensure the terms and conditions of the programme are being fulfilled.
Since the programme was launched in July 2021 these arrangements have been working very well. I am not aware of any instances of non-compliance reported to date.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
89. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the community employment scheme; and the number of persons currently availing of the scheme. [24226/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe aim of the Community Employment (CE) programme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities. The programme aims to improve a person’s opportunities to return to the labour market.
There are currently 848 CE schemes nationwide. At the end of April 2022 there were 19,037 participants and 1,243 supervisors on CE. Generally participants under 60 years of age can stay on CE for one to three years consecutively, with a maximum 6 years participation.
The budget for the CE programme in 2022 is €375.3 million. A total of €326.7million was spent on CE in 2021.
During the COVID pandemic the Minister for Social Protection and I extended CE participants contracts on a number of occasions. These contract extensions, which were in place from October 2020, supported CE schemes at various stages of the pandemic so that they could maintain important community services while also ensuring that participants had sufficient time to fully avail of the work experience and training opportunities affected by public health restrictions.
Existing CE participants have begun exiting their schemes on a coordinated and phased basis from 8 April 2022 and this will run up until January 2023. This will ensure continuity of service delivery and also support recruitment of new participants to fill consequential and existing vacancies.
In light of the COVID related challenges faced by CE schemes, Minister Humphreys and I announced a number of changes to CE in December 2021.
The CE baseline year was increased from 2007 to 2014 with immediate effect. The baseline year will be maintained at 7 years behind the current year going forward i.e. on 1 January 2022, the baseline year moved to 2015. This will benefit some persons who remain unemployed or once again become unemployed a while after completing a CE scheme, as time spent on schemes prior to the baseline year do not count towards participation limits on CE.
Persons over 60 years of age can now remain on CE until they reach the state pension age regardless of the time limits. Previously this only applied to persons over 62.
In addition, in order to assist with the transition from COVID emergency supports over the next period, participants, including those with extended contracts, may not be required to leave CE, until a suitable replacement has been referred to the scheme.
I will continue to support and improve the programme for the benefit of the CE participants and the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services while ensuring that places continue to be made available to those who are long term unemployed.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
90. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection the circumstances in which recipients of social welfare protections payments can have their payments suspended without prior notice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24644/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraPayments are only suspended where there is a valid reason for doing so. This can include circumstances such as a failure by a person to sign a declaration of unemployment or to reply to a request from my Department for information in order to progress a claim review or investigation.
Under the principles of natural justice where a person may be adversely affected by a determination to suspend their payment, the Department will generally seek to contact the individual and provide them with an opportunity to address the issue that gave rise to the determination or to comment on any evidence or facts used in making such a determination. In such situations they are advised in writing that their payment may be suspended or subsequently disallowed by way of statutory decision. In some cases, where a number of weeks of payments have not been collected at the designated post office a payment might be suspended without advance warning.
If the Deputy has some specific examples of where people claim that their payment was suspended unfairly without due notice I would ask him to bring them to my attention and I will arrange to look into the cases further.
91. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify the position in relation to the current JobBridge scheme and the current contracts with SeeTec and Turas Nua; when this contact expires; if there is a new proposed tendering process for the services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24562/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraGiven the references to JobPath contractors, I am assuming that the Deputy is referring to JobPath rather than the now defunct Jobbridge scheme.
Referrals to JobPath will cease at the end of June this year. Individuals already engaged with the JobPath service could potentially continue their engagement until June 2023. Given the contractual requirements to provide in-work supports to clients who secured employment, there could be clients engaging with the JobPath service on this basis until June 2024.
The new employment services currently being procured reflect a comprehensive client journey with specific services tailored to the unemployed depending on their distance from the labour market. Therefore, there is no direct replacement for the JobPath service as such.
Instead, the new Intreo Partners services; the Intreo Partners: Local Area Employment Services and the Intreo Partners: National Employment Services are now being procured. The deadline for the receipt of tenders for these services was the 25th of April. Following compliance checks and in line with procurement guidelines and regulations, these tenders will be evaluated and the preferred tenderers notified in due course.
In order to ensure the availability of a comprehensive suite of employment services State-wide for the first time, contracts will be finalised and services rolled out at the earliest opportunity later this year.
92. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will set up a cost of living hardship fund to be distributed by community welfare officers in the community and accessible by families and persons who are deeply affected by the cost of living increases in food, medical bills, essential clothing and so on. [24502/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, the Community Welfare Service of my Department may make discretionary payments to help people with additional costs that could not reasonably be expected to be met out of their weekly income.
Under this scheme, a supplement can be awarded to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
An exceptional needs payment may be paid to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment may be made to persons who would not normally qualify for supplementary welfare allowance but who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources or where there is no alternative available to them at that time.
Government has provided funding of €45.75 million for the exceptional and urgent needs schemes in 2022.
The scheme is demand-led and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
In general, the supplementary allowance scheme is not intended to cover circumstances where responsibility for the expenditure rests with another Government Department or Agency. In the case of medical bills, this responsibility rests with the Health Service Executive.
Anyone who wishes to make an application for a payment under the supplementary allowance schemes should contact the Community Welfare Service at their local Intreo Centre. There is a national Intreo Contact Centre in place (Ph: 0818 405060) which will direct callers to the appropriate office.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
93. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she intends to increase eligibility for fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24563/22]
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, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist qualifying 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.
The Government is committed to protecting vulnerable households from the impact of energy costs through a combination of supports, energy efficiency awareness initiatives and investment in programmes to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock.
As part of the overall welfare budget package of €600m in increases secured for 2022, I was pleased to be able to increase the Fuel Allowance payment by €5 per week effective from Budget night. I also increased the weekly income threshold for Fuel Allowance by €20. Furthermore, with effect from the start of the next fuel season, the qualifying period for Jobseeker’s and Supplementary Welfare Allowance recipients to access the Fuel Allowance payment will be reduced from 15 to 12 months.The Government has, therefore, implemented significant expansions in relation to Fuel Allowance through Budget 2022.
While the Department's schemes are reviewed on an ongoing basis, the provision of any further additional supports such as widening the eligibility criteria for Fuel Allowance would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
94. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the protections that are in place to ensure that artists selected as part of the basic income for the arts pilot scheme will not lose their eligibility for additional social welfare payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24672/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe pilot basic income scheme for artists, which the Government launched in April, is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. It is expected that there will be 2,000 participants on the pilot scheme which will run for three years.
It is important to stress that a payment under the pilot Basic Income for Artists is not a social protection or income support payment. Rather it is a payment in recognition of the valuable contribution of the arts community and an incentive to encourage people to remain actively employed in the arts rather than seeking employment elsewhere.
Payments under the pilot scheme are income and will therefore be reckonable as income for the purposes of taxation. I understand that recipients will be required to make annual self-employment returns to the Office of the Revenue Commissioners on that basis.Similarly, the Department of Social Protection will treat income from the scheme as income from self-employment for the purpose of its various means tests. The extent to which this income will have an impact on a person’s social welfare payment will depend on the means test for the scheme and the person’s individual circumstances. For an artist on Disability Allowance with no other employment income, payment of the basic income would result in a 113% increase in their income without any secondary benefits being affected.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
95. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has considered increasing social welfare rates given the recent Central Statistics Office report highlighting the potential increases to those at-risk of poverty in 2021 without Covid-19 emergency payments. [24589/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra126. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has plans to address the concerns regarding the effectiveness of the social welfare supports that are available to families and households in response to a survey (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24654/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 126 together.
I welcome the recent publication of the 2021 SILC data, which shows improvements across the key national poverty indicators, including child poverty. The data shows that household incomes across all income deciles have increased and also that income inequality has decreased.
Throughout the last number of years, social transfers have performed strongly in reducing the at-risk-of-poverty rate. This is once again confirmed by the 2021 SILC, which shows that social transfers reduced the at-risk-of-poverty rate from 38.6% to 11.6%, or 27 percentage points in absolute terms. This represents a 70% reduction on the at-risk-of-poverty rate in 2021. Ireland is consistently one of the best performing EU countries in reducing poverty through social transfers.
As the Deputy will be aware, income and living conditions were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic over the reference period covered by the survey. I am pleased that the results show the poverty reduction impacts of the COVID-19 income supports provided by Government.
As part of the normal budgetary cycle, my Department is guided by evidence-led research produced by organisations such as the CSO, the ERSI and the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice.
Over the last two Budgets, my Department has sought to protect the most vulnerable through a mixture of increases in general social welfare payments as well as through targeted increases to secondary payments such as Fuel Allowance, Living Alone Allowance and Qualified Child payments.
As a result of these measures, many of the most vulnerable social welfare recipients have seen significant increases in their weekly payment.
For example, over the last two years, a lone parent with two children under 12 years has seen their income increase by €21.50 per week during the fuel season. They will also benefit from the €10 increase in the Back to School, Clothing and Footwear Allowance. A single pensioner living alone has also seen an increase of €21.50 per week during the fuel season.
In addition to these Budget measures, the Government has acted quickly and decisively to introduce further targeted measures aimed at offsetting the increased cost of living for social welfare recipients.
In March, a once-off lump sum of €125 was paid to all households in receipt of the Fuel Allowance payment, at a cost of approximately €49 million. A further lump sum payment of €100 is also being paid to these households – costing €37 million.
The increase of €10 to the weekly income threshold of the Working Family Payment was brought forward, taking effect from early April 2022 rather than from June.
My Department will continue to monitor key economic indicators and take account of research data including that of the Survey on Income and Living Conditions to ensure that the social welfare system continues to perform well in addressing poverty and disadvantage.
96. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the way that she plans to address the cost of disability within social welfare supports considering her Department’s report from December 2021 found there is a significant additional cost for people with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24493/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Indecon report highlighted that the ‘Cost of Disability’ is significantly wider than the income support system and found that there is not a single typical ‘cost of disability’; rather there is a spectrum from low additional costs to extremely high extra costs of disability, depending on the individual circumstances of the person concerned.
Additional costs of disability identified run across a number of areas of expenditure including: housing, equipment, aids and appliances, mobility, transport and communications, medicines, care and assistance services and additional living expenses. As the findings of the research have implications for many areas of public policy, a whole-of-Government perspective is needed. As such the Government has referred the report on the Cost of Disability to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy Steering Group, chaired by the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability. All Departments have been asked to consider actions that are currently being implemented and any proposed new actions that they will be undertaking in the context of the findings of the Report.From the perspective of my Department, it is worth noting that a number of measures were introduced as part of Budget 2022 in relation to people with disabilities and their carers, which will go some way towards alleviating the financial costs experienced. These include a combination of core weekly payment rate increases, increases in earnings disregards as well as supports to employers. Under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion (2020-2025) and Pathways to Work (2021-2025) strategies, my Department has committed to developing and consulting on a ‘strawman’ proposal for the restructuring of long-term disability payments to simplify the system and take account of the concerns expressed in the Make Work Pay Report. This will also include a review of the current long-term disability payment schemes with a view to removing inconsistencies/anomalies and ensuring that they recognise the continuum of disabilities and support employment. This work is currently underway within my Department, with a public consultation process to commence in due course.
Finally, one of the key conclusions contained in the report referenced the significant challenges faced in accessing employment and recommends that a high priority should be given to facilitating an increase in employment opportunities for people with disabilities. I am committed to improving targeted employment supports where people are facing additional challenges accessing work. In this context my Department is currently carrying out a review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund, and a planned review of the Wage Subsidy Scheme will also take place in 2022.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
97. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details on her Department’s new workplace pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24440/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra106. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details on the new Workplace Pension Scheme; if carers will be included; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24516/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra113. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection the action that is planned to explain and promote the auto-enrolment scheme for a pension top-up. [24507/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra133. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the details of the planned launch of the automatic enrolment retirement saving systems; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24671/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 106, 113 and 133 together.
In March I announced that Government approval had been given to the final design principles for the auto-enrolment (AE) retirement savings system. The Deputies may wish to note that a detailed explanatory paper on the new system has been published on www.gov.ie.
The system is expected to become operational in early 2024, and will automatically enrol approximately 750,000 employees at the outset. These are employees who are aged between 23 and 60 years, earning over €20,000 across all their employments, and who are not already enrolled in an occupational pension scheme. Consideration will be given in the future to the feasibility of broadening the system to include those outside the employee cohort, such as carers.
Contributions will be paid by employees through a payroll deduction and matched by their employers as a percentage of the employee’s gross income from employment. The State will also contribute a top-up financial incentive at a rate of €1 for every €3 saved by the employee.
A new Central Processing Authority will be set up to administer the system. This will almost entirely eliminate any administrative burden on employers and will facilitate a ‘pot-follows-member’ approach whereby workers will have one growing pension pot across employments and throughout their working life.
Commercial registered providers of financial investment services, contracted following an open tender process, will provide a well-balanced and diversified default investment fund, plus three other fund options for employees who want to invest their money at different levels of risk.
A lengthy public consultation process was conducted in 2018. Engagement is ongoing between my Department officials and key stakeholders. A comprehensive communications campaign will be conducted in 2023 in advance of the scheme's launch to ensure that employees and employers are aware of and fully understand the details of the scheme.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputies.
