Written Answers Nos. 464-483
464. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the 2022 budget allocation for the Money Advice and Budgeting Service; the number of employees employed by MABS broken down by grade; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27556/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), which operates under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board (CIB), provides assistance to people, in particular those on low incomes or living on social welfare payments, who are over-indebted and need help and advice with debt problems. As part of its free services, MABS provides help and advice to those in mortgage arrears.
The CIB funds eight regional MABS companies and, in addition, two other companies - MABS Support company and National Traveller MABS, which provide technical advice, training and other support to MABS companies.
The CIB provided an allocation of €21.54 million for the MABS regional companies for 2022.
My Department has been informed by CIB that the number of employees employed by the MABS companies, broken down by grade, is as follows:
|
MABS Regional Companies |
Regional Manager |
Service Delivery Manager / Money Advice Co-Ordinator |
Corporate Manager |
Money Advisor |
Relief Money Advisor |
Admin |
Cleaner |
TOTAL |
|
TOTAL |
8 |
32.9 |
5 |
141.5 |
8 |
77 |
4 |
276.4 |
|
MABS Helpline Staff Employed by North Dublin MABS |
All Staff Headcount |
|
Helpline Coordinator |
1 |
|
Helpline Advisors |
11 |
|
TOTAL |
12 |
|
DMA MABS |
DMA |
Relief DMA |
Total |
|
TOTAL |
31 |
7 |
38 |
*DMA – Dedicated Mortgage Advisor
|
MABS Support Staff |
Headcount |
|
Business Manager |
1 |
|
National Development Officers |
3 |
|
Best Practice & Quality Executive |
0 |
|
Training Manager-NDO grade |
1 |
|
Training Executive (MA Grade) |
1 |
|
Social Policy & Research Executive (MAC grade) |
1 |
|
Financial Education & Inclusion Executive ( MAC grade) |
1 |
|
Administrators |
2 |
|
Finance Administrator |
1 |
|
MAB SIS Coordinator |
1 |
|
Total |
12 |
|
National Traveller MABS Staff |
Headcount |
|
Coordinator |
1 |
|
National Support and Development Worker |
1 |
|
National Education Worker |
1 |
|
Administrator |
2 |
|
Accommodation Project Worker |
1 |
|
Total |
6 |
465. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the 2022 budget allocation for the Citizens Information Service; the number of employees employed by the Citizens Information Service broken down by grade; the number of Citizens Information Service offices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27557/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Citizens Information Board (CIB), which operates under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection, 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, which in turn has responsibility for the provision of information, advice and advocacy services in its geographic area. There are 101 Citizens Information Centres around the country.
In addition, the Citizens Information Phone Service (CIPS) is a nationwide service available on 0818 07 4000, Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm.
Each CIS is a limited company overseen by a regional manager and board of directors. Each company is responsible for all matters and decisions relating to its staff and operations.
An allocation of €17.34 million for the CIS has been provided as part of CIB’s overall funding for 2022 and this is expected to meet the costs of the service to the end of 2022.
My Department has been informed by CIB that the number of employees employed by the eight regional CIS companies, broken down by grade, is as follows:
|
CIS Regional Companies |
Regional Manager |
Development Manager |
Senior Information Officer |
Information Officer |
Admin |
Cleaner |
Advocate Support Worker |
TOTAL |
|
TOTAL |
8 |
36 |
4 |
191 |
35 |
2 |
9 |
293 |
|
Citizens Information Phone Service |
Headcount |
|
Manager |
1 |
|
Team Supervisors |
2 |
|
Senior Administrator |
1 |
|
Information Officers |
22 |
|
Administrators |
2 |
|
TOTAL |
28 |
466. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding a disability payment for a person (details supplied) in Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27620/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 28th May 2021. Their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds as it was not found that the person concerned was substantially restricted in taking up employment. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 15 June 2021.
An appeal was lodged with the independent social welfare appeals office (SWAO). On 1st October 2021 the SWAO notified us that the original decision was upheld and the appeal was disallowed. The person concerned was notified directly by the independent SWAO regarding their appeal.
An Appeal Officer’s decision is final and conclusive in absence of any fresh facts or evidence. It is open to the person in question to reapply for DA.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
467. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of staff employed in her Department by gender and by civil service salary scale in tabular form. [27604/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraPlease find below a breakdown of staff employed in my department by gender and grade at 30 April 2022. Civil Service salary scales are most recently outlined in Circular 04/2022 available here. The numbers refer to people serving which equates to 6529 posts, taking account of staff working less than full-time hours.
|
Grade |
Male |
Female |
Unspecified |
Total |
|
Secretary General |
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
Deputy Secretary |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
Assistant Secretary |
7 |
4 |
|
11 |
|
Principal Officer |
37 |
26 |
|
63 |
|
Medical Assessor |
9 |
25 |
|
34 |
|
Assistant Principal |
144 |
138 |
|
282 |
|
Administrative Officer |
34 |
17 |
1 |
52 |
|
Higher Executive Officer |
495 |
1035 |
|
1530 |
|
Executive Officer |
492 |
1108 |
12 |
1612 |
|
Clerical Officer |
630 |
1950 |
10 |
2590 |
|
Services Officer |
121 |
20 |
1 |
142 |
|
Temporary Clerical Officer |
130 |
299 |
34 |
463 |
|
Total |
2100 |
4623 |
60 |
6781 |
468. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that payments to guardians have been delayed to all applicants looking after unaccompanied Ukrainian children who fled the war in Ukraine leaving their parents behind; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27680/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is providing ongoing support and services to assist people covered by the Temporary Protection Directive who are fleeing Ukraine and who arrive in Ireland, such as the provision of PPSNs and income supports.
Guardian’s payments are made to a person caring for a child who satisfies the definition of an “orphan” under social welfare legislation. A child is considered an orphan if they are under age 18 (or up to age 22 if in full time education) and both parents are deceased; or one parent is either dead or unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child and the other parent is unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child.
All applications for Guardians payment in respect of a Ukrainian child will be examined by a Deciding Officer to determine whether the child satisfies the definition of an orphan. Where a parent has sent a child from Ukraine to Ireland and has entered into a private arrangement regarding the care of their child, such care arrangements are not considered to constitute parental abandonment. As such, the child cannot be deemed to satisfy the definition of an orphan and any application for Guardians payment would be refused.
Child Benefit may be payable to a person caring for a child aged under 16 years where the child normally lives and is supported by them. The rate of payment is €140 a month for each child. Child Benefit can also be paid for children aged 16 and 17 if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have additional needs and cannot support themselves.
In addition, a person in receipt of a Social Welfare payment, can apply for an increase for qualified child by contacting the relevant scheme area.
Unaccompanied children under 18 years who are seeking temporary protection from the war in Ukraine should refer to the Child and Family Agency (TUSLA) for relevant supports, which falls under the remit of my colleague the Minister Roderic O'Gorman at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
A decision letter will be issued to each applicant as soon as the claim has been examined. Where an application is refused my officials will advise customers to engage with Túsla. If the person is not satisfied with the Deciding Officer's decision they can appeal it to the independent Chief Appeals Officer, D'Olier House, D'Olier St, Dublin 2.
I trust the above clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
469. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that a payments to guardians have been delayed as in the case of a person (details supplied) who has applied for a payment for a young Ukrainian child who fled Mariupol in Ukraine without their parents who are military police; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27682/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraGuardian’s payments are made to a person caring for a child who satisfies the definition of an “orphan” under social welfare legislation. A child is considered an orphan if they are under age 18 (or up to age 22 if in full time education) and both parents are deceased; or one parent is either dead or unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child and the other parent is unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child.
Based on the evidence available, it has been decided that the person concerned is not entitled to a guardians payment. The care arrangements in place are as a result of a temporary, private, mutual agreement between the person concerned and the child's mother. Consequently, the care arrangement in place cannot constitute parental abandonment, and as such the child cannot be considered an orphan in accordance with the provisions governing the scheme. Guardians payment therefore is not payable.
Unaccompanied children under 18 years who are seeking temporary protection from the war in Ukraine should refer to the Child and Family Agency (TUSLA) for relevant supports, which falls under the remit of my colleague the Minister Roderic O'Gorman at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
A decision letter has issued to the person concerned. If they are not satisfied with the Deciding Officer's decision, they can appeal it by writing to the independent Chief Appeals Officer, D'Olier House, D'Olier St, Dublin 2.
I trust the above clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
470. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for the delay in processing an illness benefit application for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27700/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe processing of the claim in question was delayed due to the fact the person concerned was an adult dependent on their spouse's claim. A person cannot receive a payment in their own right while at the same time being a dependent on another person's claim.
The overlap of the claims has been addressed and the claim put into payment with appropriate arrears issued to the person concerned.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
471. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if the process of appeals for social welfare applications has changed regionally and nationally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27710/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand that the Deputy has clarified that this question relates to whether any structural process changes have taken place regarding the administration of the appeals system, including whether there has been any centralisation of the function and, in particular, in relation to the supplementary welfare scheme.
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. There have been no recent changes to the structure of the Appeals Office.
The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single exceptional needs payments (ENPs) and urgent needs payments (UNPs). Applications made under the SWA Scheme are administered by Designated Persons (DP) in the Community Welfare Service in the Department.
Determinations made by Designated Persons in relation to claims made under Sections 196, 197 and 198 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 i.e. Basic SWA and all Supplements, can be appealed to the Social Welfare Appeals Office under Section 311 of that Act and this has not changed. Appeals from customers who are dissatisfied with the decision on their application are reviewed by the Designated Person to assess if new information has been made available and, where the decision on the application remains unchanged, the appeal is sent to the Social Welfare Appeals Office for consideration by an Appeals Officer.
Decisions made in relation to claims made under Sections 200, 201 and 202 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, namely ENPs and UNPs are not appelable to the Appeals Office but can be reviewed by a SWA Reviewing Officer under Section 323 of that Act. In order to make this process more accessible for customers, they may now send their request for a review to a PO Box in the Department using a FREEPOST service. The request for the review of the Designated Person’s decision is then sent to an independent SWA Reviewing Officer to objectively review all of the information provided by the customer and assess the decision made by the Designated Person. The only change to this process has been the provision of a FREEPOST PO Box service for the customer.
The Department's National Processing Team (NPT) now process all new claims for jobseekers payments and one parent family payment. If a customer appeals a decision in relation to one of these schemes their appeal is registered by the Appeals Office and sent to the National Processing Team. The decision giving rise to the appeal is reviewed by the NPT Appeals Team initially and forwarded to the Appeals Office for consideration if the decision is not revised in favour of the appellant.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
472. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated set-up costs attached to facilitating hot meals being made available in each primary school that currently does not have hot meals and that parents would be charged cost price for. [27799/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra473. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated set-up costs attached to facilitating hot meals being available in each secondary school that currently does not have hot meals, that parents would be charged cost-price for. [27800/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 472 and 473 together.
The school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,506 schools and organisations benefitting 230,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
A budget of €68.1 million has been provided for the scheme in 2022.
Funding provided by the Department is for food costs only. Funding cannot be used to finance start-up costs, administration, equipment, salaries, bank charges or any other non-food costs. The choice of school meals project and supplier to be used, as well as all financial and health and safety aspects, are the responsibility of the school/organisation.
In the 2020/2021 school year there were 561,411 primary school children enrolled and 379,184 secondary school children enrolled. The estimated overall cost of providing a hot school meal, free of charge to every primary school child and secondary school child is €474.5m.
The number of children currently in receipt of hot school meals is 54,236. This represents almost 10% of the total primary school population. There are no secondary school children in receipt of hot school meals as it is aimed at primary schools with no onsite cooking facilities.
The estimated cost of providing hot school meals to the remaining primary schools that currently do not have hot meals is €252.3m. The estimated cost of providing hot school meals to all secondary schools is €181.4m.
I am committed to continuing to grow the hot school meals element of the school meals programme for DEIS schools and building further on the significant extension announced as part of Budgets 2021 and 2022. In this regard, I have commissioned an evaluation of the school meals programme to be undertaken in 2022 to inform future policy decisions on the scheme.
Any extension of the school meals programme or the hot school meals beyond 2022 will need to be considered as part of the budgetary process.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the deputy.
474. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if a 65 year-old person in receipt of rental income greater than €7,500 per annum is eligible for the benefit payment for 65 year olds. [27827/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds was introduced on 25th January 2021 in line with the Programme for Government commitment, to provide a benefit payment for people who are 65 and who retire at age 65 but do not qualify for a State pension until they reach pension age of 66.
The benefit payment is provided under the Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Benefit (Self-Employed) social insurance schemes, as appropriate, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 as amended.
In the case of the information provided by the Deputy, whereby a self-employed person is in receipt of rental income greater than €7,500 per annum, they are considered engaged in self-employment and do not meet the eligibility requirements under the Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed) scheme.
Any person aged 65 who does not qualify for the benefit payment may apply for means tested Jobseeker's Allowance. A person can also be engaged in limited self-employment and may still qualify for a Jobseeker's Allowance payment subject to satisfying the scheme conditionality.
I hope that this clarifies the position.
475. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of advocates in the National Advocacy Services for persons with disabilities; the estimated full-year cost of increasing the number of advocates by 8, 15 and 40 staff respectively, in tabular form [27869/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS) provides a confidential, free and representative advocacy service. The NAS adheres to professional standards and it has a particular remit for people with disabilities who are isolated from their community and services.
NAS is funded and supported by the Citizens Information Board (CIB), which has a mandate under the Citizens Information Act 2007 to provide advocacy services to individuals, in particular those with a disability. There are currently 28 advocates working in NAS.
In relation to the costs of employing advocates, I am informed that the following is the estimated full year cost of adding additional advocates:
|
Advocates |
Salary |
Overheads |
Total estimated cost |
|
8 |
€429,664 |
€107,416 |
€537,080 |
|
15 |
€805,620 |
€201,405 |
€1,007,025 |
|
40 |
€2,148,321 |
€537,080 |
€2,685,401 |
(Salary based on point 3 of the scale.)
476. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if an appeal for an invalidity pension will be reviewed in the case of a person (details supplied) whose medical information was clear, conclusive and supportive of them qualifying for an invalidity pension on medical grounds; the reason that general practitioner medical information is deemed not acceptable or sufficient in this case given the extent of their ongoing medical issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27884/22]
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 on 10 February 2022. Under social welfare legislation the 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 subsequently submitted additional evidence on 16 February 2022 and the Appeals Officer agreed to review the case on foot of this additional evidence. The Appeals Officer did not find any new facts or fresh evidence which warranted a revision of their earlier decision. The person concerned has been notified of the outcome of the review.
All medical evidence provided was considered by the Appeals Officer in their consideration of their decision and the subsequent review. In this particular case the person concerned must be deemed to be incapable of work for life in order to meet the qualifying requirements for invalidity pension. The Appeals Officer determined,following consideration of all the medical evidence including that provided by the general practitioner, that this requirement was not satisfied.
If additional medical evidence is available on this matter at any stage it may be provided to the Appeals Office for a further review.
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.
477. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will expedite an application for disability allowance for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27885/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned has been awarded disability allowance with effect from 30 March 2022. The first payment will be made by their chosen payment method on 15 June 2022.
Arrears of payment due will issue as soon as possible once any necessary adjustment is calculated and applied in respect of any overlapping payments (if applicable).
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
478. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the total annual cost of providing child benefit. [27927/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraChild Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16 and 17, if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves.
In 2021, Child Benefit was paid to 634,174 customers in respect of 1.2 million children at an
annual cost of €2.02 billion.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
479. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of a €1 increase in each of the social insurance schemes, social assistance schemes, other weekly schemes and other schemes payments in tabular form (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27934/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe estimated full year additional cost of increasing each weekly social welfare payment by €1 is shown in the table below.
|
Payment |
Personal €m |
Qualified Adult €m |
Total €m |
|
Social Insurance Schemes |
|
|
|
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
22.7 |
3.0 |
25.6 |
|
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension |
6.2 |
|
6.2 |
|
Deserted Wife's Benefit |
0.2 |
|
0.2 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
3.0 |
0.2 |
3.2 |
|
Partial Capacity Benefit |
0.1 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Contributory) |
0.1 |
|
0.1 |
|
Disablement Pension |
0.2 |
|
0.2 |
|
Illness Benefit |
2.5 |
0.1 |
2.6 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
2.2 |
0.1 |
2.2 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit (Self Employed) |
0.1 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
|
Carer's Benefit |
0.2 |
|
0.2 |
|
Maternity & Adoptive Benefit |
1.1 |
|
1.1 |
|
Paternity & Parent's Benefit |
0.3 |
|
0.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Social Assistance Schemes |
|
|
|
|
State Pension (Non-Contributory) |
4.9 |
0.1 |
5.0 |
|
Blind Person's Pension |
0.1 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
|
Widow/ers or Surviving Civil Partner's (Non-Contributory) Pension |
0.1 |
|
0.1 |
|
One-Parent Family Payment |
2.1 |
|
2.1 |
|
Carer's Allowance |
2.8 |
|
2.8 |
|
Half Rate Carer's Allowance |
1.1 |
|
1.1 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance |
6.7 |
1.0 |
7.6 |
|
Jobseeker's Allowance (Reduced Rate aged 18 to 24) |
0.7 |
0.0 |
0.7 |
|
Disability Allowance |
8.2 |
0.6 |
8.8 |
|
Farm Assist |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.3 |
|
Employment Support Schemes (BTWA & BTEA) |
0.7 |
0.1 |
0.8 |
|
Employment/Internship Schemes (CE, Tús, RSS etc.) |
1.7 |
0.3 |
2.0 |
|
Work Placement Experience Programme |
0.2 |
0.0 |
0.2 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
0.7 |
0.1 |
0.8 |
|
TOTAL* |
69.0 |
5.5 |
74.5 |
*Rounding may effect totals
|
Changes to Other Schemes/Payments |
€m |
|
€1 change in the monthly rate of Child Benefit |
14.7 |
|
€1 change in the rate of Fuel Allowance |
11.0 |
|
Change to the duration of the Fuel Allowance - cost of an additional week |
12.9 |
|
€1 change in the rate of Qualified Child Increase - age under 12 |
10.4 |
|
€1 change in the rate of Qualified Child Increase - age 12 and over |
5.8 |
|
€1 change in the rate of Living Alone Allowance |
12.0 |
The costs shown above are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2022. These costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.
480. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of making the fuel allowance available for 32 weeks per annum, 40 weeks per annum and 52 weeks per annum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27935/22]
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. 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.
Based on existing numbers of recipients and current weekly rates of payment, the estimated full season cost of making fuel allowance available for 32 weeks would amount to approx. €392 million. A fuel season lasting 40 weeks in total would cost approximately €499 million, while providing the Fuel Allowance for 52 weeks would be approx. €637 million.
The provision of any additional supports such as extending the Fuel Allowance season would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.
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 measures included in the National Energy Security Framework, Government decided that a further additional lump sum payment of €100 would be paid to all households in receipt of the Fuel Allowance in the last week of the Fuel Allowance season – a payment equivalent to over 3 weeks' additional Fuel Allowance. This payment was provided in mid-May.
This means that low-income households saw an increase of 55% in Fuel Allowance support provided during this fuel allowance season compared to last season. A recipient household which would have received €735 in fuel season 2020/2021 would see an increase of €404 to €1,139 in fuel allowance payments in fuel season 2021/2022. When taken in conjunction with the electricity costs emergency benefit payment, paid in April, this household would have received over €600 in additional targeted Government supports over the course of this fuel season. €600 is the equivalent of over 18 weeks' additional Fuel Allowance.
My Department also provides discretionary exceptional needs payments, where appropriate, to people who face difficulties in meeting fuel bills. These payments are not ring-fenced or budget limited as they would be if they were drawn from an earmarked fund, but rather are demand led.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
481. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending paternity leave by two weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27948/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraPaternity Benefit is a payment for employed and self-employed people who are on Paternity Leave from work who satisfy certain PRSI contribution conditions. It is paid for two weeks at €250 per week, the same rate as Maternity Benefit, Adoptive Benefit and Parent’s Benefit. Paternity benefit was paid to 26,852 recipients in 2021 at a cost of approx. €13.7 million. A budget of €14.17 million is provided for Paternity Benefit in 2022.
Any decision to extend the period of Paternity Leave for employees is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, who has policy and legal responsibility for this area. An extension of this leave would require careful consideration and consultation with relevant stakeholders.
The cost of extending Paternity Benefit by 2 weeks which would double the existing duration to 4 weeks is approximately €14.17 million which would result in an annual expenditure on the scheme of approximately €28.3 million.
These estimates are based on a full year basis and on the number of recipients in 2021. It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated number of recipients.
These estimates do not reflect any additional costs which may be incurred by employers who provide substitution or salary top-ups which, in the Civil and Public Sector, would be a matter for my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
482. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending parental leave by two weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27949/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAny changes to the Parental Leave scheme would be a matter for my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Integration, Disability and Youth who has responsibility for that scheme.
Parent'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 overall cost of the increase in Parent's Benefit from five to seven weeks in 2022 is approximately €19 million for a full year.
This estimate is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2022. It should be noted that 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.
483. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Social Protection the structure of the volunteer strategy working group established by the Citizens Information Board and Citizens Information service in light of the decision of the Citizens Information Board to no longer use volunteers in the number of offices and outreach services that have been closed in the past two years; if she will identify all those that will sit on the group; if all geographical areas are represented on the group membership; the timeline involved in the group’s work and the remit of its role; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27968/22]
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.
Volunteers have not provided an information provision role in Citizens Information Services for over two years during the Covid-19 pandemic. The updates and changes to information, advice and advocacy that have taken place during the past two years have been unprecedented.
My Department understands that no decision has been made not to use volunteers in CIC offices. Rather, CIB and the CIS have set up a Volunteer Strategy Working Group, which is currently working on proposals regarding the future role of volunteers in the Citizens Information Services.
The future of the role of volunteers is not a Ministerial decision but entirely an operational matter for CIB and its regional companies.
I am informed that the Volunteer Strategy Working Group is a CIS led group, comprising CIS Chairpersons, Regional Managers and a Development Manager. The group is chaired by a CIS Regional Manager. South Leinster CIS, North Leinster CIS, Dublin South CIS and South Munster CIS services are represented on the group. The Citizens Information Board provides administrative support. The group will report to the CIS Employer Forum, and recommendations from the group will inform CIB and CIS of the most suitable way to re-engage volunteers to support the services and deliver information, advice, and advocacy to the public.
