Written Answers Nos. 247-255
247. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection when a State pension (non-contributory) will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58499/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for State pension (contributory) was received on 10 August 2022. There is no record of receipt of an application for State Pension (non-contributory).
The person concerned was awarded the State Pension (contributory) pension at the weekly rate of €248.30 from 16 November 2022. They were notified in writing on 19 November 2022.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
248. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which persons (details supplied) are likely to benefit from Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58507/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned is currently in receipt of Illness Benefit and has been in receipt of payment from the 6th December 2021 to date. He is in receipt of the full personal rate of Illness Benefit at €208 per week. This will increase by €12 to €220 per week in January 2023 as part of Budget 2023.
Illness Benefit is intended for people with short duration illnesses who will return to work relatively quickly. The average duration on the scheme is approximately six days and it is payable for a maximum of two years subject to eligibility conditions being met. For individuals with longer term needs they may apply for an Invalidity Pension or Disability Allowance.
I do appreciate however that individual circumstances can vary from case to case. I have asked my officials to examine the issue in respect of people who are in receipt of Illness Benefit for longer periods of time.
If the person concerned is experiencing difficulties in meeting their basic financial commitments it is also open to them to contact the Community Welfare Service at their local Intreo Centre to see if they might qualify for assistance under the terms of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.
249. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will examine an issue regarding a gratuity allowance for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58509/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraCE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors sought for several years through their union representatives, SIPTU and Forsa, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors who are employed by CE scheme sponsoring organisations.
A final settlement was reached with unions representing CE supervisors and assistant supervisors at the end of 2021. This settlement resolves this long-standing issue through the payment of a once off ex-gratia payment to eligible CE supervisors and assistant supervisors. Some 2,500 people employed by CE schemes going back to 2008 will benefit at an estimated total cost of over €24 million.
Generally, under the terms of this settlement, on reaching retirement age, eligible CE supervisors and assistant supervisors will receive a once off ex-gratia payment in respect of time employed by CE schemes since 2008. People who retired since 2008 and who have reached retirement age are now able to apply for this payment.
Over the past number of months, an administrative and ICT system to accept applications and process payments was put in place within the Department of Social Protection. The first group of ex-gratia applications have been received and are being processed - these relate to persons who retired since 2008. Following Government approval earlier this month, legislative provisions to provide for these payments are being included in the Social Welfare Budget Bill, which will also, once enacted, facilitate the payment of processed applications.
A notification will issue to recipients as soon as payments are processed and are ready to issue.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
250. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection her advice regarding a disability allowance payment for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58515/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that the person concerned is in receipt of Disability Allowance from 19 November 2014 February until 15 November 2022.
The person concerned has been awarded State Pension (contributory) at 98% of the maximum rate, weekly rate of €248.30 from 16 November 2022. They have been notified in writing of this decision on 19 November 2022. Arrears issued on 19 November 2022.
The Cost of Living Disability Support Grant of €500 was made to those currently on a Disability Payment - (Disability Allowance (DA), Invalidity Pension (IP) and Blind Pension (BP).
In order to receive the Payment, a claimant must have been in receipt of one of the Disability Payments- DA, IP or BP the week commencing 14 November 2022.
As the person concerned was not in receipt of DA on 16 November 2022 they do not qualify for the payment.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
251. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications that have been received under the additional needs' payment to date in 2022; the number of applications approved and the number refused; and the current processing times in weeks in tabular form. [58532/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department can make ANPs to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
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.
As of October 2022, over 75,000 applications for Additional Need Payments were processed and awarded, this represents a 63% increase in awarded applications compared to the same period in 2021.
The claims currently being received for ANPs are varied and often quite complex. This reflects the individual circumstances being experienced by each customer. Where my officials are aware of a customer with an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the person in question receives a prompt service, usually payment on the same day.
Where an application is complete and accompanied by the required documentation, it is generally processed in a matter of days. Where any application is not finalised within this timeframe, the delay is normally due to additional information or documentation being requested from the person to support their application and the length of time that it takes for the information to be provided.
This can result in longer processing times for these applications as greater flexibility is given to customers with extended time to respond.
Upon receipt of this information, the application will then be processed as soon as possible.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
252. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on a fuel allowance application by a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58533/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April.
Fuel Allowance was awarded to the person concerned from 14 October 2022. They were notified in writing on the 15 November 2022.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
253. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that a person (details supplied) who is in receipt of the disability pension was not entitled to the bonus payment to help with the cost of living for those on long-term disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58535/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned is in receipt of Disablement Benefit and Incapacity Supplement.
Disablement benefit is one of the benefits payable under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, to an insured person who suffers a loss of physical or mental faculty as a result of an occupational accident or a prescribed occupational disease that was sustained on or after 1 May 1967. The person must have been in insurable (occupational injuries) employment at the time of the accident or when the disease was contracted.
Payments under the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme did not qualify for the once-off Disability Support Grant. The grant was designed to recognise the additional cost pressures on people with disabilities and carers during the current energy crisis. The person concerned receives Disablement Benefit plus they receive a supplement on an ongoing basis in the form of an Incapacity Supplement.
The following measures were included in Budget 2023 for people in receipt of Disablement Benefit:
- Payment of once-off autumn cost of living double payment
- Payment of Christmas Bonus
- €12 increase to their weekly maximum personal rate from January 2023
- Disablement Benefit will be disregarded from the means test for Fuel Allowance from January 2023 to reduce the impact of the energy crisis on recipients of this payment.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
254. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for the establishment of the commission to examine care and supports for older people committed to in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58544/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government Our Shared Future commits to establishing a Commission on Care to examine care and supports for older people. This commitment comes under the remit of the Department of Health and is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Health.
In terms of my Department’s social welfare supports to older people, a number of measures targeted at older people were announced in Budget 2023 including:
- Core welfare rates, including State Pension payments and Working Age Payments, will increase by €12 from January 2023.
- A major expansion of the Fuel Allowance scheme with up to 81,000 new households to benefit from the scheme. The reforms include:
- From January 2023, a new means threshold will be introduced for people aged 70 years and over. The new means threshold will be €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple.
- From January 2023, the weekly means threshold for those aged under 70 will be increased by €80 from €120 to €200 above the appropriate rate of State Pension (Contributory).
- From January 2023, the Disablement Benefit payment will be disregarded when assessing means for Fuel Allowance purposes.
- From January 2023, the Half-Rate Carer’s Allowance payment will be disregarded when assessing means for Fuel Allowance purposes.
In addition to these measures, as part of the Government’s Budget 2023 cost of living supports, an Autumn Cost of Living Double Payment was paid to Social Protection recipients in October. By the end of November, a €200 Lump Sum Payment will have been paid to pensioners and people with a disability receiving the Living Alone Allowance and a €400 Lump Sum payment will have been made to older people in receipt of the Fuel Allowance.
In December, a Christmas Bonus Double Payment will be paid to 1.3 million Social Protection recipients, including pensioners.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
255. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if a domiciliary care allowance will be approved and backdated for a person (details supplied). [58573/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraDomiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment in respect of a child, aged under 16 with a severe disability who requires ongoing continual or continuous care and attention substantially over and above the care and attention normally required by children of the same age and the child must be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 consecutive months.
An application for DCA in respect of their child was received from the spouse/partner of the person concerned on 22 April 2022. A deciding officer disallowed the claim as per decision dated 13 June 2022, as the child concerned was not considered to satisfy the qualifying conditions for DCA.
The applicant requested an appeal of the Department's decision.
As part of the appeal process their DCA application, including the further information that was provided by the applicant in support of their appeal, was reviewed by a deciding officer.
Following a review dated 5 August 2022, the deciding officer having re-examined the complete application, including the further supporting information that was provided by the applicant in support of the appeal, while also considering the opinion of a departmental medical assessor decided that a revision of the original decision of 13 June 2022 was not warranted.
The applicant's DCA appeal file (Ref No 22/12480) was subsequently referred to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) on 11 August 2022, for further consideration by an appeals officer. The SWAO has confirmed that this case is currently assigned to an appeals officer and is awaiting a decision. The applicant will be notified directly of the outcome of their appeal in due course.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
