Written Answers Nos. 110-129
110. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education the capital projects that have been undertaken by her Department in Westmeath since June 2020; the funding allocated each year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10547/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was achieved again in 2022 notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues.
Under Project Ireland 2040, we are investing €4.4 billion over the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day.
The key drivers of capital investment in the schools sector are as follows:
- demographic change, including keeping pace with delivery of SEN and accommodation for Ukrainian pupils particularly at Post Primary
- alignment with housing provision and national planning at school planning area level,
- construction costs,
- climate action objectives including deep energy retrofit.
Key achievements by my Department in 2022 include:
- There were circa. 180 school building projects delivered during 2022 and a further 273 school building projects remained under construction at the start of 2023 - most of which will be completed this year.
- Accelerated delivery of modular accommodation to facilitate additional capacity in special classes and special schools to cater for over 900 children with additional needs.
- Successfully supported and facilitated the enrolment of over 13,500 children from Ukraine in our primary and post-primary schools.
- Necessary refurbishment and maintenance in nearly 1,000 schools.
- 16 Deep Energy Retrofit Pathfinder projects ongoing in partnership with SEAI.
- Strategic initiatives put in place to support planning for school provision requirements include the Department’s Geographic Information System, National Inventory of School Capacity, engagement with key stakeholders and also setting up of 16 Regional Education and Language Teams (REALTs) to facilitate enrolment of children from Ukraine in a structured and coordinated manner.
- Strategic initiatives put in place to support delivery include use of project manager supports, procurement frameworks, variety of delivery mechanisms and a strong pipeline of projects.
I am very appreciative of the strong support provided by Government for our education budget. As part of the supplementary budget, €300m additional capital funding was provided in 2022. This helped to alleviate capital funding pressures that arose in 2022 which was reflective of the strong delivery by the Department of school building projects – particularly to support mainstream provision and special education needs provision. My Department’s overall capital outturn for 2022 was €1.12 billion.
Circa 80% of the School Building Programme allocation is expenditure in relation to Large Scale projects, Additional Accommodation Scheme, Modular Accommodation and Site acquisition to ensure the provision of additional and modernised capacity across the school system.
My Department's Planning and Building Unit is currently assessing its work programme and priorities for 2023 in the context of its available funding. My Department's published NDP allocation for 2023 is €860 million. High construction inflation remains a continuing feature of the construction sector for 2023. As part of its planning ahead for 2023, my Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in relation to capital funding pressures in order to continue to be able to adequately support the operation of the school system with rollout of school building projects to construction in 2023.
Key priorities for my Department's work programme include continuing strong delivery to support the operation of the school system with particular regard to planning ahead for the 2023/24 school year and beyond and also with particular regard to supporting special needs provision.
The current status of all projects are listed on a county by county basis at www.gov.ie and is updated on a regular basis to reflect their progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.
Please see table below detailing capital spend undertaken by the Department in Westmeath since June 2020.
|
County |
June to Dec 2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 to date |
Total |
|
|
(€m's) |
(€m's) |
(€m's) |
(€m's) |
(€m's) |
|
Westmeath |
7.79 |
11.82 |
19.36 |
0.91 |
39.87 |
111. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education if additional resources will be provided to a school (details supplied) to help it tackle the huge waiting lists it is facing and allow for a greater intake of first-year students in September 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10559/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform my Department's projections of school place requirements.
While the Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in the Rush & Lusk area, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
- Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
- School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
- Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils
- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
The Department is working to establish the true extent of any capacity issues through ongoing discussions with the relevant school authorities. In that context, similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, the Department is engaging with patron bodies and school authorities, including those of schools in the Rush & Lusk areas, to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming years which may necessitate further action to that already in train.
The Deputy may be aware that there is a major project planned for the referred school and when completed it will provide accommodation for 1,000 pupils and four Special Education Needs Classroom Bases. The major project is currently at Architectural Planning Stage 2b.
It is open to the school authority to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation scheme (ASA)'.
The purpose of the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
112. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education in view of the recommendation of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, if she will provide for the effective implementation of 'reduced timetable' guidelines and measures to prevent their disproportionate use on Traveller children; and when she will publish Tusla’s first, second and third quarter 2022 reduced-day outcome reports. [10570/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra113. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if she will outline the specific actions undertaken to ensure Traveller parents are aware of the reduced-day guidelines. [10571/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 113 together.
A commitment was made under the Programme for Government to ensure robust data collection on the use of reduced school days and to further ensure that reduced school days are only used in a manner that is limited, appropriate and absolutely necessary.
My Department issued guidelines to schools on reduced school days in September 2021 which came into effect from 1st January 2022. My Department is working closely with Tusla Education Support Service and the National Council for Special Education to ensure that all students are supported to the greatest extent possible, to attend for the full school day.
It is my intention to publish a report on the use of reduced school days shortly.
Officials from my Department have ongoing engagement with Traveller Representative organisations and this engagement will continue.
114. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education when she will launch the consultation on the Traveller Education Strategy; and in view of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, how she will ensure such measures are adequately resourced. [10572/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am committed to ensuring that actions to improve educational outcomes for Travellers are advanced in line with relevant Programme for Government commitments, including the commitment to develop a National Traveller Education Strategy. Work is progressing to advance this, and there is a range of work currently underway that will inform its development, including:
- Work by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to support teaching and learning of Traveller history and culture, which follows the 2019 audit of the curriculum in respect of Traveller culture and history. A research report, developed in collaboration with an expert group comprising members of the Traveller community and Traveller representatives, was published by the NCCA on 27 February. The report aims to capture what the Traveller community identifies as being key aspects of their culture and history, and important from a curriculum perspective.
- Alongside this work, the NCCA has commenced a review of the Intercultural Guidelines for primary and post-primary schools, in order to support the further integration of intercultural education in the curriculum;
- The refined DEIS identification model I announced in March last year, which includes components to reflect the educational disadvantage experienced by students who have self-identified as Traveller or Roma;
- A pilot project Supporting Traveller and Roma (STAR) which is underway in four areas (Galway, Wexford, Dublin and Cork), with the aim of addressing the barriers impacting on Traveller and Roma attendance, participation and retention in education; - An independent assessment STAR is due to commence this year in line with Programme for Government commitments. A Research Advisory Board with Traveller representation is also being established to support the evaluation;
- Creation of a new post in the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) with a dual role in overseeing, developing and supporting CPD in social inclusion and in DEIS;
- Establishment of 10 new Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) coordinator posts in 14 non-DEIS post-primary schools with high numbers of Traveller and Roma students under the Dormant Accounts Fund. HSCL coordinators have access to funding for initiatives to encourage improvements in school attendance, retention and progression for Traveller and Roma students, and funding is provided for supports to ensure the effectiveness of the HSCL role in working with Traveller and Roma families.
Officials from my Department, together with officials from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, engage on an ongoing basis with Traveller representative organisations, and this engagement will continue in the context of development of the Traveller Education Strategy.
115. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education when she will publish the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment's Traveller Culture and Heritage research report. [10573/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased to advise the Deputy that the NCCA has this week published its research report on Traveller Culture and History in the curriculum. The report is available on www.ncca.ie.
This report aims to provide an important resource to support teachers, practitioners and students in understanding and appreciating Traveller culture and history. Funding was provided by my Department to enable the appointment of a full-time NCCA Education Officer in September, 2020 to undertake this work. The NCCA's work has been supported and informed by an expert group which has advised on various aspects of Traveller culture and history including, for example, music, art and language.
In order to augment the research report and illustrate how it can support teaching and learning, the NCCA will now work to gather examples of practice in teaching and learning about aspects of Traveller culture and history contained within the report.
The Deputy may wish to note that, alongside this work, the NCCA has commenced a review of the Intercultural Guidelines for primary and post-primary schools, in order to support the further integration of intercultural education in the curriculum.
116. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education in follow-up to the recommendation of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, if she will publish education-related data disaggregated by ethnic origin. [10574/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department’s electronic databases, POD (Primary Online Database) and P-POD (Post-primary Online Database), hold data on all primary and post-primary school pupils, including their name, address, PPSN, date of birth and nationality. On an optional basis and requiring written consent from a parent/guardian, P-POD also contains data on students’ mother tongue and both databases contain information on ethnic/cultural background. Questions on ethnic/cultural background are non-compulsory and based on voluntary self-identification. Written consent from a parent/guardian is required.
Questions about ethnic/cultural background were developed in consultation with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and are based on the ethnic/cultural categories included in the Census of Population since 2011.
Specifically, POD and P-POD ethnic/cultural background data is collected using the following categories:
- White Irish
- Irish Traveller
- Roma
- Any other White Background
- Black or Black Irish - African
- Black or Black Irish - any other Black background
- Asian or Asian Irish - Chinese
- Asian or Asian Irish - any other Asian background
- Other (inc. mixed background)
There is a Programme for Government commitment to ensure robust data collection on the use of reduced timetables. The new Guidelines for the use of Reduced School Days in Schools came into effect on 1 January 2022, and these include the requirement for schools to notify Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) of the use of all reduced school day arrangements. The process of notifying TESS involves a notification form, which provides the option to include the student’s ethnic background; the question is optional and written consent from the parent/guardian is required to collect the information. My Department intends to publish a report on reduced school days data shortly.
117. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 81 and 83 of 22 February 2023, the oversight and accountability measures she applies regarding the operation of the free travel scheme by bus companies, including Bus Éireann; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10411/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Free Travel Scheme permits free travel on most CIÉ public transport services, Local Link, Luas and a range of services offered by some 74 private operators in various parts of the country for those eligible. The scheme is available to all persons aged over 66, and those under age 66 on qualified payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State.
Allocation of Government funding for the Free Travel Scheme is dependent on a number of factors, including the number of people in receipt of qualifying benefits, the number of participating companies and routes. This Department carries out surveys, on a phased basis, of around 74 private operators participating in the scheme to review services and funding. In order for any Operator to join the scheme, they must have a valid APL (Annual Passenger Licence) issued by the National Transport Authority. My Department has an ongoing relationship with the NTA in that they will notify my Officials if any operator fails to renew their license, thus rendering them ineligible to be a part of the free travel scheme.
Every operator in my Departments free travel scheme is required to submit a signed annual declaration of compliance, a service level agreement, and a data protection document to ensure their adherence with the terms and conditions of participation in the free travel scheme. Failure to do so will result in the operator in question losing their entitlement to participate in the scheme.
My Department has previously carried out compliance surveys of operators in the free travel scheme to ensure that the operator is adhering to the self-certified signed documents as above.
In relation to the CIÉ Group, rather than carrying out specific surveys of usage, my Department moved many years ago to a service model based on the transportation infrastructure and the introduction of new services e.g., DART, LUAS and removal of the restrictions on free travel during peak hours. At each stage, my Department negotiated rates and discounts to reflect these developments.
My Department will now pay the National Transport Authority in respect of monies previously owed to the CIÉ Group for transport services provided nationwide by Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann PSO routes. The apportionment of payment between the three constituent companies, is a matter for the National Transport Authority in conjunction with the CIÉ Group to determine.
Annual payments are kept under review by way of monthly reports including funding usage and quarterly meetings.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
118. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection her advice on a matter (details supplied) in relation to extending the working family payment for single parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10310/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased that Budget 2023 includes a social welfare package of almost €2.2 billion. This extensive package includes measures in relation to the Working Family Payment.
The Working Family Payment is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. There are approximately 48,000 families with 104,000 children who are currently in receipt of the payment. The estimated expenditure on the scheme in 2023 is €362 million.
To qualify for the Working Family Payment a person must be engaged as an employee in full time paid employment which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight or 19 hours per week. The applicant must also have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them or is part of a family supported by them.
The Budget package included a range of measures to assist people with the cost of living. This included a once-off payment of €500 to recipients of the Working Family Payment. This payment was made in November 2022 at an estimated cost of €23 million. People in receipt of Child Benefit also received a double payment in respect of each child in November. This measure benefitted approximately 638,000 recipients in respect of over 1.2 million children at an estimated cost of over €170million.
In addition, I also provided for a €40 per week increase in the Working Family Payment thresholds for all family sizes. This is the highest ever increase in the Working Family Payment thresholds. This will ensure that families on low incomes will receive more weekly income from the scheme - up to €24 per week. It will also ensure that the increase of 80 cent per hour in the National Minimum Wage does not negatively impact on people's income from the Working Family Payment. It also means that more people will qualify for the payment. This measure took effect from January at a cost of approximately €16.8 million in 2023.
Just last week, a further €470 million package of measures to further assist people in receipt of payments from my Department was announced. The package includes a €200 lump sum to be paid to families in receipt of Working Family Payment in April and an additional €100 Child Benefit Payment in respect of each child.
For a person in receipt of Working Family Payment with two children these one-off cost of living measures amount to €1,180 between November and June. This is in addition to an increase in their weekly rate of Working Family Payment as a result of the increase in the thresholds from January.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
119. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will advise on the reviews carried out by her Department with regard to disability allowance recipients; if she will provide figures from review decisions, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10316/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraDisability allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and habitual residency conditions.
During 2022, my Department completed 7,602 reviews of DA claims. This resulted in the termination of 810 claims; a reduced rate of payment in 751 cases; and 150 cases of an overpayment.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
120. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 107 of 23 February 2023, if she will publish communications with the European Commission on the matter of recognising long Covid as an occupational injury, together with her correspondence with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment on this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10317/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe European Commission added Covid-19 to its list of recommended occupational diseases on its website on 28 November 2022. I would like to confirm there has been no communication between my Department and the European Commission in this matter.
Occupational Injuries Benefit is an income support provided by my Department to those who got injured at work or travelling to and from work, or who contracted a prescribed disease at work.
Covid-19 does not constitute a prescribed disease or illness as set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 as it does not meet the criteria laid down in the Act. Section 87 (2) of the Act states that a disease or injury shall be prescribed for the purposes of this section in relation to any insured persons, where the Minister is satisfied that—
(a) it ought to be treated, having regard to its causes and any other relevant considerations, as a risk of their occupations and not as a risk common to all persons, and
(b) it is such that, in the absence of special circumstances, the attribution of particular cases to the nature of the employment can be established or presumed with reasonable certainty.
The decision on whether to recognise an illness as an occupational illness is a Member State competence. My department is currently consulting with other relevant departments on this matter.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
121. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the process for a person with a disability to renew their public services card if they can make an appointment in their local Intreo office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10352/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are three ways of extending or renewing an expired Public Services Card (PSC).
Firstly, customers can arrange an appointment to have their PSC renewed at one of the Department’s Intreo Offices. In accordance with section 26(2) of the Disability Act 2005, my Department has appointed Access Officers who are responsible for providing or arranging for, and coordinating, assistance and guidance to persons with disabilities accessing services provided by the offices and generally to act as a point of contact for people with disabilities wishing to access such services.
Any person who has concerns about attending an office of my Department on the grounds of disability should contact their local Intreo Centre and ask to speak to the Access Officer. Alternatively, the Deputy can contact the Client Identity Services area of my Department, who will liaise with the relevant Access Officer to make the necessary arrangements.
Secondly, my Department has introduced an online service which allows customers with verified MyGovID accounts to renew their PSCs online at MyWelfare.ie. Customers are requested to submit a passport quality photograph which must be verified to ensure it meets certain minimum standards before the application can be accepted.
Finally, an expired PSC can be extended for three years by calling my Department at 0818 837000.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
122. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) is still waiting on an appeal decision for carer’s allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10414/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 10 January 2023. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. These papers were returned to the Appeals Office on 2 February 2023 and referred on 21 February 2023 to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral hearing.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
123. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if Covid-19 will be deemed an occupational illness as recommended by the EU Advisory Committee. [10427/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraOccupational Injuries Benefit is an income support provided by my Department to those who got injured at work or travelling to and from work, or who contracted a prescribed disease at work.
Covid-19 does not constitute a prescribed disease or illness as set out in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 as it does not meet the criteria laid down in the Act. Section 87 (2) of the Act states that a disease or injury shall be prescribed for the purposes of this section in relation to any insured persons, where the Minister is satisfied that—
(a) it ought to be treated, having regard to its causes and any other relevant considerations, as a risk of their occupations and not as a risk common to all persons, and
(b) it is such that, in the absence of special circumstances, the attribution of particular cases to the nature of the employment can be established or presumed with reasonable certainty.
The decision of whether to recognise an illness as an occupational illness is a Member State competence. My Department is aware of the recommendation of the European Commission and is consulting with other relevant departments on the matter.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
124. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection if it is permissible for bus companies that are part of the "free travel scheme" of her Department to charge an online booking fee to those eligible for "free travel" to book online under the terms of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10443/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Free Travel Scheme is available to all persons aged over 66 and those under age 66 on certain qualified payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State. The scheme permits those who are eligible to travel for free on most CIÉ public transport services, Local Link, LUAS and a range of transport services offered by some 74 private operators countrywide.
Under the Free Travel scheme, there is no requirement or impediment for transport operators to provide additional services such as a seat booking service. Some travel operators have introduced online booking services for customers who wish to guarantee their seat on a particular service. This is entirely a matter for the transport operator concerned.
Customers wishing to avail of Free Travel do not have to pre-book services with any operator participating in the Free Travel Scheme. They can continue to present on their preferred day of travel and avail of Free Travel using their Public Services Card.
It is open to any Free Travel customer who wants to be guaranteed a seat on a particular service to book their seat in advance, where a pre-booking facility exists. That is a matter for individual customers themselves.
I trust this clarifies this matter for the Deputy.
125. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of the "free travel scheme" to her Department in each year since 2010; the number of persons each year over the same period with free travel passes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10444/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Free Travel Scheme was introduced in 1967 to promote social inclusion and prevent the isolation of elderly and disabled people by taking advantage of free space on public transport services.
The Free Travel Scheme is available to all persons aged over 66 and those under age 66 on certain qualified payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State. The scheme permits those who are eligible to travel for free on most CIÉ public transport services, Local Link, LUAS and a range of transport services offered by some 74 private operators countrywide.
Below is a table of free travel budget allocation and recipient numbers, by year, from 2010 to 2022.
|
At year end |
Budget Allocation in € millions |
Number of Free Travel primary recipients |
|
2010 |
77 |
699,164 |
|
2011 |
77 |
726,412 |
|
2012 |
77 |
754,731 |
|
2013 |
77 |
782,529 |
|
2014 |
77 |
812,892 |
|
2015 |
77 |
842,724 |
|
2016 |
77 |
873,454 |
|
2017 |
80 |
902,513 |
|
2018 |
90 |
934,298 |
|
2019 |
95 |
966,206 |
|
2020 |
95 |
*999,007 |
|
2021 |
95 |
1,022,001 |
|
2022 |
95 |
1,054,840 |
* This figure includes circa 51,000 recipients whose Free Travel had stopped on the Department's systems in 2020, due to a technical issue which was resolved in 2021. No loss of entitlement occurred, as these customers were at all times eligible to access Free Travel on public transport services.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
126. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10489/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that a supplementary welfare allowance appeal by the person concerned was registered by that office on 12 January 2023. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant Departmental papers and comments by the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought. When these papers have been received from the Department, the case in question will be referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral appeal hearing.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
127. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made in relation to an application for disability allowance by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10503/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that the Department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from the person concerned on 23 January 2023.
The application was referred to a social welfare inspector (SWI) on 24 February 2023 for a report on the person’s means and circumstances. Once the SWI has submitted their report to the DA section, a decision will be made on the DA application and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
128. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clearly outline the rationale for the stopping of child benefit at the age of 18 years; if she will acknowledge that many children are still in full-time secondary education at this age and that their parents or guardians still rely on the payment to help with costs; if she will further acknowledge that in the current cost-of-living crisis, this presents significant financial difficulties for parents with schoolgoing children of 18 years and above; if there are plans to legislate for an increase in the age at which child benefit will cease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10523/23]
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 640,000 families in respect of almost 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of more than €2.1 billion in 2023.
There are currently no plans to extend Child Benefit in respect of full-time students who are over 18 years of age and in full time education. 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.
Budget 2023 includes a Social Welfare package of over €2.1 billion and provided for a €40 weekly increase in the Working Family Payment income limits for families of all sizes from January at a cost of approximately €16.8 million in 2023. In addition, all families in receipt of the payment received a €500 lump sum payment in November 2022 at an estimated cost of €23 million.
I also provided for the weekly rates of the Increase for a Qualified Child to increase by €2 to €42 per week in the case of children under age 12 and by €2 to €50 per week in the case of children aged 12 or over. These increases took effect from January at an estimated cost of €30.4 million in 2023.
The Government recognises the challenges of rising prices and last week announced details of a new cost-of-living measures package worth €1.2 billion. These measures include a lump sum payment of €200 to families in receipt of the Working Family Payment to be paid in April and a one-off increase of €100 to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear allowance in July.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
129. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will amend legislation to ensure properties held in trust can receive payment for accommodating Ukrainians. [10354/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Accommodation Recognition Payment, provided under the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022, is a tax-free monthly payment available to those providing accommodation to Ukrainians who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive since March 2022. The rate of payment doubled from €400 per property per month to €800 with effect from 1 December 2022. The scheme is administered by the Department of Social Protection.
The payment is a recognition of the generosity of people who have made accommodation available to victims of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
There are no plans at present to amend the legislation to include properties that fall outside the eligibility criteria provided for under section 6 the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022.
The Scheme is due to end on 31 March 2023. The EU has extended the protections provided to those fleeing the war in Ukraine under the Temporary Protection Directive to the end of March 2024. In accordance with the governing legislation, I intend to make an Order to extend the scheme to the end of March 2024.
