Marian Harkin
Ceist:353. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for widow’s pension will be reviewed (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46170/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraSocial Welfare Appeals
Ceisteanna (353)
Freagraí scríofa
One of the criteria for widow(er)'s & surviving civil partner's contributory pension, is that the applicant must be the legal spouse, or civil partner, of the deceased. For marriages that took place outside Ireland, we require the original civil marriage certificate, that shows the civil status of the parties to the marriage.
The person concerned submitted a photocopy of a church marriage certificate from Zambia. A church certificate confirms that a marriage is recognised by the church, but does not necessarily mean it is recognised legally. Contact details for the Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Zambia have been provided to the person concerned. If their renewed attempt to obtain an original civil marriage certificate from the Registrar General is unsuccessful, they should forward confirmation to my Department of the efforts made and any relevant correspondence.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Ceisteanna (354)
Carol Nolan
Ceist:354. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the fuel allowance payment is available to those on long-term illness benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46234/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €412 million in 2023. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.
Qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance are those payments that are considered long term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants.
In the majority of cases, Illness Benefit is a short-term payment for those who are certified by their GP as needing to take time out from their employment due to illness and, accordingly, is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance.
People who are permanently incapable of work may be eligible for the non-means-tested Invalidity Pension, subject to satisfying the relevant social insurance and medical criteria. Those who are substantially restricted in undertaking suitable employment arising from a medical condition may be eligible for the means-tested Disability Allowance, subject to meeting the relevant medical criteria. Recipients of both of these payments, subject to satisfying all qualifying conditions, may be eligible for Fuel Allowance.
Any decision to allow those in receipt of a short-term payment such as Illness Benefit to receive the Fuel Allowance payment would represent a fundamental change to the nature of the scheme and, as such, it would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.
Finally, my Department provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an essential need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Ceisteanna (355)
Peter Burke
Ceist:355. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are plans to increase the income limits for people on disability allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46235/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Disability Allowance is structured to support recipients to avail of work opportunities, be that self-employment or insurable employment. When an individual commences employment, they can avail of an income disregard of €165 per week. In addition, a 50% taper on earnings between €165 and €375 is currently applied.
Budget 2023 was the third successive budget that the Government has progressively increased earnings disregards, which see people with disabilities retaining more of their payments while in employment. The earnings disregard for recipients of Disability Allowance has increased by almost 38% over these budgets from €120 to €140 to €165 currently. You can now earn a maximum of €495.10 per week and still keep a portion of your Disability Allowance payment.
I am committed to reforming the disability payments of my Department. On 20th September I published a Green Paper on Disability Reform and launched the associated public consultation. The Green Paper on Disability Reform was developed as a response to commitments under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion, the Pathways to Work Strategy and the Make Work Pay Report and taking account of the Cost of Disability Report.
The intention of the proposals in the Green Paper is to simplify and make the social welfare system work better for people with disabilities. The proposals aim to provide additional support to those who need it most.
The tiered proposal in the Green Paper takes into consideration the recommendations of the Cost of Disability report, which found that income supports should be differentiated by need and that government policy should facilitate employment among those who can work.
Nobody will lose their payment or have their payment reduced. The objective is to increase people’s payments and provide more employment supports for those who can and want to work.
I would like to emphasise that the Green Paper is not a final design. It is only a starting point for a structured discussion on what the future of long-term disability payments could look like. It offers one possible approach on how to target limited resources - its proposals are intended to invite discussion, debate and suggestions.
I would like to encourage all those with an interest to express their views as part of the public consultation process, which will last until 15 December 2023.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Ceisteanna (356)
Joe Flaherty
Ceist:356. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person who was forced to stop working 20 years ago, now aged 61 years and in receipt of a local authority pension of €294 per week is eligible for the household benefits package. [46240/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €285 million this year on the Household Benefits Package. Approximately 517,000 households are in receipt of the Household Benefits package.
People over the age of 70 receive the Household Benefits package, with one package provided per household. The package is also available to people living in the State aged 66-69 years who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments or who satisfy a means test.
Access to the Household Benefits Package for those aged under 66 is a secondary benefit linked to a person being in receipt of certain primary Social Protection payments such as Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Carer’s Allowance, Blind Pension and Partial Capacity Benefit.
A local authority pension is not a qualifying payment for the Household Benefits package. Therefore, a person aged under 66 who is in receipt of a local authority pension is not eligible for the Household Benefits Package.
Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an essential need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
I trust that this clarifies these matters for the Deputy.
School Meals Programme
Ceisteanna (357, 358, 360)
Steven Matthews
Ceist:357. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the expansion of the hot school meals programme to non-DEIS primary schools; how schools can register their interest for this programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46247/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Paul Murphy
Ceist:358. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if only DEIS schools are included in the 600 new meals programme outlined in Budget 2024. [46254/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:360. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the school meals expansion programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46270/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 357, 358 and 360 together.
The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,700 schools and organisations benefitting 300,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
Budget 2023 provided €94.4 million for the programme. In February, the Government approved an additional €14.5m to allow access to the Hot School Meals scheme for all remaining DEIS schools from September 2023. Budget 2024 has increased the funding by an extra €42.5m
Since my appointment as Minister for Social Protection, I have increased the number of schools with access to the Hot School Meal option from 37 to 1,100. I am committed to continuing to expand the School Meals Programme and building further on the significant extension of the programme that has taken place in recent years. In this regard, the roll out of the Hot School Meals to all remaining DEIS primary and Special schools began in September 2023, benefiting more than 60,000 children.
As part of significant plans to extend the Hot School Meals programme, all remaining primary schools were contacted and requested to submit an expression of interest form if their school is interested in commencing the provision of hot school meals. Expressions of interest forms were received from over 900 non-DEIS schools in respect of 150,000 children.
I was pleased as part of Budget 2024 to secure funding for the extension of the Hot School Meals programme next year to these 900 schools.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Question No. 358 answered with Question No. 357.
Departmental Legal Cases
Ceisteanna (359)
Robert Troy
Ceist:359. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection further to the publication of the litigation management report on 7 February 2023, what further actions are required; if these actions have been approved by the Cabinet; and is there a timeframe for implementation. [46256/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Among other things, the Attorney General's report of 7 February considers the Disabled Persons Maintenance Allowance and the historical question of the legal authority to withhold payment of the allowance to persons in full-time residential care funded or part-funded by the State and litigation relating to non-payment of the allowance. The Attorney General confirms that there was no positive legal duty to make retrospective payments.
The Government decided that the matters in the report should be considered further and that the Minister for Health and I should consider the report and revert to the Government. That consideration is ongoing and I expect to be in a position to update the Government in the near future.
Question No. 360 answered with Question No. 357.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (361)
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:361. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will bring forward changes to the means test for carer's allowance to January 2024 rather than June 2024, given the hardship family carers are facing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46304/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Government acknowledges the important role that family carers play and is fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This commitment is recognised in both the Programme for Government and the National Carers’ Strategy.
The key role of my Department is to provide income supports where an income need may arise due to unemployment, illness/disability and caring responsibilities. The payments provided are an income support to people who cannot earn, or can only earn a limited income, and who have no other means or resources to rely upon.
• Last June the income disregards were increased from €332.50 to €350 for a single person, and from €665 to €750 for carers with a spouse/partner.
• In addition, I increased the capital/savings disregard from €20,000 to €50,00.
• As part of Budget 2024, the weekly income disregard will be increased further from €350 to €450 for a single person, and from €750 to €900 for carers with a spouse/partner.
These significant changes to the means test for Carer's Allowance have been a key priority for me as Minister in order to ensure more Carer's will qualify for a payment.
Introducing this change to the means threshold involves changes to several systems which need to be developed and tested. Once this has been complete all means tests will need to be reviewed to ensure the changes in the income disregards are applied correctly.
While this measure will not be introduced until June 2024, weekly payment rates will increase and come into effect from January 2024. Targeted measures, which will benefit carers will also be delivered between November and January.
• In November a €400 a lump sum will be paid to people receiving the Carer's Support Grant.
• Also in November a special payment of €100 will be made for each qualified child on a claim – including on Carer's Claims.
• A Christmas Bonus Double Payment will be paid to people in receipt of carer's payments
• From January 2024 there will be an increase of €12 in maximum personal rate of weekly carer's payments, with proportionate increases for qualified adults and those on reduced rates with an additional €4 increase per child.
• Also, in January 2024 there will be an additional once-off double Cost of Living Support Payment, which will be paid to qualifying Social Protection recipients including, carers and people on long-term disability payments.
I am also increasing the rate of payment for Domiciliary Care Allowance from by €10 per month with effect from January 2024.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (362)
Seán Sherlock
Ceist:362. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kildare is having a weekly deduction from their social welfare payment; the amount that may still be owed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46328/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Child 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.
Child Benefit for the person concerned was reviewed in October 2011. Child Benefit payment for a child was disallowed for the period 1st February 2010 to 30th June 2011, as this child was over 16 and had left full time education in January 2010. The person concerned was notified of an overpayment amounting to €3,059.00.
Following correspondence from the customer, a recovery plan of €20 per month was agreed in November 2011.
The current outstanding balance is €587.58 and the customer is continuing with her repayments of €20 per month.
I hope this clarifies the position for the deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (363)
Jackie Cahill
Ceist:363. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are supports available for businesses who employ people with a disability as part of their staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46354/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
My Department provides a wide range of supports for jobseekers and existing employees with disabilities as well as specific financial incentives for private sector employers to encourage them to recruit and retain jobseekers with disabilities. These supports include the Reasonable Accommodation Fund, the Disability Awareness Support Scheme and the Wage Subsidy Scheme.
The Reasonable Accommodation Fund includes four grants which were designed to assist jobseekers and existing employees with disabilities, and to encourage employers in the private sector to recruit Jobseekers with disabilities:
• Employee Retention Grant is available to assist employers to retain employees who acquire a disability. The grant provides funding to identify accommodation and/or training needs to enable the employee to remain in his/her current position. Funding varies from a maximum of €2,500 or 90% of eligible programme costs to fund an occupational capacity and workplace job assessment or to a maximum of €12,500 or 90% of eligible programme costs for training and job coach support.
• Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant, where a maximum of €6,350 can be given towards the cost of adaptations to premises or equipment. Applications in excess of this sum are considered on an individual basis up to a maximum of €9,523 if specialist training for assistive technology is required.
• Job Interview Interpreter Grant, which provides funding for a sign language interpreter or other interpreter to attend interviews for a jobseeker who is deaf, hard of hearing or has speech impairment. The amount of the grant payable is based on an hourly fee paid which may vary. There is no limit to the number of interviews a person can attend with an interpreter.
• Personal Reader Grant, whereby a person employed in the private sector who is or is becoming blind or visually impaired, and who needs assistance with job-related reading, can apply for a grant to support them to employ a personal reader. The amount payable is based on an hourly fee paid to the reader, in line with the current minimum wage, for an agreed period up to a maximum of 640 hours per year.
The Disability Awareness Support Scheme provides funding for private sector employers to arrange and pay for disability awareness training for staff who work with a colleague with a disability. Subject to meeting the conditions that apply, the funding available is:
• the first year that a company applies, 90% of eligible training costs up to a maximum of €20,000.
• the second and subsequent years, 80% of eligible training costs up to a maximum of €20,000 in any one calendar year.
Under Budget 2023, I allocated an additional €1 million to expand these schemes following a comprehensive review of the reasonable Accommodation Fund grants and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme. I published the review in August. My Department is working to implement the report’s recommendations by Q1 2024.
The Wage Subsidy Scheme is a support to encourage private sector employers to employ people with disabilities by means of a subsidy. The subsidy available is between €6.30 and €9.45 per hour depending on the number of employees supported by the scheme. The employment must be between 21 and 39 hours per week and satisfy all relevant employment legislation.
Under Budget 2024, I allocated an additional €3.7 million to expand this scheme in April 2024 by reducing the minimum required hours from 21 hours to 15 hours. My Department is undertaking a review of this scheme at present and I expect to publish the report of the review in the coming months.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Ceisteanna (364)
Michael Healy-Rae
Ceist:364. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if a matter in relation to illness benefit will be examined (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46409/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The HSE currently recommends that when someone tests positive for Covid-19 that they stay at home for 5 days and avoid contact with other people, especially people at higher risk from Covid-19.
Since 1 January 2023, employees have a right to 3 days sick pay a year under the statutory sick leave scheme. Under that scheme, sick pay may be paid by an employer at 70% of a person’s normal pay, up to a maximum of €110 a day for the first three days of an absence due to illness. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has policy responsibility for statutory sick pay.
Illness Benefit is the main short-term income support provided by this Department to those who cannot work due to illness of any kind and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for Illness Benefit is based on medical certification and social insurance contribution conditions made. It is paid from the Social Insurance Fund and Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) paid under Classes A, E, H and P count towards Illness Benefit. In general, there are 3 waiting days before payment of Illness Benefit.
With regard to additional supports, this Department also provides Additional Needs Payments under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme to help meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. This includes 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 payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently on a social welfare payment or in employment. The payment amount will depend on a person’s weekly household income, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed. Payments are made at the discretion of the Community Welfare Officers administering the scheme, considering all the circumstances of the case.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Ceisteanna (365)
Alan Farrell
Ceist:365. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection will the extension of the child benefit to children aged 18 but in full time education include the children in that age bracket currently attending school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46432/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Child 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.
The extension of Child Benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education was one of my key priorities as part of Budget 2024.
This is a significant change to the Child Benefit payment which will require technical and operational changes to the social welfare system before implementation. For this reason, the change will take effect from September 2024. Where a child in full time education turns 18 in the meantime, they will be covered by the extension from September 2024 until they turn 19.
With many children now starting primary school at age 5 together with the increase in pupils doing transition year, there has been an increase in the number of 18 year-olds still in secondary education. I believe the extension of Child Benefit to 18 year-olds in full-time education is a long-term change for the better and will support families across Ireland into the future.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (366)
Mick Barry
Ceist:366. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person’s disability allowance was cut off (details supplied); the reason there is no record of their subsequent appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46443/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Disability 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.
I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 7 May 2021. Based on the evidence supplied in support of this application, their application for DA was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition for the scheme was not satisfied.
The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 8 July 2021, and they were given the right to a review or an appeal.
I am informed by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that, following a check on their systems, there is no record of an appeal from the person concerned being received in that Office. In accordance with the relevant legislation, an appeal against a decision of a deciding officer must be made within 21 days of the decision being notified. The Appeals Office have no record of the person concerned having previously contacted the Office in relation to any such appeal. Given the significant time that has elapsed since the date of the decision, it is not possible for the Appeals Office to accept an appeal in this case unless the person has any further evidence of having submitted the appeal within the statutory timeframe.
The person concerned may request a review, from the DA section of my Department, of the 2021 decision on her claim in light of any new facts or circumstances that would have been relevant to the original decision.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
State Pensions
Ceisteanna (367)
Paul Kehoe
Ceist:367. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision can be made on the contributory pension for a person (details supplied) based on the information already provided, as no further information is available; if a statement of contributions can be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46461/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The person concerned reached pension age on 19 March 2023.
The rate awarded for State Pension (contributory) is based on a person's insurable record. According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has a total of 1,138 contributions from their date of entry into insurable employment to the end of 2022, the tax year prior to their 66th birthday. This equates to a yearly average of 23 contributions and gives entitlement to a reduced State Pension (contributory) at the current weekly rate of €225.90. This decision issued to the person concerned on 2 March 2023 along with a copy of their insurance record. I have arranged for a further copy of their insurance record to issue.
The Deciding Officer noted a discrepancy between the work history provided on the application form and the contributions recorded on the Department's system. The case was referred to the Records Section in my Department for further investigation. Further information was requested from the person concerned to assist with the investigation. As no further information was provided, the case has now been referred for investigation by a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI).
Payment of the State pension (contributory) will continue at the rate awarded. If, following the investigation, further contributions are awarded to the person concerned, their rate of payment will be reviewed and they will be notified of the outcome.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.