Holly Cairns
Question:91. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will further expand the hot school meals programme to secondary schools. [26522/23]
View answerSchool Meals Programme
Questions (91)
Written answers
The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 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. The Government recently approved an additional €14.5m to allow access to the Hot School Meals scheme for all remaining DEIS schools from September 2023.
Funding under the school meals programme can be provided for breakfast, snack, cold lunch, dinner, hot school meals and afterschool clubs and is based on a maximum rate per child per day, depending on the type of meal being provided. The Hot School Meals was introduced in 2019 and has been concentrated on primary schools.
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 over 500. 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, I intend to roll out the Hot School Meals to all remaining DEIS primary and Special schools from September 2023, benefiting more than 60,000 children.
As part of significant plans to extend the Hot School Meals to all children in the coming years all remaining primary schools have been contacted and have been asked to submit an expression of interest form if their school is interested in commencing the provision of hot school meals. From 2024, I intend commencing the roll-out of Hot School Meals to all remaining primary schools on a phased basis.
Any extension to the hot school meals to secondary schools will need to be considered as part of the budgetary process. I trust this clarifies the matter.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (92)
Violet-Anne Wynne
Question:92. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the projected cost of extending the fuel allowance to all recipients of the working family payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26703/23]
View answerWritten answers
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. Only one allowance is paid per household.
The estimated cost of extending the Fuel Allowance payment to all those in receipt of the Working Family Payment (WFP), irrespective of household composition and means is €38.6 Million. This estimate is based on 41,761 additional recipients and a weekly Fuel Allowance rate of €33 and a payment period of 28 weeks.
The Fuel Allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social welfare payment for all or most of their income.
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 my Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources such as Fuel Allowance to this cohort of claimants.
The Working Family Payment gives extra financial support to families with children with rates depending on their incomes and family size. It is not considered a long-term Social Protection payment and recipients are in full time employment and are more likely to have additional resources.
While Working Family Payment is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance, people may receive Fuel Allowance while on Working Family Payment if they are in receipt of One Parent Family Payment.
In response to an amendment tabled at Committee Stage of the Social Welfare Bill 2023, I have asked my Department officials to prepare a report on the potential extension of eligibility for the Fuel Allowance to those in receipt of the Working Family Payment. The work is ongoing and when finished, I will carefully consider its contents and any recommendations that it may contain.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (93)
Bernard Durkan
Question:93. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a social welfare payment can issue in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26508/23]
View answerWritten answers
The person concerned recently made an application for Illness Benefit in respect of a period commencing 17 February 2023. The application was disallowed on the grounds that the person has no PRSI contributions paid in the relevant class.
If the person concerned is encountering difficulties in meeting their basic financial commitments, it is 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 means-tested Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (94)
Brendan Griffin
Question:94. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on an appeal for disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26509/23]
View answerWritten answers
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, a means test and the habitual residency condition.
I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 18 July 2022. Based on the evidence supplied in support of this person’s application, the application was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition was not satisfied. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 31 August 2022, and they were given the right to a review or an appeal.
The person concerned requested an appeal with the Independent Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) on 25 January 2023. The file of the person in question was prepared by the Disability Allowance section and forwarded to the SWAO for consideration.
Following the appeal, the person concerned has been awarded DA with effect 20 July 2022. The first payment will be made by their chosen payment method on 07 June 2023. 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).
The person concerned was notified of this decision in writing on 19 May 2023.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (95)
Holly Cairns
Question:95. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will reduce waiting times for parents seeking additional needs payments where children are at risk of going without essentials. [26527/23]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments (ANP) to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. An ANP is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments, and certain other Supplements available to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary. The Community Welfare Service (CWS) is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made quickly.
Current claim processing is within the schemes normal processing levels, with completed applications, i.e. where the required documentation is supplied, generally processed in a matter of days
Applications for ANPs are varied and often quite complex, reflecting the individual circumstances being experienced. Where an application cannot be finalised promptly, the delay is normally due to the need for additional information or documentation and the time it takes for the customer to respond. Upon receipt of this information, the application is then processed quickly. It is important to note that where it is clear that a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the claim is processed on the same day. Community Welfare Officers are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent that it requires an immediate response. A lot of effort and resources have been applied to the CWS to ensure that it is a responsive and accessible service for people.
If the Deputy has a particular case in mind, I would ask that you send the details to my office so my officials can examine the matter.
Social Welfare Rates
Questions (96)
Holly Cairns
Question:96. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will increase the qualified child payment in line with inflation. [26528/23]
View answerWritten answers
Most weekly social welfare payments include provision for an additional payment – an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) – in respect of each qualified child up to the age of 18, which is extended to encompass older children to age 22 under certain circumstances. This measure provides targeted support to low-income families.
In Budget 2023, the IQC rates increased by €2 – to €42 per child for under 12s and to €50 per week for those aged 12 and over. Over the last three Budgets, these rates have increased by €6 and €10 per week respectively.
These increases were provided in the context of an overall package which included a €12 rate increase for weekly schemes, in addition to once-off measures to help ease the cost-of-living pressures for low-income households. For example, a lone parent with two children will have seen a €16 increase in their weekly rate from January 2023. The improvements to the Working Family Payment thresholds also targets low-income families with children, resulting in a weekly increase of up to €24.
The ERSI post budget analysis shows that the income of lone parent households will remain essentially stable as a consequence of the Budget 2023 measures introduced which indicates that the Government measures are, in the main, effective at protecting lone parent households from the impact of significant levels of inflation.
Any further changes to the value of the increase for a qualified child would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (97)
Denis Naughten
Question:97. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of her engagement with the Minister for Health on designating long Covid as an occupational illness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26646/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme is provided by my Department under Section 87 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. The scheme provides a range of benefits in the form of compensation or income supports to those injured by an accident at work or travelling to and from work, or who contracted a prescribed disease at work.
Long COVID is not a prescribed disease or illness under this scheme. 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.
I have consulted with relevant departments and ministers regarding the prescription of COVID-19, including the Minister for Health, and the responses received are currently under consideration.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Departmental Schemes
Questions (98)
Seán Canney
Question:98. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Justice when an application by an organisation (details supplied) will be processed and a decision made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26435/23]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy will be aware, I obtained approval from the Government to close the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) to further applications from 15 February 2023. The IIP Unit has published a FAQ concerning the closure on my Department's website, which will be updated with any further arising questions from the closure, and is available here: www.irishimmigration.ie/faqs-closure-of-the-immigrant-investor-programme-iip/
My Department does not comment on individual applications, but I can advise the Deputy that a very significant number of applications are currently on hand, with the number of investor applications on hands well in excess of the total number approved under the lifetime of the scheme. My Department is committed to ensuring that all applications will be examined on their own merits and will endeavour to conclude all decisions in a timely manner. However, it is not possible at this time to give an indication as to when individual applications will receive a decision.
Immigration Status
Questions (99)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:99. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice when a decision will be made on a residency application by a person (details supplied), bearing in mind the considerable distress it is causing to the applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26463/23]
View answerWritten answers
A decision to refuse the residency application, under the terms of the Regularisation of Long Term Undocumented Migrants Scheme, was issued on the 14 April 2023 . The refusal letter set out the reason for refusal and provided details on the appeal process .
An appeal by the person concerned was received on 27 April 2023 and continues to be processed.
It is not possible to provide a guideline as to when processing of all appeals will be completed. It should be noted that processing times may vary depending on the complexity of the application and the number of appeals received.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by email using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the email service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
Departmental Expenditure
Questions (100)
Catherine Murphy
Question:100. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the costs incurred in respect of the use of a company (details supplied) in the context of its review and report regarding the international investor programme; and if the company continues to provide support in respect of the winding down of the programme.` [26474/23]
View answerWritten answers
The costs incurred by my Department in respect of the company in question in relation to the review of the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) are outlined below.
These costs relate to a review of the IIP in 2019/2020. The company in question has not been engaged for any other services in relation to IIP.
|
2020 |
2021 |
|
€36,900 |
€18,150 |