Robert Troy
Question:806. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the entitlement for a qualified adult dependent on a partner’s State pension (details supplied). [27486/23]
View answerSocial Welfare Eligibility
Questions (806)
Written answers
Last September, I announced the largest social protection budget in the history of the State, providing more than €2.2 million in supports. This was in recognition of the pressures facing households due to the increasing cost of living. In addition to the substantial package of supports provided as part of the budget, in February I announced a further €410 million spring bonus package of social protection measures.
The €200 cost-of-living bonus payment made in April is one of these supports. This €200 lump sum was paid for each eligible person who had an entitlement to a primary payment in their own right. The payment was made in the week commencing 24 April to more than 1.2 million people in receipt of long-term social welfare payments at a cost of approximately €260 million.
The Government provided the €200 bonus in April as part of an overall package of measures that has been provided throughout 2022 and into this year. This programme of measures includes both broad measures, such as rate increases, and targeted measures, which support certain groups in society.
Those in receipt of the Increase for a Qualified Adult aged over 66 have the opportunity to apply for the State Pension (non-contributory) which although means-tested, allows for significant disregards to be applied. Recipients of the State Pension (non-contributory) received the €200 cost-of-living bonus payment made in April.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (807)
Michael Creed
Question:807. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will clarify the situation regarding the possibility of further consideration of a case (details supplied) for partial capacity benefit which was appealed to the Social Welfare Appeals Office recently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27491/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.
I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer, having fully considered all of the available evidence at that time, decided to disallow the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision on 29 March 2023.
Under social welfare legislation a decision of the Appeals Officer is generally final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by an Appeals Officer in light of new evidence or new facts. I am advised that, on foot of the Deputy's question, the person concerned has been contacted by the Appeals Office and given the opportunity to provide any additional evidence pertaining to their case. On receipt of this information the Appeals Office will recall the relevant papers from the Department and the appeal will be referred to an Appeals Officer for review.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (808)
Michael Creed
Question:808. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) has not been paid the social welfare spring bonus. [27492/23]
View answerWritten answers
Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them.
The Cost of Living payment is payable to customers who have an entitlement to Working Family Payment between 17th and 23rd April 2023. The person concerned was not in payment between 17th April and 23rd April 2023 but has since been awarded retrospectively with an effective date of 6th April 2023 and, therefore, would have an entitlement to receive the Cost of Living payment provided it has not already been paid on another qualifying scheme. These cases are currently being validated and are due to be paid in the next two weeks.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Community Employment Schemes
Questions (809)
Brendan Griffin
Question:809. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if clarification will be provided on a matter regarding a CE supervisor scheme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27559/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Community Employment Scheme (CE) is an active labour market programme designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis.
The programme is delivered through independent CE sponsor organisations that receive state funding from the department to cover the cost of CE participant, supervisor and assistant supervisor remuneration.
CE is a working age activation scheme and funding is provided up until a CE supervisor or assistant supervisor reaches the State pension age which is 66 years.
In response to the recommendations from the Commission on Pensions, a set of new pension measures were approved by Cabinet in September 2022. The set of reforms agreed include maintaining the State pension age at 66 and introducing a new flexible pension model, scheduled to commence from January 2024, whereby people will have the option to continue working up until the age of 70 in return for a higher pension. The new model, once implemented, will apply to workers across the State including CE supervisors and assistant supervisors.
Until this new pensions model is in place, funding for CE supervisor positions will continue to cease when a person turns 66 years. The person concerned may apply for a State Pension on retirement. It will also be open to them to apply for any new CE supervisor positions after the implementation of this new model should they wish to continue to work.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Community Welfare Services
Questions (810)
Niamh Smyth
Question:810. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the weekly service of community welfare officers visiting towns has not been resumed in Cavan since Covid (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27602/23]
View answerWritten answers
The delivery of crucial and locally based community welfare services to meet the challenges and the needs of citizens in Cavan and across the country is a priority for me and for my Department. A Community Welfare Officer (CWO) is available to meet with citizens from Cavan during business hours Monday to Friday at Cavan Intreo Centre and also by appointment at Ballyconnell Branch Office. If a person is unable to travel to Cavan or Ballyconnell, a CWO can meet with the person at a mutually agreed location, including at their home.
While local face-to-face engagement with clients continues to be a cornerstone of the community welfare service, it is important to mention that a person does not need to meet with a CWO to make an application and any person who needs to access the Community Welfare Service (CWS) can call the CWS National Contact Phoneline at 0818 60 70 80, to make an appointment or to speak directly to a CWO. CWS staff working on the phoneline are dealing with approximately 5,000 callers per month. This service is proving very popular with customers in rural areas, who can have their needs met without the requirement to travel.
A recent development to MyWelfare.ie means a person can apply online for an Additional Needs Payment (ANP). Alternatively, a person can apply for a Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) payment by completing a SWA1 form which is available in all Intreo Centres and Branch Offices. It can also be requested by calling 0818 60 70 80 and by using this link www.eforms.gov.ie/en/forms/5. A completed application form together with any supporting documentation can be returned directly to my Department where the claim will be processed quickly.
The CWS continues to provide a flexible service to meet the different needs of customers, who may find themselves in a financially difficult or vulnerable situation. It is important that this service is easily accessible and responsive to our client’s needs.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (811)
Peadar Tóibín
Question:811. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of domiciliary care allowance applications; the number of refusals on first application; the number of appeals; the number of requests for review; the number of successful and unsuccessful appeals and reviews respectively, for each of the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27617/23]
View answerWritten answers
Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment for a child with a severe disability. The payment is not based on the type of disability. It is based on the impact of the disability.
The number of claims registered and claims rejected for Domiciliary Care Allowance in each of the last ten years are shown in Table 1 below. The number of appeals for Domiciliary Care Allowance in each of the last ten years are shown in Table 2 below. My Department does not hold statistics on the number of requests for review.
Table 1: Domiciliary Care Allowance claims registered and rejected, by year
|
Year |
Claims Registered |
Claims Rejected |
|
2013 |
4,464 |
2,442 |
|
2014 |
5,743 |
2,024 |
|
2015 |
6,422 |
2,102 |
|
2016 |
7,434 |
1,683 |
|
2017 |
8,197 |
2,187 |
|
2018 |
8,609 |
2,225 |
|
2019 |
8,719 |
2,875 |
|
2020 |
7,289 |
2,639 |
|
2021 |
9,098 |
2,483 |
|
2022 |
10,524 |
3,948 |
Table 2: Domiciliary Care Allowance appeals, by year
|
Year |
Total Appeal Receipts |
Total Appeals Finalised |
Revised Deciding Officers Decisions |
Appeals Allowed by Appeals Officers |
Appeals Partly Allowed by Appeals Officers |
Appeals Disallowed by Appeals Officers |
Withdrawn |
|
2013 |
1,688 |
2,065 |
533 |
783 |
25 |
694 |
30 |
|
2014 |
1,301 |
1,575 |
506 |
701 |
24 |
334 |
10 |
|
2015 |
1,258 |
1,158 |
313 |
571 |
40 |
226 |
8 |
|
2016 |
1,198 |
1,344 |
469 |
596 |
18 |
250 |
11 |
|
2017 |
1,199 |
801 |
343 |
297 |
10 |
135 |
16 |
|
2018 |
1,432 |
1,572 |
590 |
686 |
13 |
258 |
25 |
|
2019 |
1,656 |
1,685 |
517 |
811 |
10 |
321 |
31 |
|
2020 |
1,690 |
1,936 |
477 |
912 |
51 |
488 |
8 |
|
2021 |
1,558 |
1,385 |
484 |
533 |
25 |
338 |
5 |
|
2022 |
2,084 |
2,010 |
712 |
698 |
48 |
535 |
17 |
Departmental Communications
Questions (812)
Holly Cairns
Question:812. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of social media videos posted on each of her Departmental social media accounts, or the social media accounts of public bodies and agencies that operate under her remit, that included closed captioning/subtitling between 1 May 2022 and 30 April 2023, inclusive; and the percentage of same that feature translations into Irish or another language; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27663/23]
View answerWritten answers
The information requested is not readily available. My Department is in the process of working with agencies to collect and collate the data in question and will revert with a reply directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Departmental Policies
Questions (813)
Holly Cairns
Question:813. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department, and public bodies and agencies under her remit, have an anti-racism policy which can be accessed by the public; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27681/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Department has not published a formal anti-racism policy; neither have the Citizens Information Board or the Pensions Authority, both of which operate under the aegis of my Department.
However, the Department has published a Customer Charter which can be accessed at gov.ie - Customer Charter and Customer Action Plan (www.gov.ie).
The Citizens Information Board has published a Citizen’s Information Customer Service Action Plan and Customer Service Charter which can be accessed at Customer Service Action Plan 2018 - Citizens Information Board (www.citizensinformationboard.ie/en/about/customer_service/); and, the Pension Authority has publish a Code of Business Conduct which can be accessed at The Pensions Authority - Code of Business Conduct (www.pensionsauthority.ie/en/about_us/the_pensions_authority/code_of_business_conduct/).
The Department’s Customer Charter sets out the commitments the Department makes to all customers when they visit or engage with it. The first key commitment is that all customers are treated with courtesy and respect.
The Department Customer Charter is currently being updated to ensure that all customers continue to feel valued and respected in the course of their business with Department staff and processes; a revised Customer Charter will be published over the coming period.
The Citizens Information Customer Service Charter states that its officials will respect diversity and ensure your right to equal treatment.
The Pension’s Authority Code of business conduct states that the Authority will not accept discrimination of any form, including on the grounds of race, and that all employees and members of the Authority must avoid any practice or conduct which amount to discrimination or harassment of any kind.
Department officials also receive training in customer service best practice and, in inclusion and diversity awareness.
My colleague, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, T.D., published the National Action Plan Against Racism on 21st March 2023 which outlines a series of cross-government actions to counter racism and to promote inclusion. My Department will work with the other Departments and Agencies to deliver on the actions contained in this Plan which is available at gov.ie - National Action Plan Against Racism (www.gov.ie)
In early 2023, my Department established an internal team to consider the subject of anti-racism-discrimination supports for staff as part of its broader ‘Engagement and Innovation’ programme. The project team will research the subject in detail over the coming months with a view to bringing forward a Final Report and a set of targeted recommendations for further consideration by the Department Management Board.
Question No. 814 answered with Question No. 797.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (815)
Bernard Durkan
Question:815. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of an appeal for child benefit in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27801/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office. 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 received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 13 March 2023 and the case was referred on 28 March 2023 to an Appeals Officer who has been contacted to expedite this appeal. The Appeals Officer will make a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if required, hold an oral hearing.
The person concerned will be notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision as soon as the appeal has been determined.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (816)
Thomas Pringle
Question:816. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) will receive a decision on their appeal for a domiciliary care allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27803/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 13 February 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 received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 22 March 2023 and the case was referred to an Appeals Officer on 13 April 2023.
The Appeals Officer has confirmed that the appeal is scheduled to be concluded and a decision issued within the next 2 weeks.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Employment Support Services
Questions (817)
Colm Burke
Question:817. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the number of people who are on the live register in each town in County Cork; the number of people on the live register for more than 24 months in each town in County Cork; the number of people who have been referred to the local area employment service in each town in County Cork since September 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27815/23]
View answerWritten answers
There were 14,513 individuals on the Live Register in Cork in May 2023. Of these, 3,842 have been on the Live Register for 2 years or more. The breakdown by Social Welfare Office is shown in Table 1 and Table 2 below.
Table 1: May 2023 Live Register in Cork, by Social Welfare Office
|
Bandon |
472 |
|
Bantry |
514 |
|
Bantry (SWLO) |
119 |
|
Carrigaline |
576 |
|
Clonakilty |
553 |
|
Cobh |
357 |
|
Cork City |
5,697 |
|
Fermoy |
930 |
|
Kinsale |
453 |
|
Macroom |
550 |
|
Mallow |
1,101 |
|
Midleton |
1,096 |
|
Newmarket |
702 |
|
Skibbereen |
584 |
|
Youghal |
809 |
|
Cork County - Total |
14,513 |
Table 2: May 2023 Live Register in Cork with duration of two or more years, by Social Welfare Office
|
Bandon |
121 |
|
Bantry |
119 |
|
Bantry (SWLO) |
31 |
|
Carrigaline |
185 |
|
Clonakilty |
160 |
|
Cobh |
85 |
|
Cork City |
1,382 |
|
Fermoy |
310 |
|
Kinsale |
137 |
|
Macroom |
193 |
|
Mallow |
340 |
|
Midleton |
254 |
|
Newmarket |
151 |
|
Skibbereen |
156 |
|
Youghal |
218 |
|
Cork County - Total |
3,842 |
The Intreo Partner Local Area Employment Service is a new service intended to support people who are long-term unemployed clients farthest from the labour market with barriers to labour market participation and that warrant the provision of intensive employment support services, and are in receipt of a social welfare payment, and others that although not long-term unemployed are considered by the Department to warrant the provision of intensive employment support services.
This service was a result of a recent procurement process which saw Cork City Partnership lead a successful bid for the Lot 1 Cork area. The current Estimated Minimum Annual Referral figure for the Cork area contract is 2,410, and as of the 6th of June 2023 there have been 1,862 customers referred to the relevant providers within that catchment area since service commenced in September 2022.
It is important to stress that this represents a live commercial contract, with a minimum duration of three years remaining. The contract places obligations on the Contracting Authority and on the Contractor and some of the information contained if made public would place the State at a disadvantage both during the existing contract and should any future procurement be considered. Due to these considerations, it is not the intention of the Department to divulge details relating to referral rates by location except to confirm the level of referrals at overall Lot level.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (818)
Michael Creed
Question:818. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection when her Department will process an application for a free travel companion pass (details supplied); if there is currently a backlog in processing free travel applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27843/23]
View answerWritten answers
An application for a Free Travel Companion Pass was received from the person concerned on the 15th May 2023. The application was referred to the Department's Medical Assessor for assessment.
The person concerned has been approved for a Companion Free Travel pass. A letter issued to the person to inform them of this decision on 3 June 2023. The Companion Pass was requested on 2 June 2023. It normally takes 7-10 working days to be delivered to the customer.
There is no delay in processing new Free Travel applications, or Companion Free Travel applications from customers aged 70 or over. Customers who are qualified for Free Travel and aged under 70 may qualify for a Companion Free Travel Pass if they are medically assessed as unfit to travel alone. As part of this application process, a medical report is completed by the customer’s GP. On receipt of the completed application, the medical report is referred (within 2 working days) to the Department's Medical Assessor. The current processing times for completion of new Companion Free Travel applications for these medical assessments is approximately 9 weeks.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (819)
Mairéad Farrell
Question:819. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are supports available for mortgage-holders who have lost income due to long-term illness or disability to help them stay in their own home; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27856/23]
View answerWritten answers
If a person has lost their employment due to long-term illness or disability they may be entitled to a disability payment from the Department. The two long-term disability payments are Invalidity Pension and Disability Allowance.
Invalidity Pension is a scheme based on Pay Related Social Insurance contributions. If a person does not have enough social insurance contributions, they may qualify for Disability Allowance, which is a means-tested payment for people with a disability.
There are no specific supports from my department regarding mortgage costs. Formerly, the mortgage interest supplement scheme (MIS) provided short-term support to eligible people who were unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which was their sole place of residence, due to temporary unemployment or loss of earnings.
The 2011 Inter-Departmental Mortgage Arrears Working Group Report, known as the Keane Report, identified mortgage interest supplement as an inappropriate long-term support. The central tenet of the report’s findings was that mortgage interest supplement did little to assist families in improving the long-term difficulty in addressing their mortgage difficulties. The scheme only covered the interest payments on the mortgage; it did not reduce the value of the outstanding mortgage and, in effect, acted as a subsidy to the lending institution while creating a potential welfare trap for the customer, with customers accumulating arrears whilst receiving support.
The mortgage interest supplement scheme was discontinued for new entrants from 1 January 2014. The most appropriate way for customers experiencing mortgage difficulties is through on-going engagement with their lender to explore a sustainable and appropriate repayment structures with their lending institution.
Under the Central Bank's Code of Conduct for Mortgage Arrears (CCMA), measures and policies support customers in financial difficulty with their mortgage commitments. The CCMA is issued by the Central Bank under Section 117 of the Central Bank Act 1989, providing an appropriate framework for customers with the responsibility of forbearance for a customer’s mortgage difficulties resting with the mortgage service provider. Under the CCMA, lending institutions encourage customers to contact them at the earliest opportunity regarding concerns or particular circumstances which may impact their financial well-being. The CCMA provides support for those in: arrears, pre-arrears or who fall under scope of the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP).
Government provides services which assist and advise those in financial difficulty:
ABHAILE is the national mortgage arrears resolution service. It is provided free of charge to people in home mortgage arrears at risk of losing their home. ABHAILE is focused on providing expert financial, insolvency and legal advice aiming to put in place solutions and wherever possible enable the borrower to remain in their home.
The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board, provides support free of charge to people, in particular those on low incomes or living on social welfare payments, with money advice, budgeting, tackling debt and mortgage related debt. MABS offer support online, over the phone and in person.
In collaboration with MABS, the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI) has launched a new online resource, DealingWithDebt.ie. A nationwide information and awareness campaign launched this week will encourage people to talk to their lender or credit services provider regarding financial difficulties concerning their mortgage or other repayments due to the current cost of living pressures.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
State Pensions
Questions (820)
Bernard Durkan
Question:820. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection to indicate in the case of a person (details supplied) the income that he is deemed to received from his ARF which deemed him ineligible for JSB payment as a bridging payment before qualifying for the State pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27861/23]
View answerWritten answers
The Person Concerned applied for Benefit Payment for 65-Year-Olds(BP65) on the 24/05/2022. This application was refused on the basis that the qualifying conditions attached to the scheme were not satisfied.
The Person Concerned appealed the decision on 3/6/22, stating that they had not been employed or self-employed since December 2017. The Appeals Officer concluded that the Person Concerned continues to be a self-employed contributor in respect of their Approved Retirement Fund income and therefore has not established that they meet the requirements as set out in the legislation and so the Appeal was disallowed.
Social Welfare Schemes
Questions (821)
Louise O'Reilly
Question:821. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the current rate of pay for the job initiative scheme; if there are plans to increase this; and the measures she will take to help JI employees in the face of the cost-of-living crisis. [27892/23]
View answerWritten answers
Job Initiative (JI) is an employment support scheme which was originally designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities.
Participants on JI are employed full time for 39 hours per week. The current rate for JI participants is €495 per week. The JI rate benefits from any budgetary increase in the relevant social welfare payments along with any increase in the top up payment for participants on employment support schemes.
The 2023 budget increases, effective from January increased the JI weekly rate from €461 to €495, when the increase in weekly social welfare payment rates and the increase in the top up payment are taken into account. It is also worth noting that the JI rate has increased by €75 per week since 2016.
In addition, JI participants receive social welfare benefits such as the annual Christmas Bonus and received the Autumn Cost of Living double week payment in October 2022 as well as the recent Spring Cost of Living Bonus payment of €200. JI participants in receipt of Child Benefit for dependent children will also receive the Cost of Living Bonus payment of €100 in June 2023. The JI rate will continue to benefit from any increases introduced as part of the annual budgetary process.
There are currently 388 participants on JI. Recruitment to the JI scheme closed in November 2004.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.