Tuesday, 25 Jul 2023

Written Answers Nos. 682-696

Official Engagements

Questions (682)

Paul Donnelly

Question:

682. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has met formally with the CEO of the Citizens Information Board to date in 2023. [35789/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Citizens Information Board (CIB) is a statutory body with an information, advice and advocacy role in relation to a wide range of public and social services.  CIB lies under the aegis of my Department, which provides annual Exchequer funding to CIB to deliver on its statutory functions.

Regular oversight meetings and annual management meetings take place between CIB and my Department, where the CEO of CIB is also in attendance. 

I formally met with the Chair and CEO of CIB on 9th March 2023 regarding the Independent Review on Volunteering in Citizen Information Services.  The finalised report was published on The Citizens Information Board's website on 4th April.

Raidió Teilifís Éireann

Questions (683, 684)

Ivana Bacik

Question:

683. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of misclassified contracts identified by her Department at RTÉ, and compliance notices issued to RTÉ, for social insurance purposes in each of the years 2018 to 2022 and to date in 2023. [35820/23]

Ivana Bacik

Question:

684. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Social Protection if findings by the SCOPE section of her Department have been disputed by RTÉ; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35821/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 683 and 684 together.

My Department commenced an investigation in 2020 into the employment status of workers engaged by RTÉ on an independent contractor basis.  This investigation is ongoing.  The investigation is separate to and independent from the review conducted by Eversheds on behalf of RTÉ.

Employment status decisions are based on the criteria set out in the Code of Practice on Determining Employment Status and by reference to decided case law.  The Code aims to be of benefit to employers, employees, independent contractors and legal, financial and HR professionals.  It is also aimed at investigators, decision-makers and adjudicators in my Department, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, the WRC, their respective appeals bodies, and the courts.

The Code of Practice was updated in 2021 following work by my Department, the Revenue Commissioners, and the WRC.  Other stakeholders such as ICTU and IBEC were consulted as part of this work.

The criteria set out in the Code are applied by Deciding Officers in my Department on each occasion that they assess the insurability of a worker as being either an employee or self-employed.  For that reason, the work is resource-intensive.  Investigations can be complex with a variety of issues to be considered.

Where an engagement has been found to be misclassified by an employer for social insurance purposes, any arrears of PRSI are assessed on and payable by the employer.  The worker's PRSI record is corrected and a compliance notice is issued to the employer.  On foot of these compliance notices, the employer is required to pay the full arrears of Class A PRSI liability. 

The scale of my Department’s investigation in RTE is significant and involves retrospective analysis of the engagement of many workers, irrespective of their role or position within the organisation.  My Department will report on the outcome of the investigation upon completion.  This will ensure equality of treatment for all parties involved and enable our officers to conduct a professional investigation in the normal manner.

I trust that this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Question No. 684 answered with Question No. 683.

Equality Issues

Questions (685)

Michael Moynihan

Question:

685. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the action her Department has taken to honour the programme for Government pledge to ensure that Government Departments and public bodies take positive steps, including the use of correct pronouns and, where possible, making improvements on official forms, to assist non-binary people. [35836/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Review Group for the Gender Recognition Act included in its report, at recommendation 2C, that Government Departments and other public bodies should take any positive steps to improve the position of people who are non-binary.

Following on from this my Department has set up an internal working group under the Engagement and Innovation process to explore the services that are currently provided to our customers who identify as non-binary and to identify ways in which these services may be improved upon.  The work of this group is ongoing at present,

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Community Employment Schemes

Questions (686)

Ged Nash

Question:

686. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department will sanction the employment of an assistant supervisor for a community employment scheme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35843/23]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection

The Community Employment (CE) programme is delivered through independent CE sponsoring organisations who receive state funding from my Department to cover the salary costs of supervisors, assistant supervisors, and participant remuneration, along with a grant towards training and material costs.  CE sponsoring organisations are the legal employers of CE supervisors, assistant supervisors and participants.

The provision of funding for an assistant supervisor position is considered when the sponsor organisation submits, with the project application, a detailed job description for the additional supervision tasks.

Where a project maintains an approval level of 26 or more participants, additional supervisory grant support may be allocated for an assistant supervisor to enable the sponsor provide assistance with additional supervision.  The Department considers such applications for grant support on their merit, taking into account the number of active participants, the level of supervision required for each particular placement and the level of administration.

Although the scheme referenced by the Deputy currently has 28 participants, there are 10 participants in positions where direct supervision is provided by the sub-sponsor and the scheme also has the additional support of one participant, who provides administration support to the supervisor.  

My Department regularly reviews funding for supervisory positions on CE schemes to ensure that appropriate supervision is available.  If there is a significant change in the supervision levels in this scheme, the provision of extra support can be re-examined.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (687)

Holly Cairns

Question:

687. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection if, in light of the cost-of-living crisis, her Department plans to extend eligibility for the fuel allowance to persons employed under the job initiative scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35868/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

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 Job Initiative Scheme provided full-time employment for people 35 years of age or over who had been unemployed for five years or more.  Since November 2004, there has been no recruitment to the Scheme.  Since January 2004, participants on the Job Initiative Scheme cannot retain their entitlement to Fuel Allowance while participating on the scheme.  This decision was taken as the minimum rate of payment to participants on the scheme was significantly higher than the rate of qualifying Social Welfare payments for the Fuel Allowance Scheme. 

The minimum rate of payment to a Job Initiative participant is still significantly higher than most Social Welfare primary payments, including payments such as Illness Benefit and Jobseeker's Benefit, which are also non-qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance.

Any decision to provide participants on the Job Initiative Scheme with access to the Fuel Allowance payment would have to be considered in the context of budgetary negotiations.  However, any such decision would change the targeted nature of the Fuel Allowance scheme, as it would be awarding the payment to people in full-time employment who are not in receipt of a qualifying Social Protection payment.

Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent 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 Appeals

Questions (688)

Michael McNamara

Question:

688. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35932/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

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 Invalidity Pension appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 24 April 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 17 May 2023 and the case was referred on 25 May 2023 to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on 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.

Departmental Contracts

Questions (689)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

689. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of contracts to provide services and-or consultancy to her Department that have been granted without having to go to public tender; the companies that were granted these contracts and the nature of the work involved; and the qualifying criteria that were applied to any company awarded such a contract in 2022 and to date in 2023. [35944/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The table below sets out details which are recorded by the Department of contracts to provide services and or consultancy awarded for 2022 and to date in 2023, above a threshold of €25,000 (exclusive of VAT), in accordance with Department of Finance Circular 40/02:

Nature of work involved	Year	Contractor	Qualifying criteria
Provision of Employment Services - Local Employment Services (LES) - Job Clubs	2022	25 existing LES contractors 32 existing Job Club contractors	The tendering of these contracts was delayed due to the pandemic. Request for Tenders to renew these services were published in 2021 and all replacement contracts were awarded in August 2022.
Provision of Employment Services - EmployAbility	2022	23 existing contractors *See Appendix 1 below	The tendering of the EmployAbility contracts was delayed due to the pandemic. A process is underway to replace the current Employability contracts.
Interpretation Services	2022	Forbidden City	This contract was required due to the absence of an OGP Framework and an unprecedented demand for Ukrainian interpreters from March 2022. The OGP framework was established and a new contract was awarded in Q1 2023.
Microsoft Unified Support Agreement	2022 and 2023	Microsoft	This is a proprietary purchase where competition is absent for technical reasons.
Implementation of Oracle KVM and ongoing maintenance.	2022	Fujitsu	This is a proprietary purchase where competition is absent for technical reasons.
Microsoft Teams development and rollout	2022	Eirevo	This contract was required to expedite the roll out of the implementation of Microsoft Teams throughout the Department.
Provision of system support and maintenance for the Ingres Application system	2022	IBM	This is a proprietary purchase where competition is absent for technical reasons.
Provision of Electricity Supply for DSP Buildings Nationwide	2022	Electric Ireland	This contract was required due to the absence of an OGP Framework after the current contract had expired. Due to the urgent requirement to maintain business operation, the Department entered into a contract with the existing supplier as directed by OGP.

• The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a delay in the tendering to replace existing contracts related to the provision of Employment Services.  The existing contracts did not provide for an extension mechanism.  Therefore  on expiry of the existing contracts new contracts were granted to existing service providers pending completion of the procurement process to ensure there was no interruption of these important services.  All replacement contracts for Local Employment Services and Job Clubs were in place in August 2022 and work is underway to replace the EmployAbility contracts.

• In addition, although not strictly speaking the 'granting' of a new contract, two existing contracts with Turas Nua Ltd and Seetec Ltd. for the delivery of national employment services were extended as allowed under contract terms to facilitate the continued delivery of services pending the completion of a new tendering process.  This process was completed and new contracts have been in place since October 2022.

• In some cases, a public tender process is not possible due the the proprietary nature of the service involved, or where there is an urgent need for a service which would not allow time for public tendering. 

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Appendix 1

EmployAbility Contractor 2022 / 2023

Work4U Company Limited By Guarantee

Dublin South Supported Employment CLG

Work Access Ltd., T/A EmployAbility Limerick

Clare Supported Employment Service Company Ltd

North Tipperary Supported Employment

Kildare Coalition of Supported Employment

Midland Employment Support Agency Company

Co. Louth Supported Employment Partnership

Monaghan Supported Employment Support Agency CLG

Co. Roscommon Supported Employment Service Company

Jobmatters

Employment Response North West Ltd

Waterford Employment Support Agency

South Tipperary Supported Employment Project

Kilkenny/Carlow Area Supported Employment Service

Wexford Consortium For Supported Employment (W.C.S.E.)

The Wicklow Supported Employment Network

First Employment Services CLG, T/A EmployAbility Services Cork

Workstart West Cork Ltd., T/A EmployAbility Service West Cork

Kerry Supported Employment CLG

Galway Supported Employment Consortium

Work Web West

Business In The Community Ireland

Social Welfare Appeals

Questions (690)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

690. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if assistance will be expedited for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36039/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

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 the evidence, disallowed the appeal of the person concerned by way of summary decision on the 27th June 2023.

Under Social Welfare legislation, the decision of the Appeals Officer is final and conclusive and may only be reviewed by the Appeals Officer in the light of new evidence or new facts.  I am advised that 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.  The regulations governing appeals provide that it is a matter for the Appeals Officer to decide whether an oral hearing is required or whether an appeal can be decided by way of summary decision. 

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Widow's Pension

Questions (691)

Mick Barry

Question:

691. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider the amending of the eligibility for the widow's, widower's and surviving civil partner's (contributory) pension to allow surviving long-term partners to be able to claim the payment; if she will review the social protection system to identify other areas of discrimination against non-married couples; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36063/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The legal context governing relationships such as marriage is broader than the social protection system.  Marriage and Civil Partnership are regulated by the Minister for Justice and are provided for in various Civil Partnership, Marriage and Family Law Acts. Entering into a marriage or civil partnership is a legal act, which confers both rights and obligations on both parties which are distinct from those between co-habiting couples.

Widows, widowers and surviving civil partners, who become bereaved, therefore, lose someone who had legal duties towards them, and the social welfare code recognises this by providing a pension to them, subject to certain conditions.

To qualify for the Widow(er)’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension, one must:

• be a widow, widower or surviving civil partner;

• not cohabit with another person; and

• satisfy certain social insurance conditions.

Where the legal framework changes, the social welfare code is examined for appropriate changes and so it was that the Widows Contributory Pension was expanded to include widowers in 1994, surviving civil partners in 2010 and same-sex surviving spouses after the passing of the marriage equality referendum in 2015.

Changes on the basis suggested would have the effect of expanding the rights of cohabiting couples beyond those currently regulated under the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010, where property rights and financial reliefs are subject to an application to a court in certain circumstances, such as during the lifetime of the other party to the relationship, and where financial dependence is established.  While a surviving cohabitant can make an application to the court to seek provision from the estate of a deceased cohabitant, this is in limited circumstances.

There would be significant policy and operational changes required in implementing the changes to facilitate surviving cohabitants, which would require extensive consultation and interdepartmental co-operation.

Therefore, any changes to the social welfare code would require consideration of existing legislation and consultation with other Departments and the Attorney General.  This process is currently underway, arising from the report of the Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality, through an Inter Departmental Group led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (692)

Michael Creed

Question:

692. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will confirm that household expenses, including mortgage repayments, household insurance and so on, are allowable expenses in the means test applied for the carer’s allowance review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36077/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The system of social assistance supports provides payments based on an income need.  The means test plays a critical role in determining whether or not an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency – such as disability, unemployment or caring.  This ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most. 

Last year, the general weekly income disregard for Carer's Allowance increased from €332.50 to €350 for a single person, and from €665 to €750 for a couple.  This enables more carers with modest incomes to become eligible for the scheme, and those in receipt of a reduced payment may now receive a higher payment.

The capital disregard for Carer’s Allowance was also increased from €20,000 to €50,000.  This will allow carers who have accumulated savings, often to provide care for a loved one, to retain an entitlement to Carer's Allowance.

By its nature, the means test takes account of the income a person or couple has in terms of cash, property - other than the family home - and capital.  It does not take account of a person’s expenditure.

Introducing a disregard for household expenses in the means test for Carer's Allowance would have significant budgetary implications and would give rise to inconsistencies in how means tests are applied across schemes.  It would also significantly increase the complexity of the means assessment.  Any changes in this regard would have to be considered in the overall policy context. 

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Employment Support Services

Questions (693)

Catherine Connolly

Question:

693. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection if signing a personal progression plan is a mandatory requirement for all persons engaging with local area employment services; the details of any other documentation a person is required to sign in order to access local area employment services; if there are any penalties for declining to sign a personal progression plan or other documentation when accessing local area employment services; the details of any such penalties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36085/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

My Department provides a range of employment services to support jobseekers in preparing for, securing, and sustaining employment.  These services are provided directly by my Department’s own staff or through the Intreo Partners service, which includes the Local Area Employment Service, or other services provided on behalf of my Department.

The Personal Progression Plan (PPP) is a crucial element of each Jobseeker’s engagement with any of my Department’s employment services.  The PPP sets out the steps to be taken in order to assist the jobseeker in finding employment, and it is reviewed throughout their engagement period as they develop employment-related skills and competencies or job-related experience from short periods of employment.

Jobseekers have a right to claim an income support from my Department, and a corresponding mandatory requirement to engage with the employment services offered by my Department.  While it is desirable that the jobseeker sign the PPP as part of this engagement, a person’s signature is not required on any documentation, including the PPP, in order to proceed with the Local Area Employment Service.  

Where a jobseeker is not engaging with the Department's employment services, reduced rates may be applied to their payment.  The application of reduced rates is entirely a matter for my Department and officials involved take all relevant factors into account.  Should any reduced rates be applied, the client has the right to appeal this decision.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Employment Schemes

Questions (694)

David Stanton

Question:

694. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Social Protection with reference to the reasonable accommodation fund, the disability awareness training scheme and the wage subsidy scheme, the number of employees who have benefited from each scheme in 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; the number of employers who took part in each scheme over the same period; the amount expended on each scheme in that time, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36086/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

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. 

It is important to note that these grants and financial incentives are demand led, i.e. the overall value of the grants issued each year rises or falls in response to the number and value of the grants applied for.  

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.  

Table 1: Value and numbers of RAF grants 2021- 2023*

*to 12th July 2023

** number of claimants

GRANT	VALUE 2021	NUMBERS 2021	VALUE 2022	NUMBERS 2022	VALUE 2023	NUMBERS 2023
ERG
WEAG	€65,118	29	€69,919	33	€45,022	17
JIIG	€2,878	15	€952	5	€555	3
PRG	€27,572	55 (6)**	€28,348	61 (5)**	€17,027	34 (5)**

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 in:  

- the first year that a company applies is: 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.

Table 2: Value of DASS grants 2021- 2023*

*to 12th July 2023

GRANT	VALUE 2021	NUMBERS 2021	VALUE 2022	NUMBERS 2022
DASS	15,884	9	14,531	4

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.  

Table 3: WSS expenditure, employers and employees by year

*2023 expenditure is from 01/01/23 to 13/07/23

Year	WSS Expenditure	WSS Employers	WSS Employees
2021	€15,900,000	1345	2327
2022	€20,452,574	1538	2539
2023	€11,985,868*	1419	2368

Under the Comprehensive Employment Strategy my Department committed to undertake a review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund grants and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme.  This review is near finalisation and I expect to publish it shortly.  In addition, the Wage Subsidy Scheme is currently under review my Department ran a public consultation over the past four weeks.  I am delighted with the very high response to the consultation and hope to complete the review in the coming months. 

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (695)

Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

695. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has any plans to review the means test for carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36112/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

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 or 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.

The main income supports to carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant.  Spending in 2023 is expected to amount to almost €1.6 billion on these payments. 

The two principal conditions for receipt of Carer’s Allowance are that full time care and attention is required and provided, and that a means test is satisfied.  The application of the means-test not only ensures that the recipient has an income need but also that scarce resources are targeted to those with the greatest need.

As part of Budget 2022, I introduced significant improvements to the means test for Carer's Allowance. These were the first changes to the means test in 14 years:

• For carers who work, the weekly income disregard was increased from €332.50 to €350 for a single person, and from €665 to €750 for carers with a spouse/partner. 

• The capital and savings disregard for the Carer’s Allowance means assessment was increased from €20,000 to €50,000, aligning it with the capital means test for Disability Allowance.

The Carer's Allowance disregards are the highest income disregards in the social welfare system.

In addition to Carer's Allowance, my department also provides a non-means tested payment to those carers who have to leave the workforce or reduce their hours in the form of Carer’s Benefit.  For those providing ongoing care and attention for a child aged under 16 with a severe disability, Domiciliary Care Allowance is available and is also not means-tested.  Furthermore, the Carer's Support Grant - which I increased to its highest-ever rate of €1,850 - is also available to carers who are not on a social welfare payment.  On Thursday 1 June 2023, some 141,000 Carer's Support Grants were paid to approximately 126,000 family carers. 

I have committed to a carrying out a broad review of means testing this year which will include the Carer's Allowance means test provisions.  This review is ongoing, and I hope to complete it in Quarter 4.  Changes to any of the schemes on foot of this review will only be done in the context of ensuring the most effective and targeted use of public funds that are required to provide income support on a broad societal level.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (696)

Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

696. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has any plans to disregard carer's allowance from the means test for the back-to-school allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36113/23]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn.  The scheme operates from June to September each year.  In 2022, payments totaling €85.9m issued to 154,000 families in respect of more than 273,000 qualified children.

In order to qualify for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, an applicant must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions, one of which requires the applicant’s household income to be within the relevant income limits.  Carer’s Allowance is included in the assessment of household income for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

There are no current plans to change the eligibility criteria for Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.  Any proposed changes to the means testing of the scheme would have to be considered in a wider budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements.

Applications which fall outside the normal rules of the scheme may be considered for an Additional Needs Payment under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme by the Community Welfare Service.  

Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local Community Welfare Service.  There is a National Community Welfare Service Contact Centre in place – 0818-607080 – which will direct callers to the appropriate office.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.