Written Answers Nos. 198-209
198. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the up-to-date position regarding an application for the one-parent family allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37041/24]
View answerMy Department is responsible for the administration and payment of a range of supports to assist an eligible person who is parenting alone including the One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment, described below:
• One-Parent Family Payment is a payment for parents under 66 years who are parenting without the support of a partner and whose youngest child is under 7 years of age.
• Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment is a special arrangement under the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme which a person may qualify for if they do not live with a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant and their youngest child is between 7 and 14 years old.
According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has not submitted a completed application for either a One-Parent Family Payment or a Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment.
As my Department’s records reflect the person concerned has a child, aged 8, a Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment application form has been issued to the person together with a checklist of documents they should provide in support of their claim. It is open to the person to submit a completed application at their local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office. The application will then be assessed promptly and they will be advised of the outcome in writing.
Qualifying conditions for all schemes and payments administered by my Department can be found at www.gov.ie.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
199. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the up-to-date position regarding an application for domiciliary care allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37042/24]
View answerAccording to my Department's records, an application for Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) has not been received from the person concerned to date. However, an application form (Dom Care 1) has now been posted to this person. The form is also available to download online at www.gov.ie or can be requested at any Intreo Centre, Social Welfare Branch Office, or Citizens Information Centre.
New DCA claims are currently taking an average of 6 weeks to process from date of receipt of application.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
200. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for an exceptional needs payment can issue in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37043/24]
View answerThere is a range of supports provided by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme. These supports can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs).
My Department may make an ANP to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) and Urgent Needs Payments (UNPs), and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary. ANPs are administered by Designated Persons (DP) in the CWS considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.
Departmental records show that the person concerned has not made a recent application for assistance under the SWA scheme. If the person concerned is experiencing financial difficulties, they can apply for assistance by completing a SWA1 form and providing all relevant documents in support of their application. For convenience, an application pack has been posted to persons home address. On receipt of a completed application form and supporting documentation, the claim will be assessed, and the person concerned will be advised of the outcome in writing. Alternatively, if the person concerned has a verified MyGovID account, they can apply for an ANP at www.MyWelfare.ie.
Further information on all of my Department’s schemes and payments is available at www.gov.ie.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
201. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for rent supplement will be reviewed in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37048/24]
View answerThe Rent Supplement (RS) scheme administered by my Department, provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source.
The responsibility for the provision of rent support to those with a long-term housing need has transferred from the Department of Social Protection to the local authorities. Persons with a long-term housing need should contact their local authority where information is available regarding suitable housing supports, including the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).
Amongst other qualifying conditions for RS, a person must be fully unemployed or in part time employment only. A person cannot qualify for RS if they are in full time employment of 30 hours or more per week.
As previously advised to the Deputy in my reply to Dáil Question 1347, the person concerned applied for RS and their claim was disallowed on the basis that they are in full time employment. The person concerned was advised of this outcome in writing on 15/07/2024.
It is open to the person concerned to request an appeal of this decision in writing, including any facts/evidence/documentation in support of their case, to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, D'Olier House, D'Olier Street, Dublin, D02 XY3. The Social Welfare Appeals office operates independently of this Department.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. SWA payments are means tested and are administered by Community Welfare Officers in the Community Welfare Service (CWS) considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.
If the person concerned is experiencing financial difficulties with household/cost-of-living expenses, it is open to them to make an application for assistance by completing a SWA1 form. This form is available in all Intreo Centres and can also be requested by calling the National CWS freephone line at 0818 60 70 80 or at www.eforms.gov.ie/en/forms/5. Alternatively, if the person concerned has a verified MyGovID account, they can apply for an ANP at www.MyWelfare.ie .
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
202. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application for the lone parent family allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37047/24]
View answerMy Department is responsible for the administration and payment of a range of supports to assist an eligible person who is parenting alone including the One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment, described below:
• One-Parent Family Payment is a payment for parents under 66 years who are parenting without the support of a partner and whose youngest child is under 7 years of age.
• Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment is a special arrangement under the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme which a person may qualify for if they do not live with a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant and their youngest child is between 7 and 14 years old.
According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has not submitted a completed application for either a One-Parent Family Payment or a Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment.
As my Department’s records reflect the person concerned has a child, aged 7, a Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment application form has been issued to the person together with a checklist of documents they should provide in support of their claim. It is open to the person to submit a completed application at their local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office. The application will then be assessed promptly and they will be advised of the outcome in writing.
Qualifying conditions for all schemes and payments administered by my Department can be found at www.gov.ie .
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
203. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the eligibility for carer’s allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37050/24]
View answerCarer's Allowance is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
To date, the Department has not received an application for Carer's Allowance from the person concerned.
It is open to the person to apply for Carer's Allowance by completing a CR1 application form. An application form has been forwarded by post to the address of the person concerned.
The person will need to complete all the relevant sections and return the completed form to the following address at their earliest convenience:
Carer's Allowance Section, Ballinalee Road, Longford, Co Longford, N39 E4E0.
In considering applications for Carer's Allowance, evidence must be provided in respect of the care recipient’s medical condition, the care needs of the care recipient and the provision of care conditions by the carer, the carer's means and habitual residency conditionality. Decisions on eligibility and entitlement can only be established following the receipt of a completed application form.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
204. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a public services card can issue in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37058/24]
View answerThe SAFE (Standard Authentication Framework Environment) Registration process, which my Department uses to authenticate a person's identity, results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC).
Following your representation, my officials invited the person concerned to attend the Newbridge Intreo Centre, for a SAFE Registration appointment, on 24/09/2024 at 10:15 a.m. At the appointment, the person should provide the documents requested, in the correspondence issued to them on 17/09/2024.
Upon successful completion of the SAFE Registration, a PSC will issue to the person concerned within 7 to 10 working days.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
205. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm the free fuel allowance entitlements of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37101/24]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April to assist households with their energy costs.
Fuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long term social welfare payments with their heating needs. It was decided on 11 October 2022 that the person concerned was not entitled to a fuel allowance as their means exceeded the income threshold to qualify for fuel allowance.
The threshold for the fuel allowance means test for those aged over 70 increased from January 2023 to €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple without the need to be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment.
Entitlement to the fuel allowance was reviewed. The person concerned was awarded the fuel allowance from the start of 2023/24 fuel season with arrears for this season issuing on Friday 20 September 2024. The fuel season for 2024/2025 commences on 23 September 2024. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision.I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
206. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection when it is expected a decision will issue on a disability allowance appeal (details supplied). [37115/24]
View answerThe 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 20th March 2024. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. Upon receipt of the Social Welfare Appeals Office's request for these papers with the additional information received from the person concerned, the Disability Allowance Section carried out a review of the original decision in the light of additional information provided and decided that the case should be awarded. The person concerned was issued with an award letter from the Disability Allowance Section dated 16th September 2024 and the appeal was withdrawn.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
207. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review a decision on the fuel allowance given changed circumstances (details supplied). [37139/24]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April to assist households with their energy costs.
Under the qualifying conditions for fuel allowance a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria including household composition. In this case, the person concerned was not eligible for the fuel allowance as they were residing with a person who was not in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department.
As the household composition criteria is now satisfied, the fuel allowance was awarded with effect from 23rd September 2024. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision.I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
208. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of providing an increased child benefit for the third child and above by €10, €15, €20, €25, €30 and €35. [37174/24]
View answerChild Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their nineteenth birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability.
Child Benefit is currently paid to almost 677,000 families in respect of over 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of approximately €2.2 billion in 2024.
Approximately, 180,000 children are either the third or subsequent child on a Child Benefit claim. The estimated annual cost of increasing the monthly rate of Child Benefit by €10, €15, €20, €25, €30, and €35 for this group is set out as follows:
|
Increase for Third and Subsequent Children |
Estimated Annual Cost |
|
Increase of €10 |
€21.6 million |
|
Increase of €15 |
€32.4 million |
|
Increase of €20 |
€43.2 million |
|
Increase of €25 |
€54 million |
|
Increase of €30 |
€64.8 million |
|
Increase of €35 |
€75.6 million |
These estimates are based on a full year basis and on the number of recipients in 2024. It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated number of recipients.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
209. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost to the Exchequer of reforming the means test for the State pension (non-contributory) in order that the self-employed are treated the same as all other employees. [37175/24]
View answer211. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost to the Exchequer of treating all self-employed people the same as regular employees on means-tested social protection schemes. [37177/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 211 together.
My Department has made significant improvements to self-employed people's access to social insurance schemes in recent years, including extending access to invalidity pension, jobseeker's benefit and treatment benefit to the self-employed.
These improvements are part of the Government’s stated aim of creating a supportive environment for entrepreneurship, including providing an income safety net to employees and the self-employed alike.
Self-employed workers who earn €5,000 or more in a contribution year, are liable for PRSI at the Class S rate of 4%, subject to a minimum annual payment of €500. This provides them with access to the following benefits: State pension (contributory), widow’s, widower’s or surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory), guardian’s payment (contributory), jobseeker's benefit for the self-employed, invalidity pension, maternity benefit, adoptive benefit, paternity benefit, parent's benefit, treatment benefit, benefit payment for 65 year olds and partial capacity benefit.
This compares favourably with employees who, in general, are liable to the Class A rate of 4%. In addition, their employers are liable to PRSI at the rate of 8.8% on weekly earnings up to and including €441 or at the rate of 11.05% where weekly earnings exceed €441. Accordingly, the combined rate of PRSI rate paid in respect of Class A employees is 12.8% or 15.05%, depending on the level of weekly earnings. These Class A employees are entitled to the full range of social insurance benefits.
All rates will increase by 0.1% from 1st October and the €441 threshold for the higher employer rate will increase to €496, also from the 1st October.
For those who are self-employed the income is taken to be the gross profit less allowable work related expenses, but not drawings.
The means test on social protection schemes is a structured financial assessment which assesses a range of income and capital factors, which are different for different cohorts within the population. As self-employed people, in a financial sense, are fundamentally different to employed people, it is not possible to treat them the same as employees in respect of means-tested social protection schemes, one of which is the State pension (non-contributory), and therefore we cannot provide a cost in relation to this.
Any changes in access to schemes, for self-employed contributors would need to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context, including the appropriate contribution rates.
