Written Answers Nos. 871-886
871. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding pension schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30480/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware Community Employment (CE) scheme supervisors are employees of private companies in the community and voluntary sector that receive public funding. They are not employees of my Department or public servants, and as such were not subject to pay reductions under the provisions of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) which only applied to public servants.
While the motion called for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to meet with unions with a view to addressing the issue of CE supervisors’ pension provision, the issue is currently being examined by a Community Sector High Level Forum, chaired by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. A number of Departments including my own Department are represented on this group, as are the unions and Pobal.
A detailed scoping exercise was carried out with input from the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) on the potential costs of providing Exchequer support for the establishment of such a pension scheme for employees across the Community and Voluntary sector in Ireland. The exercise clearly illustrated that this matter presents very significant issues for the Exchequer, with a potential cost to the State of €188 million per annum in respect of funding to enable an employer pension contribution in State funded
Community and Voluntary organisations, excluding any provision for immediate ex-gratia lump sum payment of pension as sought, which could, depending on the size of the sector, entail a further Exchequer cost of up to €318 million.
I am very conscious that while the issue relates to Community Employment supervisors and assistant supervisors, such individuals comprise of just one small group within the wider Community and Voluntary sector.
The Deputy should note that any provision of State funding for such a scheme in respect of those employees could potentially give rise to claims for similar schemes on the part of those in the broader sector, thus crystallising the potential level of liability. Any solution to this issue will require careful consideration, in particular the implications for scarce Exchequer resources.
872. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the way in which a person working full-time and paying PRSI on a widow's pension (contributory) is not entitled to illness benefit when sick; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30500/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are a number of basic principles which underpin the Irish social insurance system. Firstly there is the contributory principle. Under this principle there is a direct link between the PRSI contributions that a person has paid and entitlement to a varying range of benefits and pensions. Where a person has sufficient PRSI contributions, then benefits and pensions may be paid as of right, where a particular contingency arises and without a means test.
Secondly there is the solidarity principle. Under this principle the benefits and pensions that are paid are not directly related to the amount of PRSI contributions paid by insured persons. PRSI contribution income is instead redistributed to support contributors who are more vulnerable.
In addition, there is a general principle of one person, one payment, which applies across the social welfare system. Given the contingency-based nature of this system, it can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time and he or she can receive only one of those payments. This principle is common to social security systems across the world.
There were a limited number of exceptions in the social insurance system to the general principle of one person, one payment. These exceptions usually applied in the context of short-term benefits. For instance, recipients of One-Parent Family Payment, Widows and Widowers Pensioners could, until recent years, also receive short-term social insurance benefits, such as Illness Benefit and Jobseeker’s Benefit at half-rate at the same time. These overlapping payment arrangements were introduced in the early 1950s when the social insurance system was first established, at a time when there were only 10 individual social welfare payments and when rates were significantly lower in real terms than they are now. However, the social welfare system has been significantly developed over the intervening period, with the result that the number of possible combinations of concurrent contingencies has increased greatly.
The concurrent payment of half-rate Illness Benefit and Jobseeker’s Benefit in addition to One-Parent Family Payment, and Widows and Widowers Pensions was discontinued from January 2012, in the context of the Government’s commitments to maintain existing core rates of primary payments for social welfare recipients. There are exceptions to this as in a case where a reduced Widows Pension is in payment and paid at a rate lower than the Illness Benefit Rate. In such circumstances Illness Benefit may be paid to ensure that the aggregate payment will equate with the maximum rate of Illness Benefit appropriate to the person’s circumstances.
To change the underlying principle of entitlement to only one payment at any one time could involve significant and unsustainable additional expenditure in the long-term and it is not intended to depart from this principle.
873. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost of travel expenses for her and those that travel with her since her appointment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30510/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe cost of domestic and foreign travel expenses claimed by myself, my Private Secretary and my Advisers and the cost of foreign travel expenses claimed by civil servants who travelled with me since I became Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection in June 2017 is €49,517.30.
Due to the procedures in place in my Department for claiming travel costs and the number of staff employed in my Department it has not been possible to separate out on an individual basis the domestic travel costs that relate specifically to official travel with me.
874. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of times she has met her officials regarding Project Ireland 2040 since its launch; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30551/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe key overarching objective included in Project Ireland 2040 which relates to my Department is to bring unemployment rates in all regions down to within 1% of the national average.
In the shorter term, the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027 includes two projects that come under my Department's remit. These concern additional ICT modernisation and the refurbishment of my Department’s Áras Mhic Dhiarmada building in Store Street, Dublin 1. The Deputy will be aware that my Department is not amongst those with significant capital budgets.
While I have not had formal meetings with my officials specifically in relation to Project Ireland 2040, or in relation to the above-named projects included in the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027, I have, of course, met with officials in relation to a wide range of issues which will contribute towards the ultimate achievement of the ambition set out in Project Ireland 2040.
875. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of FOI requests her Department has received since January 2018; the number of refusals; the number that have been appealed and that are ongoing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30568/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests received in my Department from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2018 is set out in the following table.
|
Total No. of FOIs received |
1,404 |
|
Refused |
284 |
|
Appealed |
30 |
|
Ongoing |
111 |
|
Appeals that are ongoing |
1 |
In this context, it should be noted that the different categories do not add up to the total number received. This is because some FOI requests are withdrawn, transferred or handled outside of the FOI process, with the agreement of the requester.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
876. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of vacancies on State boards under the remit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30585/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe statutory bodies operating under the aegis of my Department are the Citizens Information Board, the Low Pay Commission, the Pensions Authority, the Pensions Council (which does not have a board) and the Social Welfare Tribunal.
The details, as requested by the Deputy, are set out in the following table:
|
State Board |
No. of vacancies |
|
Citizens Information Board |
2 |
|
Low Pay Commission |
0 |
|
Pensions Authority |
0 |
|
Social Welfare Tribunal |
1 |
The vacancies on the board of the Citizens Information Board are currently advertised on Stateboards.ie with a closing date for applications of 7 August 2018.
The vacancy on the Social Welfare Tribunal is in course of being filled following the recent receipt of the requisite nomination from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).
I should mention, finally, that there is one recent vacancy on the Pensions Council.
877. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the criteria for qualifying for the TCA; and if a person (details supplied) will qualify. [30741/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraEarlier this year the Government announced a proposal that will give pensioners affected by the 2012 changes in state pension (contributory) rate bands the option to have their pension entitlement reviewed and entitlement re-examined under an alternative Total Contributions Approach. This proposal also allows for the option to claim for up to 20 years of a new HomeCaring credit. This approach is expected to benefit many people, particularly women, whose work histories include extended period of time outside the paid workplace, while raising families or in a caring role. It will make it easier for pensioners assessed under the yearly average model to qualify for a higher rate of state pension (contributory) by basing the pension decision on the totality of a person’s social insurance contributions as opposed to the timing of those contributions during their working life.
My Department will invite pensioners, who reached pension aged on or after 1 September 2012, to have their pensions reviewed and re-calculated under the alternative method to determine if they qualify for a higher rate of entitlement. Currently work is underway to put the necessary legislative provisions in place to implement these arrangements, as well as the administrative processes and IT systems necessary to undertake these reviews of affected pensioners. Once these elements are in place, the Department will contact pensioners and invite them to participate in the review, with invitations proposed to issue from the end of 2018.
Review applicants will be notified of the outcome of their review and any applicable higher rate of entitlement will be paid to them. Where eligible, payments are expected to commence from early 2019. Where an increase is awarded, it will be backdated to 30 March 2018. It is not possible to anticipate outcomes in advance of a review in individual cases.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
878. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress to date in respect of an appeal for an invalidity pension in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30758/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraInvalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
The department received a claim for IP for the gentleman concerned on 16 February 2018. His claim was disallowed on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. He was notified on the 07 June 2018 of this decision, the reasons for it and of his right of review and appeal. To date there is no record of a request for a review or an appeal having been received from the gentleman in question.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
879. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress to date in respect of an appeal for a carer's support grant in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30759/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that an Appeals Officer has completed a review of his original decision to disallow the appeal of the person concerned in light of additional medical evidence submitted and as a result, has decided to allow the appeal. The person concerned has been notified of the Appeals Officer’s decision.
The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
880. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans for a person (details supplied); the steps that will be taken to include free travel for persons with this level of disability regardless of income in budget 2019; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30761/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe current free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately 914,000 customers with direct eligibility with an annual allocation of €90 million.
Persons resident in Ireland who are over 66 and persons in receipt of certain social welfare payments are eligible for the scheme. The social welfare payments that allow persons aged under 66 to a free travel pass include disability allowance, invalidity pension, carer’s allowance and partial capacity benefit. While medical evidence will be required to determine eligibility for these schemes, it does not, of itself, entitle a person to free travel.
A person in receipt of Disability Allowance or an Invalidity Pension receives the pass on the basis of the primary benefit they are paid, and not on the basis of their underlying medical condition.
Accordingly, while applications for Free Travel for the person concerned were received in 2016 and 2018, they were refused on both occasions as the person concerned was not in receipt of a qualifying payment on application.
If the free travel scheme was to be extended to all people who had a disability and/or significant health issues, regardless of whether they receive a qualifying payment, a medical assessment process would be required for all such applications, significantly changing the nature of the scheme.
Any decision to change the eligibility criteria of the free travel scheme along such lines would have significant costs and require additional administrative processes to be put in place. Accordingly, it could only be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
881. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the eligibility for a disability allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30778/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraDisability Allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged over 16 and under 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency test.
A person must submit a completed application form for disability allowance to the Department in order to have their eligibility assessed and a formal decision made on their entitlement. To date no application for disability allowance has been received from the person concerned.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
882. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an exceptional needs payment has now issued in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30781/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraFurther to Parliamentary Questions 23070-18 and 27349-18, the person concerned spoke with a designated officer of the Department where it was established that she was seeking financial assistance with her rent payment. An exceptional needs payment is a single payment provided to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, where it is established that a person cannot reasonably be expected to meet the expense out of their weekly income . It is not intended for habitual, regular, ongoing household expenses. The person concerned was advised that she should contact the Rents Unit as she required financial assistance with her rent payment and her need was more appropriate to that business area. She was given the contact details for the South Kildare/West Wicklow Rents Unit and her documents were forwarded to the Rents Unit. To date, the person concerned has not made contact with the Rents Unit.
As the Deputy has indicated in his representations that the person concerned is homeless, it is not possible therefore for the Rents Unit to issue an application form/information pack for Rent Supplement as a current address cannot be verified.
It is open to the person concerned to contact the Rents Unit and submit an application for a Rent Supplement payment. She should include all relevant documentation in support of her application.
The contact details for the Rents Unit for South Kildare/West Wicklow are as follows:
Telephone: 01 6732155 (9.30am-12.30pm)
Post: South Kildare/West Wicklow Rents Unit, PO Box 1107, Newbridge, Co Kildare
Email: RentsKildareSouth@welfare.ie.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
883. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the actions she is taking in view of the announcement by a company (details supplied) to close its assembly facility in Kanturk, County Cork, in September 2018; if she will request the IDA to prioritise this area for investment and job creation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30784/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department received a communication dated 3 July 2018 from the company in question which gave details of its intention to close a section of its operation, with the loss of 24 jobs.
The priority for my Department is to ensure that employees receive advice on jobseekers payments and other income supports that may be available to them and to provide support to them in relation to returning to work, or accessing appropriate education, training and development options.
My team in the Cork Division have already been in contact with the company directly and provided them with information on the Intreo services available locally. Arrangements are also being made for a presentation to be given by the Department to employees in relation to these services, including Employment Services provided by Case Officers.
The key message for current employees is that my Department will provide jobseeker payments to which they may be entitled, in a timely manner and will proactively help them to access the many opportunities available for employment. My Department will work with other relevant agencies in this regard.
Any queries relating to income or activation supports should be directed to the employee’s local INTREO/Branch Office. A full list of INTREO centres and Branch Offices is available on www.welfare.ie.
884. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of an appeal for a disability allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30794/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person concerned submitted an application for disability allowance (DA) on 18 April 2017. Their application was disallowed as she was not found to be habitually resident in the state.
The person concerned appealed this decision to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO). This appeal was disallowed by an appeals officer on 11 May 2018 and she was notified of this decision in writing on the same date.
An AO’s decision is final and conclusive in absence of any new facts or evidence. It is open to the person in question to reapply for DA.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
885. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of an application for carer's allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); when the application will reach a conclusion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30815/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application for carer's allowance (CA) was received from the person concerned on 20 April 2018.
The application was awarded to the person concerned on 26 June 2018 and first payment will issue to their nominated bank account on 27 July 2018.
The person concerned was notified on 26 June 2018 of this decision, the reason for it and of her right of review and appeal.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
886. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a decision has been finalised in respect a claim for one-parent family allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30818/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis person made an application for One Parent Family Payment on 31 May 2018. In order to make a decision on her application the deciding officer requested additional information. To date this has not been received.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
