28 January Written Answers.

Transcription

1 28 January 2014 Written Answers. The following are questions tabled by Members for written response and the ministerial replies as received on the day from the Departments [unrevised]. Questions Nos. 1 to 31, inclusive, answered orally. Questions Nos. 32 to 104, inclusive, resubmitted. Questions Nos. 105 to 113, inclusive, answered orally. 28/01/2014WRA00550National Internship Scheme Eligibility 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason behind the requirement that people on the Youthreach programme must finish that programme and sign on so that they are in receipt of a jobseeker s payment before they can take part in the JobBridge internship programme, in view of the fact that a young person coming off a Youthreach programme, and aged under 24 years, can only receive a maximum of 100 on jobseeker s allowance, and a further entitlement of 50 on the JobBridge scheme, giving a maximum payment of 150 a week which is less than the payment they currently receive under Youthreach; her views on whether these barriers prevent Youthreach participants from seeking internships and improving their employment prospects; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3675/14] 28/01/2014WRA00700Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): JobBridge is a voluntary scheme to assist jobseekers in seeking work. It is available to individuals who are currently in receipt of one of Jobseeker s Allowance/Jobseeker s Benefit/One Parent Family Payment/Disability Allowance payments or who are signing on for credits for at least 3 of the last 6 months (78 Days). Time spent on a range of activation measures, including the Youthreach programme, may count towards eligibility to participate on JobBridge provided that an individual has completed the programme in full. It is particularly important that individuals complete relevant programmes and interventions before seeking to participate in another activation measure. This is important both for the individual themselves and for ensuring value for money for the Exchequer. The weekly 50 top up is an additional payment made in recognition of the efforts and expenses of interns. It is paid on top of the standard jobseeker payment. I do not believe that there is any basis for discriminating in the amount paid to a young person who has just completed a Youthreach programme as compared to that of any other young person, for example a young person who has just completed another education or training programme. Given the much higher rates of progression into employment among former JobBridge interns compared with the general rate of exit into employment from the live register, I do not believe that those undertaking the Youthreach programme will be discouraged from participating in JobBridge, once they have completed their programme. 1

2 28/01/2014WRA00750Social Welfare Questions - Written Answers Overpayments 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will takes steps to limit the period within which her Department can demand the repayment of overpayments, in cases excluding fraud, to bring it into line with the period people can claim tax relief for expenditures operated by the Revenue Commissioners, which is generally four years; and if she will provide a breakdown of the number of persons who have been asked to commence paying back an overpayment that ceased more than four years prior to the demand that it be repaid. [3521/14] 28/01/2014WRA00900Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): I do not consider that the comparison with the time limits for claiming tax relief from the Revenue Commissioners is appropriate to the recovery of social welfare overpayments. Furthermore, it is important to point out that the Revenue Commissioners are not restricted by a time limit in terms of collecting tax liabilities. In addition, the Department, unlike the Revenue Commissioners, does not apply interest or penalties on the amounts owing. Overpayment recoveries amounted to over 53m in 2012; this is the latest year that figures are available. The Department reports on overpayments and recoveries to the C&AG and the PAC who are both keen that overpayment recoveries should increase above current levels. People who have incurred an overpayment from the Department have a liability under law to refund the amounts involved. They have received monies to which they were not entitled and the Department s policy is that an overpayment will remain on the customer s records until fully recovered. Most social welfare customers fully declare their means and circumstances and, therefore, do not receive more than their entitlements. However, where customers fail to declare fully their means or circumstances, they may receive payments to which they are not entitled and this can result in an overpayment. Until the introduction of recent legislation, the Department was limited in its capacity to recover overpayments and largely relied on the overpaid persons themselves agreeing to make repayments. Consequently, overpayments often remained outstanding for a long period of time which was very unsatisfactory from the Department s point of view. The recent legislative changes will significantly enhance the Department s ability to pursue overpayments from persons who are not making genuine efforts to repay their debts. The Department does not maintain records of the number of overpayment recovery letters that are issued to customers as this is an ongoing process involving a range of scheme areas and local offices. The Department s policy is to ensure that every effort is made to prevent overpayments, but if they occur, they are regarded as a debt to the Exchequer and every effort must be made to recover the amounts due. 28/01/2014WRA00950Farm Assist Scheme Eligibility 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider reversing the changes she made to farm assist, with respect to income disregards, in view of the fact that it has had a serious negative affect on the income levels of struggling farming families; the reason she refuses to carry out an analysis to assess the impact the changes 2

3 28 January 2014 have made on those families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3676/14] 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider carrying out an impact analysis, within the farming community, that the changes to farm assist have made on the income levels and farming life of struggling farming families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53123/13] 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will carry out an analysis on the impact her Department s changes in farm assist, regarding income disregards, have had on farmers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53124/13] 28/01/2014WRA01300Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): I propose to take Questions Nos. 116, 375 and 376 together. There were just over 10,300 recipients of farm assist at end December last and nearly 99.5 million was spent on the scheme in The farm assist scheme is based on jobseeker s allowance. It was introduced in 1999 to replace Smallholders Unemployment Assistance for low income farmers. Farm assist recipients retain all the advantages of the jobseeker s allowance scheme such as retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes. Recent changes to the scheme have brought it into closer alignment with the jobseeker s allowance scheme s treatment of self-employed persons. Farm assist is a flexible payment and any farmer experiencing lower levels of income or cash-flow issues can ask his/her local social welfare/intreo office to review the level of means applying to their claim. The assessment of means for the purpose of qualifying for farm assist is designed to reflect the actual net income from farming. Income and expenditure figures for the preceding year are generally used as an indicator of the expected position in the following year. However, account is taken of any exceptional circumstances so as to ensure that the assessment accurately reflects the current situation. As part of the normal budget process, all potential budget measures, including any changes to the farm assist scheme are assessed in terms of the impact they would have if introduced. Since the introduction of the changes to the farm assist scheme over recent budgets, no formal analysis of the impact of these changes has been carried out. However, the scheme, including the recent changes, is kept under ongoing review by my officials. Last year I met with representatives from the Irish Farmers Association to discuss a number of issues including the farm assist scheme. There are no plans to change the current scheme criteria. 28/01/2014WRA01350Youth Unemployment Measures 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection if the issue of youth unemployment falls within the remit of a Cabinet sub-committee; the Departments and Ministries under which that responsibility for addressing youth unemployment falls; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2195/14] 28/01/2014WRA01500Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): The issue of youth unemployment falls within the remit of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Labour Market Issues chaired by the Taoiseach. As I have just pointed out in response to an earlier question the Government strategy to ad- 3

4 Questions - Written Answers dress unemployment is to create the environment for a strong economic recovery by promoting competitiveness and productivity and to implement measures to keep jobseekers, including young jobseekers, close to the labour market and to this end, youth unemployment is being specifically targeted through our Youth Guarantee initiative. The Department of Social Protection (DSP) has been identified as the lead co-ordinating Department for tackling youth unemployment and for the implementation of the youth guarantee, and as the central point for communication with the European Commission in relation to the youth guarantee in Ireland. The Department has responsibility for the Public Employment Service, activation of the unemployed and the payment of social welfare payments to jobseekers. These three services were previously provided by separate agencies but are now integrated within the Department and are provided under the service name - Intreo. The main departments working alongside DSP in tackling unemployment are:- - the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation (DJEI), responsible for overall employment policy through the Action Plan for Jobs, to provide jobs for all, including young people, including through the promotion of entrepreneurship; As part of the Youth Guarantee DJEI will allocate 2.5m from the Micro-finance Ireland fund to youth entrepreneurship activities - the Department of Education & Skills (DES), and its relevant agencies including SOLAS and the Higher Education Authority. DES has statutory responsibility for the funding, provision, and content of education and training programmes;. DES also has responsibility for EU funding for youth guarantee initiatives through the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Youth Employment Initiative. Also as part of the Youth Guarantee DES will reserve 2,000 places on the Momentum programme for young people. - the Department of Children & Youth Affairs (DCYA), responsible for state policy and provision on youth work services, and for securing good educational and welfare outcomes for young people through the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB); - the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform (DPER), responsible for overseeing exchequer funding and ensuring that Youth Guarantee-related programmes will be thoroughly evaluated and will provide value for money. 28/01/2014WRA01550National Internship Scheme Administration 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will introduce a new advance filtering system to prevent potentially odious positions from gaining access to JobBridge; and if she will review and report on the effectiveness of existing provisions in this regard. [3525/14] 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Social Protection if it is acceptable for companies using the JobBridge scheme to request a PhD as the minimum educational requirement to be held by applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3673/14] 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has any concerns that companies requiring interns under the JobBridge scheme to have PhDs in a particular field may be using such highly qualified persons to displace staff or to avoid job creation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3672/14] 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider prohibiting the use of the JobBridge scheme for posts aimed at PhD holders; and if she will make 4

5 a statement on the matter. [3590/14] 28 January /01/2014WRA02000Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): I propose to take Questions Nos. 118, 129, 131 and 137 together. Following the independent evaluation of JobBridge, the Department is examining a range of measures to make the scheme more effective. I am satisfied that the current robust vetting procedures carried out by the National Contact Centre of the Department are operating effectively to filter out internships that do not meet the rigorous requirements of the scheme criteria. JobBridge is giving opportunities to jobseekers across the spectrum of qualifications. Given the numbers of unemployed jobseekers holding graduate and post-graduate qualifications, it is obviously necessary that JobBridge is in a position to offer them an internship that reflects their abilities, aspirations and qualifications. In this regard a previous criticism directed at the Department was that the terms of its jobseeker payments prevented jobseekers, including graduate jobseekers, from taking up internship opportunities as a route into employment. JobBridge addresses this issue and I am satisfied that it is appropriate that it so do. 28/01/2014WRA02050Rent Supplement Scheme Administration 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the total number of rent supplement supported tenancies that were reviewed downwards as per reductions in rent supplement maximum limits per county in 2011, 2012 and 2013; the value and percentage of rent per family reduced at each review stage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3679/14] 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 11 of 28 November 2013, in relation to the national rent allowance caps, the results of her monitoring of rent levels; her views on whether the current rent allowance caps are sufficient to ensure that accommodation needs of those in need are met; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3682/14] 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has recorded a reduction in the number of applications for rent supplement; her views on whether upward price pressures has resulted in families increasingly struggling to find homes available in the current property market that adhere to the rent supplement limits or below them; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that such a trend is excluding those dependent on social welfare from securing a family home; if updated statistics on the composition of the homeless lists have been provided to her to assist in the formulation of policy in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3680/14] 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which she is aware of the increasing level of hardship and threat of homelessness arising from the ongoing increase in the cost of private rented accommodation; the current maximum rent support available to those families on local authority housing lists who are dependent on private rental sector with support from her Department; if her attention has been drawn to the ongoing withdrawal of the private rental sector from this end of the market and the likelihood of a serious level of homelessness increasing on a daily basis, which, in turn, will lead to widespread and severe hardship; if any initiatives will be taken to address this issue which arises from the failure of her predecessors to invest in the public housing sector in view of the existence of circa 100,000 families on the various local authority housing lists throughout the country with particular reference to Dublin and the surrounding counties; and if she will make a statement 5

6 on the matter. [3670/14] Questions - Written Answers 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Social Protection the analysis that has been carried out by her Department to determine if reductions in rent supplement have resulted in an increase in homelessness; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3674/14] 28/01/2014WRA02600Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): I propose to take Questions Nos. 119, 121, 124, 130 and 136 together. There are currently approximately 80,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Department has provided over 344 million for Almost 30,000 of these recipients are in the Dublin area, The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term 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 overall aim is to provide short-term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. Revised rent limits under the rent supplement scheme have been implemented with effect from Monday 17 June 2013 and will be in place until 31 December The new rent limits were determined following an extensive review of the private rental market based on the most up-to-date data available. The purpose of the rent limit review is to ensure availability of accommodation for rent supplement tenancies and not to provide rent supplement tenants with access to all housing in all areas while ensuring that maximum value for money for tenants and the taxpayer is achieved. There have been increases in the maximum rent limits in Dublin and Galway while there have been some reductions across a number of rural counties reflecting the conditions in the rental markets in those counties. Separate to the county limits, higher rent limits have been provided for in North Kildare and Bray areas. Statistics are not available in relation to the tenancies that were reviewed downwards as a result of reductions in rent supplement maximum limits. However, the attached tabular statement provides details of the changes in maximum rent limits for each county that came into effect following the rent reviews of January 2012 and June The current maximum rent limits for each county is also provided. Special provisions are made in exceptional circumstances including, for example, people with disabilities in specially adapted accommodation or homeless persons. There has been a reduction in the number of recipients of rent supplement by almost 8,000 from December 2012 to the current date. Statistics are not maintained on the number of applications received for rent supplement. The Department continues to monitor trends in the private rental market to determine the impact on rent supplement recipients. The fact that approximately 80,000 people are currently in receipt of rent supplement shows that a significant number of landlords are accommodating applicants of the scheme and that rent supplement recipients are able to access accommodation within the current limits. Department officials dealing with rent supplement tenants continue to make every effort to ensure that their accommodation needs are met and that the residence is reasonably suited to their residential and other needs. Policy and analysis in relation to social housing provision and homelessness are a matter for my colleague the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government. However this Department has a role in providing income support to persons who are homeless and is represented on the National Homelessness Consultative Committee. Under the social welfare 6

7 28 January 2014 system, homeless people have entitlements to the full range of social welfare schemes, including supplementary welfare allowance and associated supplements, subject to the normal qualifying conditions. The Department, through its work in the Homeless Persons Unit and the Asylum Seekers & New Communities Unit, also works closely with local authorities and other stakeholders to facilitate homeless persons to access private rented accommodation. This ensures that where possible, people are diverted away from homeless services and towards community-based supports. The Department s strategic policy direction is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of a short-term income support. In July 2013 the Government approved the introduction of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Under HAP, responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer from the Department of Social Protection to local authorities using HAP. Officials in the Department of Social protection are working with those in the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, who are leading the project, in developing proposals to give effect to this transfer. It is intended that the scheme will be piloted in early 2014 in Limerick local authority with further roll out to selected authorities during the year. Table 1: Change in maximum rent limits from June 2010 to January 2012 County: Single Shared Couple Shared Single Couple Couple/ One Parent Family - 1 Child Couple/ One Parent Family - 2 Children Couple/ One Parent Family - 3 Children Dublin - Fingal ( 100) ( 60) ( 54) ( 120) ( 155) ( 175) ( 150) Dublin - Not ( 90) ( 30) ( 54) ( 100) ( 55) ( 125) ( 150) Fingal CARLOW ( 30) ( 50) ( 118) ( 50) ( 50) ( 75) ( 70) CAVAN ( 35) ( 10) ( 43) ( 50) ( 50) ( 70) ( 60) CLARE ( 30) ( 50) ( 57) ( 70) ( 100) ( 125) ( 150) CORK ( 25) ( 10) ( 18) ( 35) ( 5) ( 50) ( 50) DONEGAL ( 40) ( 40) ( 53) ( 105) ( 110) ( 100) ( 60) GALWAY ( 25) ( 10) ( 18) ( 10) ( 20) ( 50) ( 35) KERRY ( 45) ( 20) ( 42) ( 110) ( 30) ( 90) ( 50) KILDARE ( 50) ( 35) ( 85) ( 100) ( 60) ( 125) ( 110) KILKENNY ( 60) ( 70) ( 78) ( 90) ( 60) ( 75) ( 75) LAOIS ( 35) ( 10) ( 17) ( 85) ( 70) ( 85) ( 60) LEITRIM ( 15) ( 5) ( 68) ( 65) ( 50) ( 75) ( 100) LIMERICK ( 35) ( 20) ( 56) ( 70) ( 105) ( 75) ( 50) LONGFORD ( 35) ( 25) ( 45) ( 25) ( 60) ( 60) ( 70) LOUTH ( 55) ( 6) ( 78) ( 99) ( 25) ( 85) ( 50) MAYO ( 25) ( 10) ( 60) ( 55) ( 100) ( 125) ( 110) MEATH ( 60) ( 5) ( 78) ( 100) ( 100) ( 90) ( 75) MONAGHAN ( 15) ( 10) ( 68) ( 40) ( 20) ( 40) ( 25) OFFALY ( 20) ( 20) ( 62) ( 85) ( 50) ( 50) ( 25) ROSCOMMON ( 15) 0 ( 70) ( 50) ( 50) ( 70) ( 40) SLIGO ( 25) ( 20) ( 67) ( 60) ( 20) ( 10) ( 50) TIPPERARY NTH ( 65) ( 65) ( 62) ( 75) ( 140) ( 140) ( 130) TIPPERARY STH ( 55) ( 35) ( 98) ( 30) ( 30) ( 105) ( 100) 7

8 County: Single Shared Questions - Written Answers Couple Shared Single Couple Couple/ One Parent Family - 1 Child Couple/ One Parent Family - 2 Children Couple/ One Parent Family - 3 Children WATERFORD ( 40) ( 30) ( 78) ( 70) ( 50) ( 110) ( 70) WESTMEATH ( 30) ( 50) ( 17) ( 30) ( 50) ( 70) ( 70) WEXFORD ( 30) ( 50) ( 78) ( 90) ( 60) ( 85) ( 70) WICKLOW ( 75) ( 35) ( 89) ( 185) ( 225) ( 230) ( 170) Note: Figures in brackets show a reduction in the rent limit for the category. Table 2: Change in maximum rent limits from January 2012 to June 2013 County: Single Shared Couple Shared Single Couple Couple/One Parent Family - 1 Child Couple/ One Parent Family - 2 Children Couple/ One Parent Family - 3 Children Dublin - Fingal Dublin - Not Fingal Carlow 25 ( 17) ( 30) ( 15) Cavan ( 15) ( 17) Clare ( 30) ( 30) ( 50) ( 25) Cork ( 10) ( 10) Donegal ( 20) ( 15) ( 25) ( 40) ( 50) ( 50) Galway Kerry ( 20) ( 30) ( 60) Kildare ( 20) ( 40) ( 25) ( 40) Kilkenny ( 10) Laois ( 50) ( 50) ( 30) ( 25) ( 20) Leitrim Limerick ( 20) ( 15) ( 30) ( 25) ( 50) Longford ( 10) ( 25) ( 15) ( 50) ( 80) Louth ( 15) ( 30) ( 30) ( 25) ( 25) ( 50) Mayo ( 15) ( 10) ( 17) ( 10) Meath ( 30) ( 10) ( 25) Monaghan ( 80) ( 67) ( 75) Offaly 15 ( 50) ( 65) ( 75) Roscommon ( 20) ( 55) Sligo 60 Tipperary North Tipperary South ( 25) ( 40) ( 40) ( 25) Waterford ( 10) ( 10) ( 15) ( 10) ( 25) ( 40) ( 65) Westmeath ( 20) Wexford ( 15) ( 40) ( 40) ( 25) ( 15) Wicklow ( 15) ( 75) ( 25) ( 60) ( 115) North Kildare Bray Note: Figures in brackets show a reduction in the rent limit for the category. Other denotes an increase Table 3 Maximum rent limits from June

9 County: Single Shared Couple Shared 28 January 2014 Single Couple Couple/ One Parent Family - 1 Child Couple/ One Parent Family - 2 Children Couple/ One Parent Family - 3 Children Dublin - Fingal Dublin - Not Fingal ,000 Carlow Cavan Clare Cork Donegal Galway Kerry Kildare Kilkenny Laois Leitrim Limerick Longford Louth Mayo Meath Monaghan Offaly Roscommon Sligo Tipperary Waterford Westmeath Wexford Wicklow North Kildare Bray ,000 28/01/2014WRA02675Social Welfare Benefits Eligibility 28/01/2014WRA Deputy Patrick O Donovan asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the recent announcement by the British Prime Minister to introduce changes to UK welfare rules for inward migrants into the UK, if she has examined the proposals; her plans to introduce changes to rules governing the payments of benefits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3517/14] 28/01/2014WRA02800Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): As I informed the Deputy on 10 December 2013, the free movement of workers and other citizens of the Union is a fundamental right granted by the EU Treaties and one which can bring benefits, economic and otherwise, to the individual and to the EU as a whole. Accordingly, it is something to be facilitated and encouraged. However, we must also ensure that the right of free movement is used for the right motives and is not abused through unjustified claiming of benefits. The UK recently announced a series of measures in relation to the welfare entitlements of EU migrants. These include a ban on EU migrants receiving out-of-work benefits for the first 9

10 Questions - Written Answers three months of residence and restrictions on the claiming of jobseeker s allowance for more than six months, unless a person can prove that they have made serious efforts to secure employment and that they have a genuine prospect of securing work. In relation to the former, under the EU Residence Directive, all Member States already have the right to refuse support under their social assistance systems to certain migrants for the first 3 months of residence. Access to social assistance payments in Ireland is subject to the habitual residence condition. Accordingly, those receiving such payments are deemed to have established their centre of interest in Ireland and to have significant contacts with the country. As well as satisfying habitual residence conditions a person claiming jobseeker s allowance must, inter alia, be available for and genuinely seeking full-time employment. Any person who does not satisfy these conditions will not receive a jobseeker s allowance payment. I am satisfied that the provisions of the Irish welfare system, and EU regulations in this area, are being used to the fullest extent possible to deter unjustifiable claiming of benefits in this country. I am not proposing any change in practice here at present but I will continue to monitor developments here and in the UK and other countries, with a view to establishing potential implications and learning for this jurisdiction. Question No. 121 answered with Question No /01/2014WRB00250Social Welfare Code Reform 28/01/2014WRB Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will take the legislative or other necessary steps to ensure people who are parenting alone and continue to satisfy the means test requirement for one-parent family payment will not be transferred from that payment to the back to education allowance with the resultant loss of the maintenance portion of their student grant for the duration of their course. [3524/14] 28/01/2014WRB00400Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): The Department has been working to ensure that all customers who are affected by the age change reforms to the one-parent family payment (OFP) scheme have a suitable route through this change from both an income support and activation perspective. Given that there is no work conditionality attached to the OFP scheme, recipients of the payment can participate in training and education programmes and are not obliged to inform the Department of this fact. In some cases, OFP recipients inform the Department and, where relevant, they can transfer to the back-to-education allowance (BTEA) scheme at the start of a course. Where entitlement to the OFP payment ceases for these recipients at any point during the course, they can continue to participate in the BTEA scheme until the course is completed. In the case of customers who have not informed the Department of their study commitments, and whose entitlement to the OFP payment ceases mid-course, the main income support option available to them is the jobseeker s allowance (JA) scheme. However, the JA conditionality that requires recipients to be available for, and genuinely seeking, full-time work would preclude individuals from participating in a full time education course. Therefore the likeliest course for these customers would be to leave their course in order to qualify for a JA payment. Such an outcome would be counter-productive and would not serve the activation objectives of the Department. As a result, the relevant BTEA provisions have been amended to allow former OFP recipients to avail of the BTEA scheme where they are midway through a course, assuming that all of the relevant qualifying criteria are met. This approach is the only 10

11 28 January 2014 way which enables these customers to continue to receive income support from the Department while enabling them to continue their education. Students may get financial support through the means-tested student grant scheme, which is administered by the Department of Education and Skills. Grant rates for qualifying students vary according to a number of factors, including household income, family size, and whether the student s college is close to their permanent residence. The scheme is made up of a maintenance grant for living costs and of a fee grant that covers the student contribution charge, tuition fees, and the cost of essential field trips, as well as of a post-graduate grant in some instances. Since September, 2010, students who are in receipt of the BTEA allowance can no longer avail concurrently of the maintenance grant component of the student grant scheme. This provision was introduced by the Department of Education and Skills in Budget Students may retain eligibility for the fee grant component of the scheme, if applicable. Any changes to the eligibility and operation of the student grant scheme is an issue for my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills in the first instance. 28/01/2014WRB00450Housing Assistance Payments Implementation 28/01/2014WRB Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the crisis in rent supplement, including an update on claim processing times; and the total number of rent supplement recipients who will be transferred to the new housing assistance programme by the end of [3523/14] 28/01/2014WRB Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding reforms to rent supplement payments; and when the housing assistance payment system will be in place. [3519/14] 28/01/2014WRB00700Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 134 together. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term 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. There are currently approximately 80,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over 344 million for The timescale for determining applications for rent supplement is dependent, among other things, on the availability of the required information, such as details of the applicant s income and bank statements. Some aspects of the application are inevitably time consuming and delays can occur where investigations such as home visits or third party evidence are required. Delays can also arise if the applicant is slow to respond to requests for additional information. In cases where all the necessary information is provided at initial application stage, rent supplement claims are generally processed between two and five working days. The provision of a prompt service is a major objective for the Department s staff dealing with rent supplement applications. This is tempered by the necessity to ensure that every case is fully investigated and dealt with in a consistent and fair manner. The Department s strategic policy direction is to return rent supplement to its original purpose of a short-term income support. Approximately 50,000 of recipients are in receipt of the supplement for over 18 months. In July 2013 the Government approved the introduction of the 11

12 Questions - Written Answers Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Under HAP, responsibility for recipients of rent supplement with a long-term housing need will transfer from the Department of Social Protection to local authorities using HAP. Officials in the Department are working with those in the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government in developing proposals to give effect to this transfer. It is intended that the scheme will be piloted in Limerick local authority in early 2014 with further roll out to selected authorities during the year. The total number of rent supplement recipients that will be transferred to HAP by the end of 2014 is not known at this time. Question No. 124 answered with Question No /01/2014WRB00850Pensions Reform 28/01/2014WRB Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps she has taken to ensure, in the guidance notes for the Pensions Board relating to the recently enacted Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2013, that a scale of protection to recognise length of service, age, duration and varying contributions made is included to protect members with long pensionable service and contributions; and that the Pensions Board is required to not just notify pensioners about reductions but to provide for negotiations and appeals. [3527/14] 28/01/2014WRB01000Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): The Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Act provides for the issue of guidance in relation to the drawdown of State funding in the event of the wind up of an underfunded scheme, where the employer is insolvent and the scheme does not have sufficient resources to meet 50% of scheme benefits or benefits up to a maximum of 12,000. This guidance is being advanced at present. The use of age and length of service in the calculation and determination of pension benefits in a situation of scheme wind up was considered in some depth during the deliberation process. With regard to length of service, it can be argued that the approach currently in place in relation to the calculation of scheme benefits is in fact a service related approach as greater benefits are accrued by those with longer service. However, an age related approach would raise risks in relation to age discrimination. Any consideration of a restructure of pension scheme benefits under section 50 of the Pensions Act must comply with the provisions in the Act and with guidance issued by the Pensions Board. The current guidance makes provision for the notification of all pensioners in advance of any application to the Pensions Board to restructure scheme benefits. In such circumstances a pensioner will have at least one month to make a submission to the trustees of the scheme in relation to such a proposal. The Pensions Board must be satisfied that all the provisions in the guidance are complied with before the Board will consider issuing a notice to restructure scheme benefits. The matter of representation by pensioner groups in the situation of a change to scheme benefits needs to be considered in a broader industrial relations context. In this regard, I have asked my colleague, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to examine this matter. 28/01/2014WRB01050Disability Support Services Provision 28/01/2014WRB Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Social Protection the activation measures she has in place for 2014 to help persons with a disability to find employment; and if she 12

13 will make a statement on the matter. [3677/14] 28 January /01/2014WRB01200Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): The Department provides a wide range of income and work-related supports for people with disabilities. Work-related supports include the EmployAbility service (formerly the Supported Employment Programme) which facilitates the integration of people with disabilities into paid employment in the open labour market; and a number of other supports specifically for employers (the Wage Subsidy Scheme - which pays an employer a subsidy for employing a person with a disability - the Work Equipment Adaptation Grant, the Employee Retention Grant, and the Disability Awareness Scheme). Furthermore, participation in Community Employment (CE) schemes is also open to people with disabilities. I would also point out that I launched the Disability Activation Project (DACT) at the end of The DACT Project is jointly funded by the European Social Fund and the Department of Social Protection and is targeted at projects in the Borders, Midlands and Western (BMW) region. 7 million is being provided to 14 projects (which will run until early 2015) across the BMW region to address four specific strands around the employment of people with disabilities. The four strands are as follows:- (a) improving access to employment, (b) progression programmes for young people, (c) support for progression and retention of people with an acquired disability, and (d) innovative employer initiatives. The outcomes of these projects will be crucial in determining the optimum approaches to be taken in relation to mainstreaming activation measures generally for people with disabilities. In addition, the Department fund the WAM (Willing Able Mentoring) project the objective of which is to bring graduates and employers together to promote access to the labour market for graduates with disabilities. In the meantime, the specific activation service managed by the Department - Intreo is being extended nationwide in 2014 and is available to any person with a disability who wishes to avail of the service. The Department is committed to supporting people with disabilities to participate more fully in society and to become more self-sufficient by providing supports that address barriers they may encounter in finding work and at work. 28/01/2014WRB01250Rural Social Scheme Administration 28/01/2014WRB Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to approve more places on the rural social scheme to help with coastal rehabilitation works following the recent storms; whether she is willing to provide additional materials and-or money for the existing schemes along the coast for this work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3518/14] 28/01/2014WRB01400Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): Work undertaken by participants on the rural social scheme supports the provision of services of benefit to rural communities. Day-to-day operational responsibility rests with each of the Implementing Bodies contracted 13

14 Questions - Written Answers by the Department to deliver the scheme. These bodies comprise local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta. In general, participants on the scheme are required to work on a range of service provisions within an overall framework developed and delivered by the Implementing Bodies in response to demand from the communities they serve. This framework takes account of movements in work requirements, new opportunities, completion of existing tasks, emerging pressures and priorities, weather and other matters that impact on the tasks undertaken. Primary responsibility for determining works in respect of clean-up operations and remedial tasks resulting from recent storm damage rests with county councils. I am confident that Implementing Bodies will respond to providing whatever assistance is determined by county councils and/or other statutory agencies on weather related remedial work. In addition to the RSS, implementing bodies have recourse to additional resources from Tús should such be required to support remedial works. Funding of remedial works is primarily a matter for each county council and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and I have no proposals to divert funds from the RSS for such works. 28/01/2014WRB01450Community Welfare Services 28/01/2014WRB Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will restore the community welfare service walk-in service to the public health centre in Athy, County Kildare, thereby ensuring residents in this RAPID town continue to have direct access to community welfare officers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3681/14] 28/01/2014WRB01600Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): The Department is examining the operation of all its services, including the Community Welfare Service, in the context of the Pathways to Work commitments and the development of Intreo services nationally. A significant reform programme to ensure appropriate resources are focused in the provision of opportunities, supports and assistance for unemployed persons is well advanced. The re-balancing of resources across the Department s range of activities - payment processing, control and activation has resulted in changes in the way CWS services are delivered and the rationalisation of some Community Welfare Service clinics. In Co. Kildare, in preparation for these changes, the Department contacted all affected customers directly, advising them of the changes in the services. The Community Welfare Service in Athy which was formerly available two mornings per week at a walk-in clinic is now available Monday to Friday through initial telephone contact, which means the service can be delivered without the need to attend a clinic. Telephone calls are followed by appointments if necessary, home visit or application by post for non-urgent claims. All calls are returned within one working day and emergency calls are prioritised. Where any customers are not able by reason of illness or disability to attend an appointment arrangements will be made to see them in their home. A fast referral service has now also been put in place with a standard referral form issued to local organisations and representatives. Prior to the restructuring, several changes to the operation of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme (SWA) in South Kildare/West Wicklow had already been made. All claims for Rent Supplement were centralised to a dedicated unit. All claims for Mortgage Interest Supplement were centralised to one office within the area. A system of Integrated Decisions was put in place in Newbridge Local Office in order to expedite claims for Jobseekers Allowance, Jobseekers Benefit and One Parent Family payment and thus minimise the recourse to SWA in these cases. 14

15 28 January 2014 The result of these initiatives has been to greatly reduce the dependence on SWA, and the local Community Welfare Service, in local areas. The main business now transacted locally is applications for Exceptional Needs Payments. All changes will be monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure adequate services continue to be available. Contact details for the Athy service are as follows: Area Telephone Athy - Castledermot Dunlavin - Ballitore - Baltinglass Rent Supplement Claims Mortgage Interest Supplement claims Fax Number for Referrals Postal Address for all Referrals P.O. Box 700, Naas, Co. Kildare. Question No. 129 answered with Question No Question No. 130 answered with Question No Question No. 131 answered with Question No /01/2014WRB01950Youth Guarantee 28/01/2014WRB Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has submitted her Department s plan for the implementation of the youth guarantee in Ireland; the actions in this plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2194/14] 28/01/2014WRB02100Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): The EU Council Recommendation on The Youth Guarantee is that member states should: Ensure that all young people under the age of 25 years receive a good-quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education. In agreeing this recommendation, the EU accepted that the Guarantee would need to be implemented over a period of time on a phased basis in countries such as Ireland facing very significant fiscal constraints. The development of an implementation plan for the guarantee was led by the Department working with the support of an interdepartmental group of senior officials from the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Office of the Tánaiste. In developing the plan the interdepartmental group took account of submissions received as part of a consultative process with stakeholders, and the outputs from various EU meetings, including meetings of EU Heads of State. The Group also consulted with the OECD. After getting approval from Cabinet late last year, the Youth Guarantee Implementation Plan was finalised and forwarded to the EU Commission at the end of December. The Minister for Education and Skills and I are publishing this plan today. The OECD report on the develop- 15

16 Questions - Written Answers ment of a Youth Guarantee for Ireland will be published at the same time. The plan brings together all Government measures in 2014 across a range of Departments that contribute to the transition of young people from education to work, and from unemployment to work. In keeping with the Government s broader focus on tackling long-term unemployment, the plan will in the first instance target interventions at those young people most at risk of long-term unemployment as the Guarantee is introduced on a phased basis. Ireland already has most of the key elements of a Youth Guarantee, as identified by the EU, in place including: - A quality offer of second level education for all young people under Second chance education/training options for early school leavers via Youthreach and Community Training Centres. - Access to free third-level and further education programmes. - Apprenticeship and work-focussed training initiatives such as Momentum. - State supported Internships such as JobBridge. - Targeted employment subsidies such as JobsPlus. - Work experience options such as TÚS and Gateway. - Reformed employment services which combine the delivery of welfare with job search/ guidance services and employer engagement (at Intreo centres and via JobsIreland). In order to maximise the return from structures already in place, the Youth Guarantee will build on existing programmes and: - Reserve places on existing programmes for young people who are already long-term unemployed. - Develop variants of these programmes/offers tailored specifically for unemployed young people. These tailored offers will include: - Earlier and faster engagement for young people under Intreo. - New options under JobBridge for the most disadvantaged cohort of young people. - New options under the JobsPlus recruitment subsidy scheme to accelerate the entry to work of young people. - Enterprise supports to help young people start their own businesses. It is estimated that expenditure on programmes providing employment, training and further education opportunities for young people will be in excess of 500m in This refers to both existing and new funding, including the EU funding that is expected to be drawn down. As part of this overall 2014 provision and as an initial step towards preparing for implementation of the Guarantee, specific provision was made in the 2014 Budget for: - Reducing the threshold (in terms of duration of unemployment) for JobsPlus eligibility from 12 months to 4 months in the case of persons aged less than 25 years. 16