Written answers

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Social Welfare Benefits

9:00 pm

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 89: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she is taking to improve processing times for all social welfare claims. [1801/10]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Department is committed to delivering the best possible service to its customers. To this end, operational processes and procedures and the organisation of work are continually reviewed in all areas of the Department. These reviews are supported by modern technology, the potential of which is continuously harnessed. Claims are processed in the most efficient and expeditious way possible, having regard to the eligibility conditions that apply to each scheme.

Processing times vary across schemes because of both the volume of applications and the differing qualification criteria. For example, means assessments are required for all of the social assistance schemes; medical examinations are required for illness related schemes and customers must also satisfy the habitual residence conditions. In the case of the insurance based schemes, it may be necessary to ascertain details of foreign insurance records.

It should also be noted that many factors outside the Department's control can impact upon claim processing times e.g. the supply of relevant information by the customer, employers or other third parties.

From January 2009, new processing targets, based on processing 90% of claims within a particular timescale, varying from scheme to scheme, were introduced for all schemes.

Specific process improvements have been introduced across many areas of the Department. Some recent examples of these are as follows:

Jobseeker's

A range of process improvement initiatives to deal with the increased volume of Jobseeker's claims has been introduced. In addition, five Local Office Support Units have been set up around the country to support the processing of claims. The number of claims awaiting a decision as of the 9 January 2010 was 58,800. This is huge reduction on the 82,000 that were pending in July and illustrates that the additional resources that have been assigned to local offices coupled with the range of process improvement initiatives are having a positive effect.

State Pensions

In order to ensure that entitlement to a pension is decided by the due date all pensioners

are advised to apply at least three months in advance of pension age and people are pro- actively invited to claim. In addition, a desk assessment process has been introduced in State Pension Non-Contributory, whereby claims are processed and decided based on the information provided by the customer on their application form without recourse to investigation by a Social Welfare Inspector.

Automated processing and Online Application Forms

To ensure that claims are processed as efficiently as possible and that customers receive their entitlements in a timely manner all application forms have been designed to facilitate the use of scanning and automated processing. An online facility to enable applications for a number of schemes, i.e. State Pension (Contributory) and Household Benefits, to be completed and submitted online, has been implemented. This facility will be extended to other schemes in the coming months. The objective is to enable people to access services at a time and place that best suits their needs. The use of online application forms reduces the administrative burden for customers and facilitates efficient processing of claims by the Department.

Overall, I appreciate the need to ensure that people can receive financial support from the Department as early as possible and I assure the House that we continuously strive to improve processing times in all schemes. In the meantime, it is important to remember that people who have urgent income support needs can apply for the means tested supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) and that more than 95% of basic SWA applications are decided on and paid within a week.

Photo of Willie PenroseWillie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 90: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when she plans to reform the back to education allowance to make it more compatible with the Central Applications Office application process for third level courses and the academic year. [1798/10]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme is designed to help those in receipt of a social welfare payment to improve their employability and job-readiness by acquiring additional educational qualifications. It is a second chance education opportunities scheme that recognises the special difficulties that people on social welfare can face when attempting to gain a foothold in the labour market. It is designed to remove the barriers to participation in second and third level education.

The scheme enables eligible people who have been getting a social welfare payment to continue to receive a payment while pursuing an approved full-time education course. The scheme is self-selecting in nature and responsibility for securing a place on an approved course rests with the applicant. Once a place has been secured, an applicant can check with the Department as to whether the other eligibility criteria for participation in the back to education scheme are fulfilled. Payment under the scheme covers the relevant academic year and the scheme caters for approved courses where the starting date is not aligned to the standard academic year.

In order to qualify for participation, an applicant must be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment for 3 months if pursuing a second level course or 12 months if pursuing a third level course. The qualifying period for access to third level courses is reduced to 9 months for those who are participating in the national employment action plan process or engaging with the Department's facilitator programme.

People who are awarded statutory redundancy may access the scheme immediately, provided an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment is established prior to commencing an approved course of study.

The requirement to be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment for a minimum period has always been a feature of the back to education scheme. A waiting period is considered essential to confer entitlement to income support for an indefinite period and is considered necessary in the context of targeting scarce resources at those who need it most.

The number of participants in 2008/2009 academic year was 11,646. Final figures for the current academic year are not yet finalised. However, the number of people on the scheme at the end of November 2009 was 20,418 which is 88% higher than the figure of 10,854 at the end of November 2008.

The back to education scheme has been subject to review and modification over the years to ensure that it continues to assist those furthest from the labour market. The qualifying conditions will continue to be monitored in the context of the objectives of the scheme and the changing economic circumstances.

Photo of Brian O'SheaBrian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 91: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the details of the planned vouched fuel allowance scheme for low income families to offset the increases in fuel costs associated with the introduction of the carbon tax. [1795/10]

Photo of Ulick BurkeUlick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 110: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she will take to alleviate the impact of the carbon tax on lower income households that are more likely to rely on higher carbon fuels and to live in badly insulated homes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1655/10]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 110 together.

The household benefits package is payable throughout the year to almost 380,000 pensioners, people with disabilities, and carer households to assist them with their heating, light and cooking costs. This scheme cost approximately €200m in 2009.

In addition, the national fuel allowance scheme assists householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the additional cost of their heating needs during the winter season. The allowance represents a contribution towards a person's heating expenses. It is not intended to meet those costs in full and must be seen in the context of the overall level of income available to the family.

In Budget 2009, the duration of the payment was increased by an extra 2 weeks to 32 weeks, while the weekly value of the allowance was increased by €2 to €20 a week, or €23.90 in designated smokeless areas. This compares with just €14 and €17.90 respectively in 2006.

Proper household insulation is absolutely vital in tacking fuel poverty. Initiatives such as the Warmer Homes Scheme, operated by Sustainable Energy Ireland, under the aegis of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources have a very valuable role to play in that regard, as does funding from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to improve the quality of existing local authority housing. Considerable progress has been made in this area in recent years.

The Government has announced its intention to introduce a carbon tax, which will come into effect on heating products from May 2010 and on solid fuels at a date to be set by commencement order.

Before the tax is applied to fuels for home heating, arrangements are being made to assist those most at risk of fuel poverty.

In his Carbon Budget Statement, the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, outlined details of €130 million in funding for insulation, €76 million of which will be used to assist low income families. The Government is also conscious that families at risk of fuel poverty will need extra income support to meet the increasing costs of fuel as a result of the carbon tax.

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has overarching responsibility for the energy portfolio and has convened an Inter- Departmental/Agency Group on Affordable Energy to coordinate and drive Government policy in this area. The objective is to ensure a shared understanding of the challenges and actions underway and to ensure a fully cohesive strategic approach to delivery of affordable energy initiatives and programmes.

The Inter Departmental/Agency Group has been asked to draw up an Energy Affordability Strategy for consultation early in 2010. This strategy will set out existing and future approaches to addressing energy affordability and will have regard both to the impact of the carbon tax on low income households and the range of supports outlined above in making its recommendations.

As part of its work, the Group will make recommendations as to the precise package of measures, including in the area of income support, that should be put in place to assist those at risk of fuel poverty in advance of the implementation of the carbon tax on home heating products.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.