Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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226. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of penalties applied by his Department each year from 2012 to date in 2016; the amount of penalties applied for failure in regard to interaction with both JobPath providers; the ages of those persons where a penalty was applied; and the financial penalty that was applied. [40555/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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In addition to providing income support my Department also provides employment services and supports to unemployed jobseekers and expects them to engage with such services in order to improve their prospects of securing employment and achieving financial self-sufficiency. This approach is in line with the principle of ‘rights and responsibilities’ whereby an unemployed jobseeker has a right to receive income and employment supports from the State but also has a responsibility to engage with those State services if requested to do so. All jobseekers acknowledge this responsibility in writing when they claim a jobseeker’s payment.

Failure of a jobseeker to engage, without good cause, with the Department’s employment services can have consequences for the jobseeker’s payments. Legislation provides that a Department deciding officer can apply a reduced payment in such circumstances. It is important to note that the decision rules and process for application of a reduced rate of payment are the same across all of the Department’s employment services whether they are delivered directly by the Department’s own Intreo service or through its contracted services i.e. the Local Employment Service and JobPath. It should also be noted that the contracted providers cannot apply a reduced rate of payment. They can only refer a case for consideration by a Department deciding officer who will apply the standard rules and decisions process. This process includes written and verbal warnings and an opportunity for the jobseeker to re-engage with the services prior to the application of a reduced payment rate.

In the period from their inception in 2011 to 17 November 2016, a total of 27,769 penalty rates have been applied (see table below). The increase in the number of jobseekers referred to activation over this period (including Intreo, LES and JobPath) has given rise to an increase in the total number of jobseekers under activation. In this context, as the numbers selected for activation increased, so too has the number of penalty rates applied but the rates remain low relative to the overall number of people signing-on the Live Register.

YearNumber

2011:359

2012: 1,519

2013: 3,395

2014: 5,325

2015: 6,743

2016:10,428 (To end November)

Total: 27,769

Departmental records show that there are at present some 500 JobPath clients on a reduced penalty rate of payment and that overall 2,593 people, who were referred to the JobPath service since its inception in July 2015, have had a penalty rate applied to them. Some of these may have had their penalty applied since their return from JobPath. A breakdown by age is set out in the table below.

AgeNumber

18 – 14466

25 – 351,089

36 – 45 595

46 – 55329

56 – 61114

Total 2,593

The amount and duration of any individual penalty rate will depend on a variety of circumstances. It is not possible to provide details of the penalty applied in each case. However, the following sets out the rates of penalty which can be applied, as outlined in Section 65(2) of Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended):

Jobseeker’s Benefit:

- €84.50 rate reduced to €65

- €121.40 rate reduced to €93

- €147.30 rate reduced to €113

- €188 rate reduced to €144

Jobseeker’s Allowance:

- For those aged 26 and over, personal rate reduced by €44 e.g. from €188 to €144

- 25 years old - rate reduced from €144 to €111

- 18-24 years old - rate reduced from €100 to €75

Supplementary Welfare Allowance:

- For those aged 26 and over, personal rate reduced by €42 e.g. from €186 to €144

- 25 year-old rate reduced from €144 to €111

- 18-24 year-old rate reduced from €100 to €75

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.