Written answers
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Department of Social Protection
Programme for Government Implementation
Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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420. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the status of the implementation of policies specified in the programme for partnership Government under his remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9802/17]
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for a Partnership Government includes a wide range of commitments which fall directly within the remit of my Department.
The updated status of these commitments is set out in the following table:
| Commitment | Status |
|---|---|
| “ [to] increase Rent Supplement ... by up to 15% taking account of geographic variations in market rents...." | Action complete with introduction of increased rent limits on 1 July 2016. Limits were increased across the country, (by up to 30% in Dublin), in line with geographic variations of the rental market. |
| “To protect low-income families in private rented accommodation and avoid further market rental inflation.. [to] expand access to the Tenancy Sustainment Protocol throughout the country." | The Tenancy Sustainment Service and the Protocol arrangement in place between Threshold and this Department continues to operate in the areas where housing pressures are most acute in Dublin, Cork, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow and Galway city. In addition, the Department continues to provide flexibility in the administration of the rent supplement scheme so that tenants of the scheme are supported to retain their tenancies. Since the introduction of these flexible measures, a total of over 11,000 rent supplement households have been supported with increased rental payments. |
| “to introduce a PRSI scheme for the self-employed” | The Social Welfare Act 2016 provides for the extension of entitlement to the Treatment Benefit and Invalidity Pension schemes to self-employed people. |
| “to introduce a new ‘Working Family Payment’, targeted at low-income families.” | The Department’s approach to developing the Working Family Payment is guided by two principles. First, that it should ensure that work pays and that no family is better off on welfare than at work, and second, though equally important, that it will have a positive effect on child poverty. An open call for submissions on the Working Family Payment issued on the Department's website in January 2017. The Interdepartmental Working Group, set up to assist the work in developing proposals, has met three times to date. The work of the Group will also be informed by the consultation process. Considerable work and analysis still needs to be completed along with the consultation. It is intended that developed proposals will be prepared for consideration in the context of discussions for Budget 2018. |
| “... [to] publish a dedicated ‘Pathways to Work for Jobless Households’ to support jobless households into employment.” | It is expected that a proposal in relation to this commitment will be submitted to Government by end of Q1 2017. |
| “...actively encourage payments at Post Offices." | All DSP staff were advised of the PfG commitment and reminded that customer wishes should be facilitated where appropriate when they wish to receive their payment at the Post Office. |
| “the rollout and extension of the Personal Microcredit Scheme, which is providing simple microloans to members and helping to combat the use of moneylenders.” | As of 24th February, 2017, one hundred and one (101) credit unions, representing two hundred and twenty (220) credit union locations, have signed up as Personal Micro Credit (PMC) scheme participants. There are over 4,400 people making PMC loan repayments via deductions through the Household Budgeting facility, while others are making repayments via direct debit or standing order arrangements (numbers unknown). The list of participating credit unions is updated regularly on the website for the It Makes Sense loan scheme at www.itmakessenseloan.ie/participating-credit-unions and on the It Makes Sense Facebook page. |
| ... invest in new services and caseworkers to support jobseekers through the network of local Intreo offices..... support a regional approach to Intreo offices ... review work activation and social welfare schemes to ensure that schemes do not contain anomalies that may impact unfairly on people in rural areas, including farmers.” | The Department’s 62 Intreo offices are located throughout the country and are managed on a regional basis. The Intreo network is managed by 11 regional managers at Principal Officer level. Work activation schemes are being examined to identify any anomalies that impact on people in rural areas in particular. Changes on the Rural Social Scheme and the Farm Assist scheme are set out below. |
| “... extend the Dental Treatment Benefit under the Social Insurance Fund to reimburse the cost of some routine dental treatments.” | Budget 2017 provided for the extension of Dental and Optical Benefits under the Treatment Benefit scheme. Work is underway with a view to having the changes operational from October 2017. |
| ...” the Departments of Health and Social Protection [to] work together to pursue a “Fit for Work Programme” to support more people to get back to work if they have an illness or disability. | A Working group was formed with the Department of Health to determine lead, scope and plan for implementation Meetings were held with Fit for Work coalition members, Department of Health, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Health and Safety Authority. An interactive forum was held in Dublin Castle in December 2016, at which it was announced that the programme would be called “Healthy You”. This event involved various stakeholders including Government Departments, non-Governmental Organisations, patient organisations, employers, employees, semi state organisations and insurance companies. A report of this event is currently being prepared as a basis to initiate the second stage of the consultation process later this year. |
| “ ...to introduce flexibility and support in the social welfare system for people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties to transition into employment by ensuring a seamless return of their entitlements should a particular employment opportunity prove unsuitable. .... [and] ...address concerns surrounding the loss of secondary benefits, so that people are always better off in work.” | The Department now provides its full INTREO service to people with disabilities who wish to avail of the service on a voluntary basis. In addition, four pilot best practice Individual Placement and Support (IPS) projects have been established in Mayo, West Cork, Cavan/Monaghan and Galway in conjunction with the HSE, Genio and Mental Health Reform promoting Integrating Employment and Mental Health Support (IEMHS). The projects aim to demonstrate how existing mental health and supported employment (EmployAbility) services can fulfil the IPS model of supported employment through improved integration. The Make Work Pay interdepartmental group established under the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities has also been considering a range of approaches to deliver on this commitment. The group's report is due to be published in the near future. |
| ... consolidate all means testing under a single national body ensuring a single application process for services or entitlements across all government agencies.” | No specific developments to date. |
| “... an increase in the Disability Benefit and Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Allowance, and Blind Person's Pension“ .... “increase the State Pension and the Living Alone Allowance above the rate of inflation.” | Budget 2017 provided for increases of €5 per week in the rate of weekly social welfare payments. |
| “... support and expand supported employment opportunities and work with stakeholders to make supported employment more attractive to both prospective employers and employees.” | The Department delivers assistance with the identification and take-up of supported employment opportunities for people with disabilities through its EmployAbility service. An evaluation of this service was completed in 2016 and made a number of proposals to improve the operation of the service. An event to consult EmployAbility companies on the review and its recommendations was held on 16th August 2016. The Department has established a working group to commence implementation of the operational recommendations contained in the report. |
| “... highlight incentives for employers to employ a person with a disability, roll out a national awareness campaign” | DSP Employer Engagement promotes workplace supports for people with disabilities on an ongoing basis. The DSP Employer Pack contains information on supports available to people with disabilities and employers and the Department promotes incentives and supports available to employers during its annual Intreo Careers Fair and Jobs Week. The Department is also currently updating its employer engagement strategy, including in respect of employment services to include people with disabilities. |
| “... fully protect the Free Travel pass for all pensioners.” | The Free Travel scheme is fully protected. |
| “...in recognition of the vital role of schemes such as the Rural Social Scheme, Community Employment Schemes, BTEA and Farm Assist in rural communities and in activating the unemployed, ...to make suitable recommendations to strengthen provision in this area...” | Budget 2017 provided for 500 additional places on the Rural Social Scheme. Provision was also made in the Social Welfare Act 2016 for enhancements to the means assessment for the Farm Assist Scheme |
| “ Review ... the Farm Assist Scheme, recognising the challenges facing farmers on low income.” | Provision was made in Budget 2017 and consequently in the Social Welfare Act 2016 for enhancements to the means assessment for the Farm Assist Scheme |
| “... review the Fish Assist scheme in recognition of the irregular earning patterns of fishermen, in an effort to respond to difficult financial circumstances.” | The enhancements to the means assessment for the Farm Assist Scheme, provided for in the Social Welfare Act 2016 also apply to certain categories of self-employed fishermen. |
| “.... develop a system that fosters independence through retraining and employment ...provide the resources to invest in services that protect the weakest and most vulnerable in our society from poverty and exclusion.” | Work ongoing, notably through the implementation of Pathways to Work 2016-2020 and the promotion, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the National Action Plan on Social Inclusion. |
| “...carry out an immediate review of the financial supports available to the unemployed or those returning to the education system to ensure the greatest possible uptake of continuing education by eliminating current barriers.” | Changes were made in Budget 2017 so that, from September 2017, where a jobseeker under the age of 26 participates in the Back to Education Allowance scheme, he or she will be entitled to receive the full maximum rate of jobseeker’s payment which will then be €193 per week, as against the €160 which they are currently on. This 21% increase represents an extra €33 a week, and demonstrates the State’s support for young jobseekers who seek to enhance their skills. A new €500 annual Cost of Education Allowance will also be made available to Back to Education Allowance participants with children from the next academic year in September 2017. This will help parents, including lone parents, to return to education. |
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