Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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203. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the organic farming scheme was not included in the expanded list of schemes as of June 2022 that are assessed differently concerning the disregard within farm assist; the estimated cost of including the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47745/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Farm Assist is a statutory income support specifically for farmers on low-incomes. There are approximately 4,600 claims in payment at present. The Government has provided €53.9 million for the scheme for 2022.  

Further to the commitments in the Programme for Government and in the Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, my Department reviewed the means assessment disregards for the Farm Assist. One of the key recommendations of the report was to expand the list of agri-environmental schemes as provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.  I recently introduced this measure effective from June 2022. Under the Farm Assist means test, income from these schemes currently attract a disregard of €2,540, with 50% of the balance assessed as means. The report is available on the Government's website. 

I have introduced another improvement to the Farm Assist means test as part of Budget 2023. From January 2023, the amount of income from agri-environmental schemes that is disregarded will rise to €5,000. 

The Review of the Farm Assist disregards also recommended that the two Departments would work together to identify schemes in Ireland's upcoming CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 which may be considered for inclusion in the list of schemes which attract the disregard in the means test for the Farm Assist Scheme. I am committed to this and will consider any additional schemes in that context. 

Figures available on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's website indicate that the average level of payment under the Organic Farming Scheme is €5,460. The total cost of extending the disregard would depend on the number of farmers in receipt of Farm Assist who are receiving the Organic Farming Scheme and the level of payment being made.  This information is not currently to hand. 

I trust this clarifies the position.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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204. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of farmers or agricultural workers who have sought jobseeker's allowance, jobseeker's benefit or family income support in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [47786/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As of the end of August 2022, there were 332 farmers or agricultural sector workers in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance, and 5,171 in receipt of Jobseeker's Benefit. Due to the movement of the Working Family Payment (WFP) scheme, formerly called Family Income Supplement, from a legacy system to a current system, the number of farmers or agricultural sector workers in receipt of WFP at the end of August is unavailable.

Table 1 below shows the number of farmers or agricultural sector workers in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit or Working Family Payment at the end of December over the last 10 years.

Table 1: The number of recipients of Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit or Working Family Payment as at end December, 2012 to 2021.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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205. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a reply will issue to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47829/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that the Department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from the person concerned on 03 August 2022

On 26 August 2022, the person concerned was requested to supply supporting documentation required by the deciding officer in order to make a decision on her eligibility.

A further information request was sent to the person concerned on 17 September 2022

On receipt of this information a decision will be made on her DA application and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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206. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a partial carer's allowance will be offered to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47858/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment, made to persons who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who has such a disability that they require that level of care.

Carer’s benefit (CARB) is a payment made to insured people who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to care for a person(s) in need of full-time care and attention.

A person can be considered to be providing full-time care and attention where they are engaged in employment, self-employment or on training courses for a maximum of 18.5 hours per week, provided that they can show to the satisfaction of a deciding officer that adequate care is being provided for the care recipient in their absence.

To date, no application for CA or CARB by the person concerned has been registered.  If the person concerned wishes to make an application, they should complete and return an application form, CR1 for CA or CARB1 for CARB to Carer's Section in the social welfare services office, Longford, as soon as possible.  

Applications forms for both CA and CARB can be found at any Intreo Centre, Social Welfare Branch Office or Citizens' Information Office nationwide or can be downloaded from the Department's website, www.welfare.ie.  

It is only upon receipt of a fully completed application form that entitlement to CA or CARB can be examined. 

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy. 

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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207. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an exceptional needs payment will be made available in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47859/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme is the safety net within the overall Social Welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents.  Supports provided under the SWA scheme can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single additional needs payments.

Under the SWA scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income.  This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the person’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.

Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation, and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance. 

According to the records of my Department, the persons concerned have not applied for an Exceptional Needs Payment (ENP).  Following your representation, an ENP application pack has issued to the persons by post.

The completed application and any supporting documentation can be returned by FREEPOST to P.O. Box 1107, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.

When the application has been received, accompanied by the required supporting documentation, a Community Welfare Officer will consider the claim and the person will be advised of the outcome in writing.

I trust this clarifies the matter.