Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

441. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the Government has plans to review the criteria for home care workers' entitlement to DSP payments (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25551/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government is conscious of the recruitment and retention challenges in the home and community care sector and is supportive of properly informed measures to increase capacity in the sector. Towards this end, it established a Strategic Workforce Advisory Group to look at the labour force challenges facing providers of home-care services. The Group’s Report was published in October 2022, following extensive consultation, and found a range of issues impacting on the shortages in home carers and nursing home healthcare assistants, including the need for improvements in recruitment processes, pay and conditions of employment, training and career prospects, and wider sectoral reform.

My Department supports part-time working through a number of schemes, including casual and systematic short-time work arrangements for people on jobseeker payments. Under the current system a person can work up to three days and still receive a partial jobseeker payment. This provision applies to all recipients, regardless of the type of employment or profession. In addition, the Department provides the Working Family Payment for working families on low incomes, which is not based on days worked. However, in providing these supports, we also need to be careful not to allow the social welfare system to be used to subsidise unsustainable employment practices.

In line with Programme for Government commitments, I have launched a Strawman proposal for public consultation which is currently underway in relation to a new Pay-Related Jobseeker's Benefit payment and, in doing so, set out the parameters of a new Working Age Payment. Rather than using hours or days worked thresholds, this approach would utilise Revenue Commissioner real-time earnings data to adjust payment levels in line with a person’s weekly earnings. In this way it would guarantee a basic income floor and ensure that in all cases a person’s income increases when they work. This would represent a significant change and would address concerns around thresholds for days or hours worked.

My department is currently considering the responses received as part of the consultation process, which will help to inform next steps.

I trust that clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

442. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork who had been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance and who has since transitioned to illness benefit, does not qualify for the €200 cost-of-living support. [25570/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As part of the overall Government response to the cost of living crisis, the cost of living bonus was paid to Illness Benefit customers who had been receiving Illness Benefit for a year or more.

Illness Benefit is available for a defined period and it does not link to most other social welfare payments. If these payments were linked, this may result in the number of days that Illness Benefit is payable being reduced, adversely affecting customers who may need support from Illness Benefit in the future.

I trust the above clarifies the position.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

443. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection how many others she was referring to in her letter dated 9 May 2023 in relation to a customer who “like others, did everything right in keeping her Department informed” of their participation on the basic income for artists scheme but have had their claims for social protection stopped as a result; and how many customers have been asked to repay social protection payments as a result of participation in the basic income for artists scheme. [25572/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will appreciate that the Basic Income for Artists (BIA) scheme was introduced as an alternative income stream for participants and is not intended to be payable concurrently with social welfare supports such as Jobseekers Allowance. Payment is made at a weekly rate of €325 which is significantly higher than the personal rate of Jobseekers Allowance of €220.

Participants on the scheme were strongly advised at application stage that if they were receiving a social welfare payment that they should advise my Department of the payments from the BIA scheme. My Department also provided advice on its website on Gov.ie outlining clearly that successful applicants for the BIA scheme must inform the Department as the payment may affect the person’s current social welfare payment.

The case which was the subject of the letter to which the Deputy refers relates to an overlap where Jobseekers Allowance and Basic Income for Artists were paid concurrently. The Deputy will appreciate that overlapping payments of this nature are not in keeping with either social welfare legislation or the intended aim of the Basic Income for Artists Scheme.

Where overpayments of social welfare benefits occur, there is an onus on my Department to seek to recover any amounts due. Decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements are made by statutorily appointed Deciding Officers. Where a person is dissatisfied with the decision of a Deciding Officer they have the right to request a review of the decision and they may also appeal the decision directly to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

Due to the number of overpayments raised each year, it is not possible to readily establish how many overpayments have occurred due solely to the participation in the BIA scheme.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy