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Written Answers Nos. 537-556Dormant Accounts Fund 537. Deputy Catherine Connolly Minister for Rural and Community Development (Deputy Michael Ring): The legislation governing the Fund provides for a scheme for the disbursement of funds that are unlikely to be reclaimed, for the purposes of supporting programmes or projects to assist specified disadvantaged groups. My Department coordinates these disbursement schemes. Since its establishment in April 2003 to the end of September 2017, inflows to the Dormant Accounts Fund have totalled some €941.5 million, including interest earned of approximately €41 million. Payments made from the Fund amount to €649.6 million, including €357.87 million reclaimed by account holders. When account is taken of a reserve for future claims by account holders, and commitments to be disbursed by the NTMA on foot of approvals to projects and programmes, the net value of the Dormant Accounts Fund stood at €124.8 million at the end of September 2017. Dormant Accounts Fund 538. Deputy Catherine Connolly Minister for Rural and Community Development (Deputy Michael Ring): Statutory responsibility for the Dormant Accounts Fund, along with certain measures administered by the former Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and the former Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, were transferred to my Department on 27th July 2017. I will be seeking to ensure that any measures operated by my own Department which are supported by the Dormant Accounts Fund are run as effectively as possible and that the funding provided is fully utilised.. Dormant Accounts Fund 539. Deputy Catherine Connolly Minister for Rural and Community Development (Deputy Michael Ring): While the Deputy's question relates to periods prior to the transfer of responsibility to my Department, I understand that while there was no Action Plan for 2015, a Dormant Accounts Action Plan for 2016 was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 14 April 2016. Dormant Accounts Fund 540. Deputy Catherine Connolly Minister for Rural and Community Development (Deputy Michael Ring): The Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2012 dissolved the Dormant Accounts Board and transferred the statutory functions of the Board to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government with effect from 1st January 2013. The Act provides that the Minister shall prepare and furnish an annual report to the Government on the disbursement of monies from the Dormant Accounts Funds to programmes and projects during the preceding year. The first annual report following the transfer of these functions was in respect of 2014. Responsibility for the Dormant Accounts Fund disbursement schemes transferred to the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in May 2016 and subsequently to my Department on 27th July 2017. I will be bringing the Annual Reports on the operation of the Dormant Accounts Fund disbursement schemes for 2015 and 2016 to Government for approval shortly with a view to their publication.. Leader Programmes Funding 541. Deputy Peadar Tóibín Minister for Rural and Community Development (Deputy Michael Ring): The original allocation for LEADER for 2017 was €40 million, as reflected in the Vote for the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Following the transfer of functions from that Department to the Department of Rural and Community Development in July this year, a review of expenditure was carried out across all transferring programme areas in the context of the preparation of the 2018 Budget and Estimates. While project approvals under LEADER have increased substantially since June, total expenditure under LEADER this year is likely to be less than anticipated. My Department therefore sought approval from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to transfer €10 million from the LEADER subhead (reducing allocation to €30 million in 2017) to support measures under the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) in 2017. There was clearly sufficient demand to support the LIS scheme this year and the transfer of funding from LEADER does not, in any way, reduce the Government’s commitment to provide €250 million to LEADER over the duration of the programme. The revisions to the allocations will be reflected in a Further Revised Estimate for my Department which will be presented to the Select Committee on Rural and Community Development shortly. The provision sought in the 2018 Estimates for the LEADER programme is €35 million. I am satisfied this level of increase is in line with anticipated activity under the LEADER Programme in 2018. I will be keeping this under review. Rural Development Programme Funding 542. Deputy Peadar Tóibín Minister for Rural and Community Development (Deputy Michael Ring): Dormant Accounts Fund 543. Deputy Tony McLoughlin Minister for Rural and Community Development (Deputy Michael Ring): My Department also this year published the 2017 Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan which contains details of specific programmes and projects across Government which will be funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund. This Action Plan includes a number of measures to support social enterprises, including initiatives within my own Department's remit and from the Irish Prison Services. My Department will coordinate the preparation of a Dormant Accounts Action Plan for 2018 and will invite Departments to submit proposals for inclusion in the Plan. It will be open to Departments to include in this Plan further initiatives to support social enterprises. From my own Department's perspective, I envisage that the 2018 Plan will once again include a number of measures to support the sector. My Department is currently developing a comprehensive National Policy on Social Enterprise which will provide a framework for the development of the sector into the future. I hope to be in a position to support the implementation of this policy through a call for proposals under the Social Enterprise measure of the Dormant Accounts Fund early in 2018. Domiciliary Care Allowance Applications 544. Deputy Pat Breen Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Finian McGrath): Applications are processed in date of receipt order, having regard to the complexity of each individual case. An application for DCA was received in the Department from this lady on the 22 June 2017. While it is not feasible to provide an exact date for when a particular application will be finalised, the applications currently being finalised were received in late May/early June 2017. This application will be considered by a Deciding Officer and the decision notified as soon as possible. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. Illness Benefit Payments 545. Deputy Pearse Doherty Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): Jobseeker's Benefit Eligibility 546. Deputy Pearse Doherty Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): The main provisions relating to JB are contained in Chapter 12 of Part II of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005, and Chapter 5 of Part 2 of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations, 2007 (S.I. No. 142 of 2007) as amended. Article 65 of the regulations refers to a separate class of workers called `frontier workers'. Article 1 (f) defines a frontier worker as any employed or self-employed person who works in the territory of a Member State and lives in the territory of another Member State to which s/he returns as a rule daily or at least once a week. Article 65 provides that where such a worker becomes partially unemployed (e.g. part-time workers), the State in which that person is normally employed is responsible for paying unemployment benefits. However, where a frontier worker becomes fully unemployed, the State in which s/he is resident will be responsible for paying the benefit. As the person concerned is a frontier worker, who is fully unemployed, they should apply for benefit from the Member State where they reside. Any contributions made by the person concerned in this State will be taken into consideration when determining entitlement to unemployment security benefits in that jurisdiction. Free Travel Scheme 547. Deputy Clare Daly Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): In the early years of the free travel scheme surveys of passenger numbers were carried out by CIE with their rate of payment being adjusted to take account of the survey results, fare increases and increases in numbers qualified. Given the large numbers of passengers involved it would not be feasible to return to surveys of passengers now. The block payment to the CIE group is a service charge that has been negotiated over the years based on a range of factors including passenger numbers, fare levels, availability and frequency of services, peak time access, service improvements and enhancements. While there are no plans to return to the survey process of public transport companies my Department, the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority have been reviewing the payment mechanisms and funding levels for the scheme. The use of the free travel variant of the Public Services Card will also provide journey data in this regard. It is important to note also that in Budget 2018, I announced an additional investment of €10 million for the free travel scheme. I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. Carer's Benefit Applications 548. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): Carer's Allowance Appeals 549. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): Carer's Allowance Applications 550. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. Invalidity Pension Eligibility 551. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Finian McGrath): The PRSI contribution conditions are that the person must have at least 260 (5 years) paid contributions since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last complete contribution year before the date of their claim. Only PRSI classes A, E or H contributions are reckonable for IP purposes. New regulations will come into effect from 1 December 2017 whereby class S (self-employment) contributions will be reckonable for IP purposes. To date there is no record in my department of receipt of a claim for IP from the gentleman in question. According to the department’s records, it appears that this gentleman does not satisfy the PRSI contribution criteria for IP at present. However, entitlement to IP can only be definitively determined on receipt of a completed claim form. Persons who have an insufficient employment/PRSI record to qualify for a social insurance benefit/pension may apply for the appropriate means-tested social assistance scheme. For example, persons between the ages of 16 and 66 who are suffering from an illness or disability which is expected to last at least 1 year, may qualify for disability allowance (DA). DA is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency test. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. Fuel Allowance Eligibility 552. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): Social Welfare Benefits 553. Deputy Brian Stanley Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): Recipients of Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) must be in receipt of the payment for a minimum of 15 months (391 days) in order to be eligible for the bonus. Long-term jobseekers are eligible for the bonus in recognition of their being wholly or mostly financially dependent on their welfare payment for income. A person who participated in a National Learning Network (NLN) or other Solas/ETB training course and is in receipt of JA for a minimum of 391 days in the relevant week of the Bonus payment will automatically qualify for and receive the Bonus. People with less than 391 days duration on JA may be entitled to the bonus if they have spent 15 months in total on eligible payments or schemes, including NLN courses. The time spent on the training course will be taken into account when determining eligibility for the Bonus. As it is not possible to identify these cases automatically through the Department’s IT systems, it is necessary to deal with each case on an individual basis. In this regard, affected JA recipients should go to their Intreo office in order to establish their entitlement to a bonus payment. It should be noted that it is not possible for the Department to establish entitlement for the bonus in these cases until the first week of December. Payment of the bonus to existing NLN or Solas/ETB participants is a matter for the Department of Education and Skills.. Social Welfare Appeals 554. Deputy Mary Butler Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): Social Welfare Appeals 555. Deputy Pat Breen Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. State Bodies 556. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Deputy Regina Doherty): |
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