February 03 2009

Parliamentary Questions

• National Carer’s Strategy
• Half rate carer’s allowance
• Personal Advocacy service under CIB
• Delay in implementing A Vision for Change
• Disregard for disability allowance
• Automatic entitlement to Disability Allowance on entering residential care
• Warmer Homes Scheme

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• National Carer’s Strategy

Deputy Michael Creed (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the date the National Carers Strategy will be published;

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin): In January 2008 a working group, chaired by the Department of An Taoiseach, was established to develop the National Carers Strategy. My Department provides the secretariat to the working group which also includes representatives of the Departments of Finance, Health and Children and Enterprise, Trade and Employment as well as FA´ S and the Health Service Executive. Considerable work was undertaken in developing the strategy during 2008. The Department met with a wide range of organisations including the Equality Authority, Combat Poverty Agency, Citizen’s Information Board, the National Council on Ageing and Older People, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the National Disability Authority. In addition, a request for submissions from the public was published in regional and national newspapers in March 2008 which yielded a good response from both individuals and organisations. The commitment to the development of a National Carers Strategy also includes a commitment to appropriate consultation with the social partners. An update in relation to the strategy was provided to the social partners plenary session in February. A consultation meeting with the social partners was held on 8 May 2008. However, despite the work undertaken by the group, the context in which the strategy is being developed has been severely constrained by the immediate fiscal difficulties facing the economy. These difficulties have lead to uncertainty not just within the Department of Social and Family Affairs but also the health service and the range of organisations represented on the working group which made it impossible to bring the strategy to a satisfactory completion last year. Officials from the Department and members of the working group met with carer representative groups in December 2008 in the second of two agreed meetings on the strategy. At this meeting the difficulties facing the working group as a result of the current economic situation were outlined. The groups were also informed that the strategy would not be published by the end of 2008 as had been anticipated. The draft document produced by the working group is currently being considered.

• Half rate carer’s allowance

Deputy Seymour Crawford (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people who receive the half rate carer’s allowance; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that many of those people would be legally entitled to hold onto their existing social welfare benefits and retain full employment if they did not opt to care for their loved ones; her views on whether this care is saving the country a lot of money in keeping the elderly and disabled out of full time nursing home care;

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin): Budget 2007 provided for new arrangements whereby people can receive a maximum payment equivalent to a half rate carers allowance while receiving another social welfare payment, other than jobseeker’s benefit or allowance. These measures came into effect in September 2008 and there are currently just over 16,100 people in receipt of half-rate carer’s allowance and another social welfare payment.

Eligibility for a carers payment, including half-rate carer’s allowance is dependent on the person providing full time care and attention to a person who needs it. If a person ceases to provide such care and takes up full time employment they may be eligible to retain another social welfare payment, depending on the conditions of the scheme in question. For example, a person can engage in full time employment while in receipt of state pension (contributory). However, a person engaged in full time employment would be likely to have means in excess of the thresholds for a means tested payment, such as widow/er’s (non-contributory) pension. The introduction of the half-rate carer’s allowance is only one of a number of improvements to payments to carers in recent years. Since 1997 weekly payment rates to carers have greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer’s allowance have significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer’s benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and extended. The means test for carer’s allowance has been significantly eased over the years, most notably with regard to spouse’s earnings. Since April 2008, the income disregard has been €332.50 per week for a single person and €665 per week for a couple. These levels surpass the Towards 2016 commitment to ensure those on average industrial earnings continue to qualify for a full carer’s allowance. From June 2005, the annual respite care grant was extended to all carers who are providing full time care to a person who needs such care, regardless of their income. The rate of the respite care grant has also been increased to €1,700 per year in respect of each care recipient since June 2008. In June 2006, the number of hours for which a person can engage in employment, selfemployment, education or training and still be considered to be providing full time care for the purposes of carer’s allowance, carer’s benefit and the respite care grant was increased from 10 to 15 hours per week. In Budget 2009, I increased the rate of carer’s allowance for those aged 66 or over by €7 to €239 per week and for those aged under 66 by €6.50 to €220.50 per week. These increases took effect from January 2009. Recipients of carer’s allowance are also eligible for household benefits and free travel and the respite care grant. It is estimated that combined expenditure on carer’s allowance, carer’s benefit and the respite care grant will be €643 million in 2009. I have no plans to change the conditions associated with half-rate carer’s allowance.

• Personal Advocacy service under CIB

Deputy Kathleen Lynch (L): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when she will provide for a personal advocacy service in respect of people with disabilities; the target date to which she is working;

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin): The statutory basis for the introduction of a personal advocacy service under the Citizens Information Board (CIB) was provided for in the Citizens Information Act, 2007. However, having regard to the current budgetary circumstances, it will not be possible to proceed with this in 2009. The provision of an advocacy service remains a priority for this Government. In this regard, significant resources have been provided since 2005, and will continue to be made available under the auspices of the Citizens Information Board for the development and provision of advocacy services for people with disabilities. The Community and Voluntary Sector Advocacy programme has been developed by the Board since 2005 and has funded 46 separate advocacy projects. The overall focus of the programme is on representative advocacy for people with a disability. Projects either operate within a specific geographic area or are focused on a particular disability type. Each of the projects possess different challenges, some requiring more intensive work with smaller caseloads while others have larger caseloads with shorter periods of client contact. Up to the end of 2008, 3,404 members of the public have availed of the services provided by the projects. The Citizens Information Board is monitoring the programme to ensure that the projects are operating in accordance with the Board’s advocacy guidelines. It is planned to undertake a full evaluation of the Community and Voluntary Sector Advocacy programme in 2010. The Citizens Information Board also provides advocacy through the Citizens Information Services focusing on access to services, welfare entitlements and employment rights. This type of mainstream advocacy is also open to people with disabilities and the Community and Voluntary Sector Advocacy programme is creating close links with the Citizens Information Services to ensure that people with disabilities are encouraged and supported to use the mainstream services where possible. The advocacy capacity is being strengthened through the provision of Advocacy Resource Officers who work to build the capacity of information providers within the Citizens Information Services to advocate on behalf of clients. There are nine Advocacy Resource Officers in operation across the Citizens Information Services network. I am satisfied with the developments undertaken to provide advocacy services for people with disabilities through the Citizens Information Board. The Department will continue to work with them to further enhance advocacy services for all citizens including those with disabilities.

• Delay in implementing A Vision for Change

Deputy Seán Barrett (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason for the delay in implementing the comprehensive recommendations for mental health service reform set out in the Vision for Change strategy published in January 2006; the progress made towards the attainment of targets set for service delivery in the area of mental health; if she will adopt an implementation plan for A Vision for Change with detailed annual targets, timeframes and human and financial resource commitments;

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy John Moloney): Implementation of ‘A Vision for Change’ is primarily the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. In February 2008, the HSE approved an Implementation Plan which sets out six key priorities for 2008 and 2009. These priorities which have been progressed include:

• Catchment Area Definition and Clarification

• Modernisation of the Mental Health Infrastructure

• Community Based Mental Health Teams

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Teams

• Mental Health Services for People with Intellectual Disability

• Mental Health Information Systems

A draft implementation plan for 2009 and beyond has been prepared and will be finalised by the HSE following completion of the new structure currently being developed in the Health Service Executive. In January 2008, the Office for Disability and Mental Health was established. The Office will bring a new impetus to the implementation of the Report through working in partnership with the HSE and other stakeholders.

• Disregard for disability allowance

Deputy Olwyn Enright (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the amount of capital disregard for means test purposes for all social welfare payments; if same applies to special saving incentive account savings;

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin):  In assessing means for social assistance purposes, account is taken of any cash income the person may have, together with the value of capital and property (except the family home). Capital may include the following: Stocks and shares of every description, which are assessed according to their current market value. Savings certificates / bonds / national instalment savings, which are also assessed according to their current market value. Money invested in a bank, building society etc. For the purposes of most social assistance schemes including jobseeker’s allowance, the first €20,000 of capital is disregarded for means test purposes. The first €50,000 is disregarded in the case of disability allowance while the first €5,000 is disregarded in the case of supplementary allowance. Capital amounts formerly held in Special Savings Investment Accounts are treated in the same manner as other capital.

• Automatic entitlement to Disability Allowance on entering residential care

Deputy Richard Bruton (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the changes which have been made to the eligibility criteria for disability allowance since budget 2009; if changes have been made to the eligibility of persons in residential care who currently receive disability allowance and the eligibility of those in residential care who are not currently in receipt of disability allowance;

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin): No changes to the Disability Allowance are being implemented as a result of Budget 2009. With effect from 3 January, 2007 people who had entered residential care without an entitlement to Disability Allowance became eligible for full Disability Allowance as a matter of right, subject only to the same conditions as apply to others. No changes have subsequently been introduced to these arrangements.

• Warmer Homes Scheme

Deputy Paul Gogarty (GP): asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will introduce schemes to encourage the carrying out of energy efficiency audits on older housing stock, or for energy efficient retrofitting of houses with low energy efficiency performance;

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Deputy Eamon Ryan): The Home Energy Savings Scheme operated on a pilot basis in 2008 and provided grants towards the cost of retrofitting energy efficiency improvement measures in older housing. I intend to announce the details of a national roll-out of the scheme shortly. For households on low incomes, such as those in receipt of fuel allowance, invalidity or disability benefit, the Warmer Homes Scheme can also assist with retro-fitting of energy efficiency improvement measures. This scheme arranges for the installation of measures free or at a nominal cost to the householder. The service is delivered principally through community based organisations. There are 20 such groups currently approved by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI). Applications for assistance under this Scheme should be made via the relevant community organisation, details of which can be found under the grants section of SEI’s website (www.sei.ie/grants). Ireland’s Building Energy Rating (BER) scheme is recognised by the EU Energy End Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive as an energy audit scheme. Since 1 January 2009, any person selling or leasing a house is obliged to have a BER assessment of the house carried out and present the BER certificate to any prospective buyer or tenant. However, any other person is also free to contract a BER assessor to rate the energy performance of their home and will benefit from the accompanying Advisory Report, which will assist them in identifying the investments they could make to lower their energy costs and reduce their carbon emissions.

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