Gateway schemes and a 10% reduction in the number of TUS places. Can it also be confirmed that the current allocations of €15 million for JobBridge, and €7.25m for Gateway in Vote 37 are available for While Vote 37 for the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is expected to record underspends on JobBridge and Gateway in 2017, these underspends will be required to fund overspends elsewhere in the Vote. 4. Social Protection The detailed costs of introducing an income linked job seekers payment amounting to up to €30 a week extra above existing benefit levels, as a first step towards creating a system of contributory welfare that recognises that those who contribute to our social insurance fund should benefit when they need it most. (To assume the introduction of the Based on 2016 data, 25% of Jobseeker’s Benefit recipients earned in excess of €30,000 per year. It should be noted that the earnings data from Revenue arrives as an annual figure for each customer. Accordingly, it is not possible to ascertain if the earnings were from continuous full-time employment. Applying this 25% to the 2018 estimated number of Jobseeker’s Benefit recipients, the full year cost for a €30 increase in the weekly rate of Jobseeker’s Benefit to those with previous earnings of €30,000 is €13.1 million in 2018.
A) The cost of increasing the current Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance as follows: - for children aged 4-11: increase by €25, €50 and €75 respectively. - for children aged 12-22 increase by €25, €50 and €75 respectively. - to provide the annual cost of administration of the scheme, and the total cost of the payments in 2016 and 2017 respectively. B) The cost of provide a universal payment to all school going children as follows: - for children aged 4 -11: payment of €125, or €150, €175, or €200. - for children aged 12-22: payment of Scheme expenditure in 2016 totalled €39.8 million. €47.4 million has been provided for the scheme in 2017. The Department does not have an age profile breakdown of all children enrolled in public schools. However on the basis of the 2016/2017 school enrolment statistics published by the Department of Education and Skills, an estimated cost of the measures is provided in the table below. Enrolment Figures Source: Total Cost of Universal Payment
effective ratio to a level of 22:1. 30 The cost of reinstating postgraduate student grants. based on the previous system of postgraduate student grants which was significantly curtailed over recent years. Restore Post Graduate Grants to 2011 Levels Assumptions: There were 2,141 post-grad students in receipt of a SUSI grant in 2016/17. It is assumed that the number of post-grad students, will return to the levels prior to the Budget adjustment i.e. 6,027 students. The calculations are based on the assumption that the measure would be announced in Budget 2018, and implemented for the 2018/19 academic year. It is assumed that all additional students (3,886 students) will receive the non-adjacent maintenance grant of 100% and the full fee grant of €6,270. Costings 31 The cost of: A) Increasing the rate of the student levels across all headings by i) 5% ii) at the projected rate of inflation with CPI and HICP costings. B) Cost of decreasing rate of grant from 45km to 24km. Increasing the rate of student grant levels across all headings by 5% Assumptions: Calculations are based on student numbers for the academic year 2016/17 with no adjustment for future demographics. Calculations are based on the student maintenance grant levels. Calculations are based on increasing maintenance grant rates by 5%. The calculations are based on the assumption that measure would be announced in Budget 2018, and implemented for the 2018/19 academic year. Costings adjacent
€3,000 and €3,600. With pro rata increases for the part time, sessional and half sessional subsidies. The cost of increasing the Band AJ subsidy by €20 per week to €100, the Band B subsidy by €20 per week to €90 and the Band D subsidy by €30 per week to €80. The increases in subsidy assume that the cost of child care to parents will be legislatively capped at current rates. (a) The cost of increasing the universal childcare subsidy (Universal Band) from €1,040 per year to respectively: €1,800; €2,400; €3,000 and €3,600. With pro rata increases for the part time, sessional and half sessional subsidies. The table below sets out cost estimates for the different scenarios proposed, based on the following assumptions: There are no changes in the subsidy-rates for other Bands (A, AJ, B, D). The costs are full-year costs. is no additional change in the level of parental demand for childcare as a result of the increased subsidies. (b) The cost of increasing the Band AJ subsidy by €20 per week to €100, the Band B subsidy by €20 per week to €90 and the Band D subsidy by €30 per week to €80. The additional full-year cost of this combined measure be €7m, based on the following assumptions: are no changes in the subsidy-rates for Band A or for the Universal Band. The changes proposed are for full-time childcare, and (except in the case of Band AJ) there are pro rata increases for part-time, sessional and half-sessional subsidies. For Band AJ, it is assumed that there are no changes to part-time, sessional or half-sessional subsidies, as the rates of these are set at the same value as Band A rates, which are assumed to be unchanged. The are full-year costs. There is no additional change in the level of parental demand for childcare as a result of the increased subsidies.
possible to commence each phase of the project. 52 The full cost that would accrue in 2018 and subsequent years if immediate approval was given to proceed with full electrification of rail lines to Maynooth and Kildare. The electrification of the Maynooth and Kildare Railway lines are individual components of the overall DART Expansion programme. The electrification of the Maynooth line would comprise the electrification of the Sligo line as far as Maynooth Station and Pace Station, and some upgrades to the existing signalling system. In addition, it would be necessary to remove the existing level crossings on this section of line in order to operate trains at enhanced frequencies. The cost of this project is estimated at €357 million. An indicative time line from design phase, though the planning process and construction would be 6 years. In the order of €15 million would be required over the first 3 years (say €5 million per year) to carry out the design, planning and procurement phases with the remainder of the expenditure being incurred during the construction phase. With regards to the electrification of the Kildare line, there is limited justification to proceed with this in advance of the DART Underground project, as a large part of the work approaching Heuston Station of the surface would be completely replaced by a revised layout to link the electrified Kildare line to the underground DART tunnel. However, if it were to be considered, the best available cost estimate is €190 million, excluding fleet costs. The first three years would be for planning and design work, requiring approximately €3 million per year, with the remaining amount expended over the subsequent three years. 53 The cost which would accrue in 2018 and subsequent years, broken down by project, if immediate approval was given to all national road projects where planning has commenced. On the understanding that this question relates to the acceleration of the national road projects included in the Capital Plan if annual budgets could be increased, the following is the position: