Vol. 443 No. 7
26 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Social Welfare the system his Department has for notifying the health boards of successful claimants under the back-to-work allowance scheme thus continuing to ensure that they receive their legitimate entitlements under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.
My Department advised all health boards in November 1993 that participants on the back-to-work allowance scheme are entitled to retain all secondary benefits to which they were entitled prior to participation on the scheme provided that the combination of income from employment or self-employment, the back-to-work allowance and family income supplement is less than £250 gross per week. Payment to participants of rent or mortgage interest supplements under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme is subject to a monthly limit of £250.
People who participate on the scheme receive 75 per cent of their weekly social welfare entitlement for the first year of payment and 50 per cent for the second year. Every participant on the scheme is issued with a book of payable orders from my Department which can be cashed weekly at their local post office. The client's name, address, claim number, the name of the scheme and the amount to be paid are pre-printed on each payable order.
In general, where a client presents his or her back-to-work payment book to a health board community welfare officer this will be accepted by the board as evidence of participation on the scheme for supplementary welfare allowance purposes.
