Vol. 460 No. 3
459 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider amending the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, 1993, in order to allow lone parents in full-time education to receive a rent allowance through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. [16794/95]
Under section 171 (1) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993, people in full-time education are excluded from entitlement to assistance, including rent supplement, under the SWA scheme. However, there are a number of exceptions to this exclusion. Persons participating in a vocational training opportunities scheme (VTOS); a second level initiative scheme; a third level allowance scheme; and a part-time education initiative scheme may continue to receive their full weekly payment and may retain any secondary benefits, such as rent supplement under the SWA scheme, which they may have been receiving prior to participating on one of these schemes.
461 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Social Welfare the amount of payment made to-date to legal representatives of women-men who applied for the equality payments; the scale fee agreed for each claim lodged through legal advisers; the total amount and the final amount budgeted for; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a charge of 10 per cent of payments made has been levied by some practitioners; his views on whether this is a very unreasonable practice in view of the fact that his Department agreed to pay the full costs in each claim to legal representatives; the action, if any, he intends to take in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19112/95]
To date, my Department has paid some £800,000 to the legal representatives of plaintiffs who took legal proceedings in relation to the payment of equal treatment arrears. A tentative provision of £3 million has been included in the 1996 Estimates in respect of possible expenditure on legal fees this year.
