Joe Walsh
Question:176 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the exact level of unemployment on which the Department of Social Welfare Estimate for expenditure in 1997 is based; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24940/96]
Written Answers. - Preparation of Estimates.
The provision made for unemployment payments in the Estimates for Public Services (Abridged Version) for 1997 is based on an average weekly live register of 268,000.
Joe Walsh
Question:177 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to make social welfare payments from the date of eligibility rather than the date of application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24941/96]
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 81 on Wednesday, 27 November 1996.
Joe Walsh
Question:178 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will make a statement on his attitude to the payment of social welfare rent subsidies to persons evicted or barred from corporation housing due to drug-dealing activities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24942/96]
The supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent payments to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The purpose of rent supplements is to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible persons living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source.
To be eligible for such a payment the claimant must satisfy the general conditions of entitlement of SWA set out in the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993, and the conditions of entitlement to a rent supplement set out in the regulations. Those generally excluded from receiving assistance under the SWA scheme include people in full-time employment, people in full time education and people involved in trade disputes. The payment of rent supplements to tenants evicted from local authority housing as a result of anti-social behaviour is under review as the withdrawal of social welfare payments has legal and social implications. Legislation to address the problem of anti-social behaviour in local authority housing estates which was drafted by the Department of Environment was recently approved by Cabinet. It will be presented in the Dáil in February 1997.
The Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, 1996, has clearly defined the term "anti-social behaviour" to focus on drug pushing and related activity. The new Bill is aimed primarily at providing necessary legislative support to strengthen the capacity of housing authorities to deal with anti-social behaviour as one element in the management of housing estates. The legislation provides discretion, in certain circumstances, for health boards to refuse or withdraw assistance under the SWA scheme in respect of rent or mortgage supplementation of private housing in the case of tenants evicted by a housing authority on the grounds of drug pushing or related anti-social behaviour.
Joe Walsh
Question:179 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the priority issues taken into consideration by him in the preparation of the Estimates of expenditure for 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24943/96]
It is assumed the Deputy is referring to the recently published Estimates for Public Services (Abridged Version) for 1997.
The Estimate for Social Welfare in that volume assumes the continuation of existing policies and services in 1997. This means that the Estimate, which is on a pre-budget 1997 basis, reflects the full year costs of the improvements announced in the 1996 budget, including provision for the introduction of the new one-parent family payment from January 1997; the increased take-up on certain programmes arising largely from demographic factors; provision for the 1997 Christmas bonus — this is the first time that the bonus has been provided for in the published Estimates; the increase in PRSI income due mainly to macroeconomic factors, and the savings from a lower live register projection for 1997.
Improvement in social welfare services to take effect in 1997 will be announced in the 1997 budget.
Joe Walsh
Question:180 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Social Welfare the total income and annual income received from the self-employed PRSI contribution scheme since its introduction in April 1988. [24945/96]
PRSI for the self-employed was introduced with effect from 6 April 1988. The social insurance element of the PRSI rate was set at 3 per cent for the 1988-91 and subsequent tax years. The amount paid into the social insurance fund by self-employed people for the years 1988 to 1996 is set out as follows:
|
£000's |
||
|
1988 |
21,792 |
(a) |
|
1989 |
46,383 |
|
|
1990 |
52,379 |
|
|
1991 |
57,882 |
|
|
1992 |
70,613 |
|
|
1993 |
73,105 |
|
|
1994 |
90,897 |
(b) |
|
1995 |
87,260 |
|
|
1996 |
87,000 |
(c) |
|
Total |
587,311 |
(a)represents the period from April to December only.
(b)includes amnesty receipts.
(c)estimated.