Vol. 499 No. 3
282 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of persons, previously in receipt of disabled person's maintenance allowance and subsequently transferred to disability allowance, whose allowance has subsequently been terminated on the grounds of the disability no longer existing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2777/99]
287 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of persons in receipt of disability allowance who previously received disabled person's maintenance allowance and who have recently had their entitlements reviewed or terminated; the number whose payments have ceased and who suffer from physical and sensory disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2782/99]
It is proposed to take Questions No. 282 and 287 together.
Responsibility for the administration of the disabled persons maintenance allowance disabled person's maintenance allowance transferred from the health boards to my Department on 2 October 1996 when the allowance was renamed disability allowance. At that stage a total of 34,500 persons formerly in receipt of disabled person's maintenance allowance became entitled to disability allowance. Continuing entitlement under this scheme is subject to the person satisfying both a means test and the medical eligibility criteria.
Ongoing reviews of disability allowance cases in respect of both medical and means eligibility are undertaken by my Department on a systematic basis. Of the 34,500 persons who were previously in receipt of disabled persons maintenance allowance in excess of 20,000 have been subjected to medical or means review. Ten persons have had their allowance withdrawn on the grounds that they no longer satisfy the medical criteria for receipt of disability allowance and a further 307 had their allowances withdrawn on the grounds that they no longer satisfied the means criteria. Statistics are not available on the numbers of these who suffer from physical and sensory disability. The persons concerned were informed of the decision and the reasons for it in each case and advised of their right of appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
The total number of persons in receipt of disability allowance at present is in excess of 47,000.
283 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if it is the policy of his Department to inform applicants for one parent family allowance of an obligation to seek maintenance from a former spouse or partner in cases where violence had previously occurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2778/99]
There is an obligation on all claimants for one-parent family payment to make, and continue to make, appropriate efforts in the particular circumstances to obtain maintenance in respect of themselves and – or their children from their former spouse or partner. This obligation reflects the general policy of the scheme that, in so far as possible, one-parent families should be maintained by their former spouses or partners rather than have to rely on social welfare support.
284 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of people in receipt of one parent allowance for each of the years from 1996 to 1998; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2779/99]
285 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of recipients of widow's and widower's pension for each of the years from 1996 to 1998; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2780/99]
286 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of children in respect of whom child benefit is payable; the number at 31 December 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2781/99]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 284, 285 and 286 together. The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table.
|
Pension/Benefit |
1996(31 Dec.) |
1997(31 Dec.) |
1998(31 Dec.) |
|
One-Parent Family Payment |
50,557* |
58,960 |
65,548 |
|
Widow/er's (Con) Pension |
96,107 |
97,340 |
98,518 |
|
Pension/Benefit |
1996(31 Dec.) |
1997(31 Dec.) |
1998(31 Dec.) |
|
Widow/er's (Non-Con.) Pension |
19,046 |
18,786 |
18,382 |
|
Child Benefit (children) |
1,060,496 |
1,053,401 |
1,039,746 |
288 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number and grades of staff employed to administer the disability benefit scheme, occupational injury benefit scheme, maternity benefit scheme, unemployment benefit scheme and the unemployment assistance scheme. [2851/99]
The number of staff engaged, as at 1 January, 1999 in the administration of the various schemes specified by the Deputy was as follows:
|
disability benefit |
264 |
|
occupational injury benefit |
23 |
|
maternity benefit |
19 |
|
unemployment benefit and assistance |
1406 |
|
PrincipalOfficer |
AssistantPrincipal |
HigherExecutiveOfficer |
ExecutiveOfficer |
StaffOfficer |
ClericalOfficer |
MedicalReferee |
Total |
|
|
Benefits |
1 |
1 |
6 |
15.5 |
21.5 |
163 |
208 |
|
|
Medical Referee Section |
1 |
2.5 |
2.5 |
28 |
22 |
56 |
||
|
Total |
264 |
|
PrincipalOfficer |
AssistantPrincipal |
HigherExecutiveOfficer |
ExecutiveOfficer |
StaffOfficer |
ClericalOfficer |
ServiceGrade |
Total |
|
|
Occupational InjuryBenefit Scheme |
1 |
5 |
2 |
15 |
23 |
|
PrincipalOfficer |
AssistantPrincipal |
HigherExecutiveOfficer |
ExecutiveOfficer |
StaffOfficer |
ClericalOfficer |
ServiceGrade |
Total |
|
|
Maternity BenefitScheme |
1 |
2 |
16 |
19 |
|
PrincipalOfficer |
AssistantPrincipal |
HigherExecutiveOfficer |
ExecutiveOfficer |
StaffOfficer |
ClericalOfficer |
ServiceGrade |
Total |
|
|
Local Offices |
1 |
53 |
158.5 |
286.5 |
811 |
96 |
1,406 |
|
|
Regional ManagementTeam |
1 |
76 |
12 |
9.5 |
6 |
48.5 |
153 |
|
|
Total |
1,559 |
289 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the basis for payment of a rent allowance or mortgage interest subsidy to people on the back to work schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2852/99]
291 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of people on the back to work allowance scheme who were in receipt of a rent allowance for each of the years from 1996 to 1998. [2854/99]
292 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of people on the back to work allowance scheme who were in receipt of a mortgage interest subsidy for each of the years from 1996 to 1998. [2855/99]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 289, 291 and 292 together.
The legal basis for payment of a rent or mortage interest supplement to people on back to work schemes is contained in the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993, and in the Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Welfare Allowance) Regulations, 1995, made by the Minister in exercise of the powers conferred on him by that Act.
Persons in full-time employment are generally excluded from receiving payments under the supplementary welfare allowance – SWA scheme, including rent and mortage interest supplements. However, Article 6(2) of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Welfare Allowance) Regulations, 1995, provides that a person shall not be disqualified from receiving SWA while engaged in full-time remunerative work where that person is participating in specified back to work schemes.
