Vol. 501 No. 5
103 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of housing units rent assisted through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme; the numbers in the greater Dublin area and throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6578/99]
104 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the proposals, if any, for joint action between his Department and the Department of the Environment and Local Government with the objective of making the necessary capital available to those in receipt of supplementary rent assistance to enable them acquire homes for themselves and their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6579/99]
105 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of persons in receipt of supplementary rent assistance in each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6580/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 103, 104 and 105, together.
|
Year |
Estimated Averagenumber of recipients |
|
1994 (E) |
30,100 |
|
1995 (E) |
32,300 |
|
1996 (E) |
34,900 |
|
1997 (E) |
36,800 |
|
1998 (E) |
40,000 |
|
1999 (E) |
40,000 |
106 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will review the current levels of child benefit payable with a view to a more realistic level of increase in keeping with family needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6581/99]
From September of this year, the higher monthly rate of child benefit, payable in respect of third and subsequent children will have increased from £39 in 1997 to £46 while the lower rate, payable in respect of the first and second child, will have increased from £30 in 1997 to £34.50. This represents an increase of 15 per cent in the lower rate and 18 per cent in the higher rate over the two years, and involves full-year costs of over £64 million in total.
In addition, a new 150 per cent rate of payment in respect of twins was introduced at a further cost of over £4.8 million.
Furthermore, priority has being given to utilising family income supplement (FIS) as a means of increasing the net return from work to families with children. Accordingly, FIS has been reformed so as to be calculated on a net income basis, rather than on gross wages, as was the case previously. This measure significantly increases the supplements payable under the scheme, thereby increasing the rewards from work.
I can assure the Deputy that the various family benefits will continue to be developed in line with the Government's commitment to provide real supports for families with children.
107 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will examine the possibility of increasing adult dependent allowances in respect of social welfare payments in general; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6582/99]
The 1999 budget provides for an increase of £3 per week (5.3 per cent to 7.3 per cent) in qualified adult allowances in the case of old age, retirement and invalidity pensioners and in the case of blind pensioners, where the qualified adult is aged 66 or over, and for an increase of £2 per week (4.9 per cent) in qualified adult allowances for other recipients. These increases, which will take effect from the beginning of June, 1999, represent real increases of between 2.8 per cent and 5.2 per cent.
The question of future increases in social welfare payments, including the level of increases for qualified adults, is a matter for consideration in a budgetary context in the light of available resources and having regard to the commitments contained in the Government's Action Programme for the Millennium, Partnership 2000 and the National Anti-Poverty Strategy.
108 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will consider more substantial increases in child dependent allowance with particular reference to payments of widows' and widowers' pensions where young families are involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6583/99]
The Deputy will be aware that the policy direction followed by successive Governments in recent years has been to concentrate resources for child income support on child benefit, rather than increasing child dependant allowances, thus ensuring that the sup ports provided by the State are more neutral vis-à-vis the employment status of the parent(s).
Substantial additional resources have been invested in the child benefit scheme since this Government came into office. The full-year costs of the increases provided for in the 1998 budget amounted to some £28.4 million, while the 1999 budget includes a full-year provision of over £40 million.
I would point out that, in general, the child dependant allowances paid to widows/widowers are higher than those which apply to the majority of other social welfare recipients: the CDA paid with contributory widows pension is £17.00, while widows in receipt of the non-contributory one parent family payment receive £15.20 per child per week. This compares to £13.20 per child paid with the majority of payments.
It is important, too, to take account of the total payment to a family and not just the separate elements of it. For example, the increases which I announced in last December's budget will increase the total weekly payment (including child benefit) to a widow on contributory pension with two children by £4.38 per week (an increase of 3.6 per cent); the increase for a widow with four children will be £6.24 per week, an increase of 3.5 per cent. These increases represent a real improvement in the incomes of these families.
