Róisín Shortall
Question:67 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on whether he should review social welfare legislation with the aim of eliminating qualification anomalies in black spots. [10344/99]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Legislation.
As part of its normal business, my Department undertakes a wide range of reviews of the effectiveness of its scheme and services. Such reviews are intended to ensure that the social welfare schemes continue to operate effectively and fulfil their objectives in the light of current needs. These reviews also give rise to opportunities to rationalise and simplify the social welfare system. Any consequential changes to social welfare legislation are normally incorporated in the annual Social Welfare Bill which implements the budget improvements in social welfare.
For example, in this year's Social Welfare Act which was recently passed into law, I took the opportunity to rectify a number of anomalies which had come to my attention. These relate to the payment of pensions to self-employed persons who were over the age of 56 years when social insurance was extended to the self-employed in April 1988. I also introduced a new bereavement grant scheme to replace the old death grant scheme and extended the scope of the scheme to public service employees who pay a modified rate of PRSI contribution and to the self-employed.
The Act also included provisions for the continued payment of disability allowance to existing recipients who go into hospital or institutional care and for changes in the arrangements whereby lone parents can retain their entitlements under the former schemes of deserted wife's benefit and assistance and prisoner's wife's allowance.
I should also mention that, as part of the 1999 budget, I was able to announce that the income limit for fuel allowances will be brought into line with the income limit for free electricity and other free schemes, with effect from next October.
People living in black spots would generally avail of the unemployment payment schemes and-or the employment support schemes operated by my Department. Last year I took the opportunity to correct a particular anomaly in the back to work area enterprise allowance scheme, formerly known as the area based allowance scheme. Under the former scheme people taking up self-employment in areas covered by the area partnership companies could receive transitional support amounting to 100 per cent 75 per cent, 50 per cent and 25 per cent of social welfare payments over a four year period. From January 1998 I extended the scheme to the entire country, thus ensuring equal treatment for all social welfare applicants seeking to establish a self-employment enterprise under the scheme.
In this context, I would also refer to the report prepared by Goodbody economic consultants which I published recently which sets out to examine the range of issues associated with the interaction of secondary benefits and the incentive to take up employment and training opportunities.
In so far as my Department is directly concerned, the key issue relates to the rent and mortgage interest supplements paid under the supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, scheme. As the Deputy will be aware, the Partnership 2000 agreement contains a commitment to consider ways of dealing with the employment trap arising from the withdrawal of the rent and mortgage interest supplements once a person takes up full-time work of 30 hours or more per week. Following on the publication of the Goodbody report, my Department has initiated discussions with the social partners on this issue. The first consultative meeting with the social partners was held on Friday last and a further meeting has been scheduled for next month.
With regard to future plans to simplify the system, my Department is currently engaged in a series of reviews of its programme expenditure. All the Department's schemes will be evaluated, the effectiveness of the various schemes will be assessed and the scope for simplification will be examined in a systematic manner. A review of the back to work allowance scheme is
currently in progress.