Vol. 508 No. 4
45 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will review the guidelines on the exceptional needs payments under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to include the needs of families being evicted from private rented accommodation. [18894/99]
I understand the Deputy is referring to assistance for the cost of the transport and storage of furniture for persons who are evicted from private rented accommodation and who are awaiting local authority housing. The Deputy will be aware that under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme a health board may make a single payment to help meet essential once-off exceptional expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. These payments are known as exceptional needs payments and they are subject to a means test. Eligible people would normally be in receipt of a social welfare or health board payment.
Guidelines on exceptional needs payments were published in 1995 to try to achieve consistency of treatment of applications for exceptional needs payments both within and between the eight health boards. The legislation does not allow me to prescribe either the circumstances or the nature of the need in respect of which a payment may be made. Exceptional needs payments are payable at the discretion of the health board taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. I confirm that the health boards provide financial assistance in the circumstances of eviction. Each case is dealt with on its on merits.
This is an increasing problem, with 48,000 people on the housing lists and a growing number being evicted from private rented accommodation. I was in contact with the Minister's Department about a number of such cases. In one case a person on modest means was put out on the street as a result of a court order. That person was given no significant help towards meeting the cost of transporting and storing furniture while awaiting housing. A homeless person could be ten to 15 months on a housing list in Dublin city and the surrounding counties.
The Deputy has one minute to ask a supplementary question and I am concerned he might not do that. I ask the Deputy to put a question to the Minister.
This is an important issue. Many people are homeless.
It is an important issue but the Standing Orders are there.
Thousands of people are homeless in this city. If I cannot raise the issue here, where can I raise it?
The Deputy has one minute to ask a supplementary question.
I am raising it for an important constituency of homeless people. If they cannot raise it in the Dáil through their public representatives, where can they raise it?
The Deputy knows the procedure for raising matters.
I am not happy with procedures such as that which states that the Order of Business can only last 20 minutes.
I suggest the Deputy should try to have Standing Orders amended. This is Question Time.
I ask the Minister to tell his officials to deal generously with homeless people.
Neither I nor my officials have any discretion in this matter. The exceptional needs payments are paid by community welfare officers of health boards under the aegis of the Department of Health and Children. Under the legislation, I cannot intervene in these cases.
I would probably have been more fulsome in my reply but for the fact the question was in the name of Deputy De Rossa. We looked at the fact that Deputy Broughan had raised a number of cases. He provided my Department with the names of three people who were seeking assistance. One person had already been evicted with her three children and her current address is unknown. The Eastern Health Board has confirmed that the Deputy made representations on behalf of one individual only. I understand the Eastern Health Board replied on 23 September asking the Deputy to get that person to contact the health board by telephone or in person. However, there is no record, as far as we are aware, of that person making any contact to date. I advise the Deputy to encourage his constituent to contact the health board.
Would the Minister accept that the problem highlighted by my colleague is growing? I heard on the radio this morning that rents have increased to over £1,000 a month for modest houses in Dublin. The danger of evictions is becoming greater. The 50,000 people on local authority waiting lists have no immediate hope of being housed and 5,000 are regarded as homeless. Does the Minister agree that guidelines need to be upgraded and more resources applied so this growing problem can be addressed? Otherwise, people will be left in severe difficulties.
This is a demand led scheme and the amount of money available under the exceptional needs payment scheme in 1998 was £21.4 million.
That may not be enough.
This is a substantial amount and payments are made by all the various health boards for what are called exceptional needs cases. Undoubtedly, this scheme is worthwhile but public representatives hear anecdotal evidence that the money is not being spent in the correct way, etc. However, I and my Department, which supplies the money to the health boards, are more than happy with the position. Obviously, if Deputies have difficulties in relation to particular cases, they can raise them with the Department as Deputy Broughan did regarding his case.
