Vol. 508 No. 4
201 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on the allowance of £5 per week payable under the national fuel scheme from October to April to old age pensioners and other recipients of social welfare payments; and if he will increase the national fuel scheme allowance to £10 per week. [19220/99]
The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are on long-term social welfare or health board payments and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. A payment of £5 per week – £8 per week in smokeless zones – is paid to eligible households for 26 weeks from mid October to mid April.
In order to be eligible for assistance under the national fuel scheme, the person must satisfy a means test. A substantial improvement in the means test was introduced in the 1999 budget. A person may now have savings/investments of up to £22,400 or a combined household income of up to £30 per week over and above their pension and still qualify for fuel allowance.
Any change in the rate of payment would have significant cost implications and could only be considered in a budgetary context.
The fuel and light component of the consumer price index rose by 9.6 per cent between August 1985 and August 1999. Any increase in the rate of payment would have to be considered in the light of the modest increase in domestic fuel prices since the current rate of the fuel allowance was set, taking into account the substantial increases in primary payment rates over the same period. In that regard, substantial increases in all the social welfare primary payments of either £3 or £6 per week were paid from June 1999.
Fuel allowances are not the sole mechanism through which assistance is provided to people with heating needs.
There is a facility available through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to assist people in certain circumstances who have special heating needs. An application for a heating supplement may be made by contacting the community welfare officer at the local health centre.
Where a person would not normally qualify for a heating supplement there is provision under the SWA scheme to pay an exceptional needs payment – ENP. ENPs 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.
202 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason potential sales of animals are taken into consideration when processing claims for the farm assist scheme; and the steps, if any, he will take to remove this clause from the scheme. [19221/99]
Farm assist is a means-tested scheme which was introduced to provide weekly income support to low income farmers. Payment is based on a factual assessment of means which is designed to reflect the person's actual net income, i.e., gross income less any expenses necessarily incurred. Income and expenditure figures for the preceding year are generally used as an indicator of the expected position in the following year, although account is taken of any exceptional circumstances in an effort to ensure that the assessment accurately reflects the current situation. Income from the sale of animals would have to be taken into account where it is a feature.
For farm assist purposes, deductions are allowed from net income in respect of qualified children and the balance is assessed at 80 per cent. In this regard, the provisions are more favourable than the scheme's predecessor, the unemployment assistance scheme for small-holders.
Each applicant for farm assist is given a copy of the report upon which entitlement is determined and may request a review if he or she is not satisfied with the basis of the assessment. In addition, any farmer who is not happy with a decision may appeal it to the independent social welfare appeals office.
203 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the measures, if any, he will take to streamline the application procedure for the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance in view of the fact that the procedure is over-bureaucratic and unfriendly to the customer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19222/99]
The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards. The scheme is designed to assist certain recipients of social welfare and health board payments with the cost of children's school uniforms and footwear. Certain people on low incomes who are in receipt of family income supplement may also qualify.
In order to qualify for the allowance, the claim must be in respect of a qualified child, the applicant must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and they must satisfy a specified means test. A qualified child is one who falls into one of the age groups specified for the scheme and in respect of whom a child dependant allowance is payable.
