Vol. 515 No. 4
49 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will report on the future plans, if any, he has for the admin istration of supplementary welfare and benefit, including rent supplement. [6119/00]
The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides assistance to people who have little or no income and is administered on my behalf by the health boards. In addition to a basic payment, people may also qualify for a weekly supplement to meet certain special needs, for example a rent or mortgage interest payments or a payment to help with the cost of any exceptional needs they may have.
There are three current developments which are relevant to the future administration of the scheme. The Social Welfare Bill, 2000, which is before the House at present, provides for changes in the administration of SWA in certain cases where the people concerned also have claims open with my Department. In future, officials in my Department will be able to make SWA payments where appropriate in such cases. It will no longer be necessary for the people concerned to make their case in duplicate at the health board office when they will have already provided all the relevant details to my Department.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has decided in principle to implement the main recommendations of the report published in August 1999 on the future administration of rent and mortgage interest supplements. A new rent assistance scheme will be put in place, operated by the local authorities, to serve people who have long-term housing needs, including those who currently rely on SWA rent supplements on a long-term basis. Income support elements of the SWA scheme, including assistance with rent costs on a short-term basis, will continue to be met though the social welfare system.
A fundamental examination of the SWA scheme commenced in February as part of my Department's series of programme evaluations. This will review all aspects of the scheme, including policy and administrative issues. The findings are expected next year and will be published.
Taken together, these initiatives represent the most far-reaching development of the scheme since its inception in 1977. The changes already envisaged and those that will be recommended in the programme evaluation review will improve customer service and administrative efficiency. However, more importantly, they provide an opportunity to refocus the scheme, and the community welfare service of which it is part, to become more effective in tackling poverty and social exclusion.
51 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of claimants and their dependants for the butter voucher scheme in each of the years from 1997 to 1999; the gross value of vouchers distributed in each of these years; and the annual cost of admin istering the scheme in each of these years. [6109/00]
The scheme to which the Deputy refers was operated under EU legislation which provided for the supply of butter to social assistance beneficiaries and their dependants at subsidised rates. The subsidy was provided by means of vouchers, the printing and distribution of which was arranged by my Department. Used vouchers are redeemed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.
The number of social assistance beneficiaries and their dependants who were entitled to benefit under the scheme for each of the years from 1997 to 1999 was as follows:
1997–527,000 claimants and 390,000 dependants
1998–476,000 claimants and 315,000 dependants
1999–465,000 claimants and 313,000 dependants.
The gross value of vouchers distributed in these years was as follows:
1997–£5,565,000
1998–£5,336,000
1999–£3,736,000.
I understand that the extent to which vouchers are redeemed varies from year to year and was as low as 58% in 1998 and 70% in 1999.
The annual cost of administering the scheme by my Department in each of these years is estimated as follows:
1997–£1,394,000
1998–£1,273,000
1999–£ 828,000.
These costs cover printing charges, postage charges for distribution of vouchers and the pay costs in respect of the estimated time spent by staff in administering the scheme. The reduction in administrative costs in 1999 was due in the main to savings in postage and staff time as a result of changes in the frequency at which vouchers were issued to some beneficiaries.
