Vol. 518 No. 1
149 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that persons employed as home helps by the health boards, where their spouses were in receipt of adult dependant allowance and who have had their hourly rate increased following the introduction of the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000, had their adult dependant allowance reduced accordingly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11164/00]
A number of significant improvements to the arrangements governing the award of the qualified adult allowance have been introduced with effect from the first week of April 2000 so as to coincide with the introduction of a national minimum wage.
Previously, regulations provided for the tapered withdrawal of the qualified adult allowance – QAA – for claimants of certain welfare payments where the spouse or partner of the claimant is earning between £60 and £105 per week.
The improvements which I have now introduced include: an adjustment in the income range over which the tapering arrangements apply, from the current £60 – £105 to £70 – £135; an improvement in the withdrawal rate of the QAA; the deferral of the reduction of 50% in the level of child dependant allowances, which currently takes effect when the income of the spouse exceeds £60, until such income exceeds £135; and an increase in the spouse income disregard, in cases where the spouse works for more than three days per week, from the current £45 per week, plus travel to work costs, where relevant, to a flat-rate disregard of £70 per week.
I have also provided for the extension of tapering arrangements to long-term welfare payments such as invalidity pension, retirement pension and old age contributory pension with effect from April, 2000. In effect, this means that all relevant welfare schemes are now covered by tapering arrangements.
These measures will be of benefit to all households where the spouse or partner of a welfare claimant is engaged in employment, including employment as a home help, and earning up to £135 per week.
