Dan Neville
Question:182 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of asylum seekers currently residing in the State; and the average payment to each. [21357/00]
Written Answers. - Asylum Seekers.
The income maintenance needs of asylum seekers are met for the most part by health boards who administer the supplementary welfare allowance scheme on behalf of my Department. The SWA scheme provides entitlement to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs.
Where a person has access to some resources either in cash or in kind this is taken into account in determining entitlement to SWA. This occurs in the case of asylum seekers who are being provided with full board accommodation under the direct provision system operated by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Where a person in direct provision receives all meals and has access to other facilities such as laundry and leisure areas the recommended weekly allowance is £15 per adult and £7.50 per child. Furthermore, as is the case with all persons who are resident in the state where there are other reasonable expenses, exceptional needs payments will be made by the health board.
Asylum seekers who have not been provided with full board accommodation in direct provision and who have no other means qualify for the full standard rate of weekly SWA. This amounts to £76.00 per week for a single adult, £123.00 per week for a couple and £13.20 per week for a dependent child. Asylum seekers who arrived in the State prior to the introduction of direct provision and who live in private rented accommodation qualify for rent supplement on the same basis as other recipients. For example, a single person living in Dublin can receive up to £64 per week towards rent, while a family can receive up to £179 per week, depending on the number of people in the family.
At present there are 7,715 supplementary welfare allowance claims in respect of approximately 13,005 asylum seekers. Of these 1,658 claims are in respect of people in direct provision and they receive the reduced allowance as outlined. In addition there are 1,010 asylum seekers covered by unemployment assistance claims and the payment rates are equivalent to SWA rates.
A small number of asylum seekers are in receipt of other social welfare payments such as one parent family payments, pensions or disability allowance. Asylum seekers and refugees are also entitled to claim child benefit. The monthly rate is £42.50 for the first and second child increasing to £56 for third and subsequent children.