Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 7 Nov 2000

Vol. 525 No. 2

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Payments.

Ulick Burke

Question:

725 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will consider the removal of a means test for carers who apply to their local health boards for this allowance in view of the fact that the provision of such an allowance could reduce substantially the alternative cost of maintenance in a health board institution or private nursing home if such care was provided in the home. [24101/00]

Enda Kenny

Question:

737 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will consider a carer's allowance for carers of Down's syndrome children by right; his views on whether Down's syndrome persons in general require a level of care that warrants this recognition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24164/00]

Brendan Kenneally

Question:

747 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans he has to extend the £75 income disregard to social security payments made to the carer from outside the State in relation to the carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24643/00]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 725, 737 and 747 together.

The carer's allowance is a means tested payment, administered by my Department, for carers on low income who look after people in need of full-time care and attention. Based on the research carried out in the review of the carer's allowance, which was published in October 1998, the current number of full-time carers is estimated to be 50,000, covering carers of older people and adults and children with disabilities. There are currently 16,176 carers in receipt of carer's allowance. These figures indicate that 32% of full-time carers are in receipt of a carer's allowance payment which is an increase of 75% in the number of carers in receipt of the allowance since this Government took office. This large increase is reflected in the expenditure on carer's allowance, which was £36.5 million in 1997 and is projected to be £78.3 million this year, an increase of 115%.

One of the many measures I introduced in 1999 was the extension of carer's allowance to carers of children with disabilities in receipt of a domiciliary care allowance from the health boards. This allowed this group of carers to apply for carer's allowance under the same qualifying conditions as other carers.

As with all other social assistance schemes, a means test in which the income of both the applicant and his/her partner is assessable is applied to the carer's allowance to ensure that limited resources are directed to those in greatest need. The means test has been eased significantly in the past few years, most notably with the introduction of disregards of income from employment and other sources.

The effect of these changes mean that a couple with two children could have a joint annual income of £9,152 and qualify for the maximum carer's allowance while a couple with up £19,500 could still qualify for a minimum carer's allowance, and also receive an annual respite care grant and the free schemes.

The estimated cost of abolishing the means test and extending carer's allowance at existing levels to all full-time carers would be in the region of £179 million annually. If one were to cost this proposal using the number of carers estimated by the care groups, this figure would rise to £547 million annually.

The review also examined the issue of paying the carer's allowance in conjunction with another social welfare payment. The practice of paying only one allowance is a feature, with very few exceptions, of all social welfare payments, including those in payment from another country.

Foreign social security payments are treated in the same manner as their Irish equivalents and are not disregarded when determining income. This ensures that limited resources are not used to make two income payments to any one individual. The review concluded that the payment of two concurrent income support allowances would not be an effective use of resources.

John Perry

Question:

726 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will intervene on behalf of a person (details supplied) in County Sligo and have her back to school clothing allowance granted in view of correspondence attached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24391/00]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme (BSCF) is administered on behalf of this Department by the health boards in parallel with the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme. 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 for assistance.

Under the scheme allowances of £63 and £78 are payable in respect of qualified children from two to 11 years and 12 to 22 years respectively. These current rates represent a £20 increase on the rates which applied last year.

The North Western Health Board was contacted and confirmed that a cheque for £126 for BSCF allowance for two children was issued to the person concerned on 19 September 2000. They also confirmed that they have no record of an application for the allowance for the 1999 scheme. It is open to the person concerned to contact her local community welfare officer to discuss this matter.

Michael Ring

Question:

727 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of people currently getting supplementary welfare allowance from a health board due to the fact that their social welfare payments have been discontinued; and if he will give details in this regard on a monthly basis for the past two years. [24699/00]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

Supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) is payable to persons in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The fact that they might previously have been in receipt of another social welfare allowance that has been discontinued is not recorded, as this is not material to their entitlement to SWA. Consequently, as I informed the Deputy in my reply on 25 October 2000 to a similar question the information sought is not available.

Information is available in relation to the num ber of people who are paid SWA while awaiting the outcome of an appeal against a disallowance of either disability benefit (DB), unemployment benefit (UB) or unemployment assistance (UA). This includes appeals made by people whose initial claim was rejected with no payment having been made, as well as appeals in cases where payments were made and subsequently discontinued.

On 20 October last there were 1,109 people in this situation. A table is attached showing the number of people over the past 12 months who received supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) while they were awaiting the outcome of an appeal against a disallowance of either disability benefit (DB), unemployment benefit (UB) or unemployment assistance (UA). A full set of figures for the year prior to this period is not available as computerisation of the SWA scheme was not completed until mid-1999.

Details of Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) payments to people awaiting decisions on Appeals

Eastern Health Board

	Sept.1999	Oct.1999	Nov.1999	Dec.1999	Jan.2000	Feb.2000	Mar.2000	Apr.2000	May2000	June2000	July2000	Aug.2000	Sept.2000
DB	14	17	18	23	19	23	22	24	24	26	26	24	24
UA	274	246	277	310	309	297	325	307	285	277	303	308	272
UB	23	21	26	24	25	22	24	26	25	26	37	29	32

Midland Health Board

	Sept.1999	Oct.1999	Nov.1999	Dec.1999	Jan.2000	Feb.2000	Mar.2000	Apr.2000	May2000	June2000	July2000	Aug.2000	Sept.2000
DB	4	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	3	2
UA	54	50	45	47	45	44	46	55	53	50	55	47	42
UB	2	2	2	3	2	2	3	1	4	10	10	9	9

Mid-Western Health Board

	Sept.1999	Oct.1999	Nov.1999	Dec.1999	Jan.2000	Feb.2000	Mar.2000	Apr.2000	May2000	June2000	July2000	Aug.2000	Sept.2000
DB	0	1	1	1	1	4	3	6	6	5	4	4	4
UA	68	69	77	73	69	60	66	62	66	67	61	79	78
UB	9	2	4	4	4	5	7	5	6	9	8	11	9

North-Eastern Health Board

	Sept.1999	Oct.1999	Nov.1999	Dec.1999	Jan.2000	Feb.2000	Mar.2000	Apr.2000	May2000	June2000	July2000	Aug.2000	Sept.2000
DB	7	6	7	9	10	9	5	6	7	7	8	8	7
UA	65	68	64	52	49	45	69	94	108	113	104	116	88
UB	0	0	2	2	3	2	4	2	2	5	8	11	8

North-Western Health Board

	Sept.1999	Oct.1999	Nov.1999	Dec.1999	Jan.2000	Feb.2000	Mar.2000	Apr.2000	May2000	June2000	July2000	Aug.2000	Sept.2000
DB	2	5	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2
UA	14	19	18	20	17	21	25	24	22	25	24	26	24
UB	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	1

South-Eastern Health Board

	Sept.1999	Oct.1999	Nov.1999	Dec.1999	Jan.2000	Feb.2000	Mar.2000	Apr.2000	May2000	June2000	July2000	Aug.2000	Sept.2000
DB	2	1	2	2	6	8	9	11	9	8	8	8	8
UA	79	83	112	125	137	151	167	178	195	190	203	218	216
UB	5	9	9	10	10	13	22	22	25	31	31	27	26

Southern Health Board

	Sept.1999	Oct.1999	Nov.1999	Dec.1999	Jan.2000	Feb.2000	Mar.2000	Apr.2000	May2000	June2000	July2000	Aug.2000	Sept.2000
DB	3	5	1	2	3	8	9	7	5	7	6	7	4
UA	124	117	121	124	113	109	96	95	88	87	82	87	93
UB	10	6	6	6	4	4	7	5	3	5	9	9	10

Western Health Board

	Sept.1999	Oct.1999	Nov.1999	Dec.1999	Jan.2000	Feb.2000	Mar.2000	Apr.2000	May2000	June2000	July2000	Aug.2000	Sept.2000
DB	8	7	7	6	6	6	6	7	9	9	6	6	9
UA	111	115	114	116	129	123	154	161	157	153	175	191	177
UB	4	4	5	6	8	5	10	12	13	11	11	15	19

DB = Pending Disability Benefit Appeal

UA = Pending Unemployment Assistance Appeal

UB = Pending Unemployment Benefit Appeal