Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Richard Bruton
Question:
317
Mr. R. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
the number of child dependants on widow's pension; and the number on one parent family payment showing the number aged under 13 and the number aged 13 and over.
[25464/00]
The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table.
Table: Number of recipients of widow/er's contributory pension and one parent family payment – widowed persons – by number of qualified children, October 2000.
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PaymentType
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Full RateQualified Children
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Half RateQualified Children
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Under 13 Years
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13 YearsandOver
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Under13 Years
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13 Yearsand Over
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Widow/er'scontributorypension
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4,422
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11,013
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Nil
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Nil
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One-parentfamily paymentWidowed Person*
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939
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1,564
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1
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3
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*Widows and widowers, with qualified children, who fail to satisfy the contribution conditions for receipt of widow/er's contributory pension are eligible to apply for one parent family payment.
Róisín Shortall
Question:
318
Ms Shortall
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
if, further to his recent statement that employment was the solution to high poverty levels, his attention has been drawn to the continuing serious barriers to progressing from welfare to work for many of those who are dependent on rent allowance; and if he will take measures to allow rent assistance as an in-work benefit to ensure that employment is a viable option for persons in these circumstances in view of this poverty trap and the fact that labour shortages are a problem in some areas.
[25550/00]
The supplementary welfare allowance – SWA – scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent or mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs.
SWA is subject to a means test and is not ordinarily payable to people in full-time employment. However, arrangements have been in place for some years now to enable rent supplement recipients to retain their rent supplement as an in-work benefit on taking up employment, subject to certain conditions.
The conditions for retention of rent and mortgage interest supplements, including the income limits and the ceilings on the amounts payable, were reviewed in consultation with the social partners under Partnership 2000. The main objective was to address poverty and employment traps faced by people making the transition from unemployment to work. Following those discussions, substantial improvements in the conditions for the retention of rent or mortgage interest supplement were introduced on 6 April 2000.
These changes include the abolition of the limit of £250 per month in the amount of supplement that could be retained. That limit was particularly problematic for families which could be paying rent of up to £800 per month. The means test was also eased, with the introduction of a disregard of the back to work allowance – BTWA – and family income supplement – FIS – in the assessment of means for the £250 gross household income limit. PRSI and any reasonable travelling expenses are also disregarded in the means test. Furthermore, support is now provided over four years instead of three years and the withdrawal of the supplement is now tapered at the rate of 75% in year one, 50% in year two, and 25% in years three and four, instead of being withdrawn in one step at the end of the third year.
The additional cost of these improvements amounts to £1.8 million in a full year.
Other improvements were also introduced during 2000. An employment programme for those who were unemployed for five years and over was introduced with effect from 21 August 2000.
Participants in the scheme will receive an additional payment of £35 per week for up to six weeks compulsory training with an employer followed by an automatic transfer to the back to work scheme when the person takes up regular employment. There will also be two payments of £200 each after the person joins the BTWA programme. All of these payments will be disregarded in the assessment of the £250 income limit for the purposes of rent or mortgage interest supplement.
I also decided that there is a need to enable and to encourage people to avail of any full-time job that they find without having to go through an employment programme. Therefore, anyone who has been unemployed for 12 months or more and who moves from a welfare payment into a full-time job will be allowed to retain their rent or mortgage interest supplement subject to a weekly gross household income limit of £250 on the same tapered basis as outlined above. This is effective from 28 August 2000.
Finally, people who take up part-time employment or participate in training courses will have £25 of their earnings disregarded in the assessment of means for rent supplement.
I am satisfied that these new initiatives encourage and ease the movement from welfare to work for people who are reliant on rent supplement. They represent a substantial improvement in the scheme and, together with the national minimum wage and other measures, such as family income supplement and back-to-work allowance, they ensure that all unemployed people who receive rent supplement are substantially better off at work than they would be if they remained on unemployment assistance.
Michael Ring
Question:
319
Mr. Ring
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and paid disability allowance following his medical assessment three weeks ago.
[25552/00]
The person concerned applied for disability allowance on 7 September 2000. He was examined by a medical assessor of my Department on 19 October 2000.
His case was also referred for a means assessment. Arrangements have been made by a social welfare inspector to interview him and a decision on his entitlement to the allowance will be issued when his means have been established.
