Vol. 534 No. 3
234 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo was refused a carer's allowance for providing full time care for her mother; and if this application can be re-examined. [10662/01]
The person concerned applied for a carer's allowance on 20 September 2000, in respect of both her parents. Carer's allowance was awarded with effect from 21 September 2000 at the maximum weekly personal rate of £80.50, in respect of her father.
Regarding the application for her mother, medical evidence was considered by the Department's chief medical adviser. Having examined all the evidence provided, he expressed the opinion that the care recipient was not so disabled as to require full time care and attention. This application was accordingly refused. She was notified of this decision, the reasons for it and of her right to appeal on 12 February 2001. To date no appeal has been lodged.
237 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will consider the introduction of housing support payments to those on low incomes, with particular reference to alleviating the extreme hardship suffered by such families in the current housing situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10749/01]
There is already a system of income maintenance supports for people on low incomes who have difficulties in meeting their housing costs. Rent and mortgage interest supplements paid as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme are designed for that purpose. These supplements are normally calculated to ensure the person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the supplementary welfare allowance basic weekly payment rate, less £6. There is also provision in the SWA scheme which allows health boards to assist people with rent deposits by way of an exceptional needs payment. 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 or mortgage interest supplement recipients to retain their housing supplement as an in-work benefit on taking up employment, subject to certain conditions.
Income maintenance payments deal with the symptoms of the problem but it is also necessary to deal with the underlying imbalances in the overall housing system. As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has decided in principle to introduce a new scheme of private sector rent assistance. The new scheme will be operated by the local authorities and will help to ensure a full range of housing options is made available to people with long-term housing needs, many of whom currently rely on supplementary welfare allowance rent supplement.
The Government has also taken a number of other initiatives to improve the supply of social and affordable housing in response to the current housing situation. This is the best approach to meeting the housing needs of people on low incomes.
238 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the rate of widows pension for those under 66 is insufficient to meet the needs of such persons; his plans to improve the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10750/01]
In budget 2001, I announced increases of between £8 and £12.90 per week in the personal rates of various social welfare payments for widowed persons. Widows and widowers under 66 years of age received the general increase of £8 per week granted to most social welfare recipients. With effect from this month, the maximum rate of widow(er)'s contributory pension is £89.10 per week for a person under 66 years of age. The equivalent rate for the widow(er)'s non-contributory pension and the one-parent family payment is £85.50. In addition those widow/ers with children receive increases of £17 and £15.20, respectively, for each child.
In budget 2001, I also provided for the rate of child benefit to increase by £25 per month for each of the first and second children and £30 per month for third and subsequent children. This will bring monthly child benefits to £67.50 and £86 per month, respectively. These increases will come into effect in June 2000 and will be of major benefit to widowed people with dependent children. The position with regard to social welfare provision for widowed people will be kept under review in the context of overall budgetary considerations.
The Social Welfare Benchmarking and Indexation Group, established under the terms of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness commenced its work in December 2000. The group comprises representatives of the social partners and Departments. This group is examining the issues involved in developing a benchmark for adequacy of adult and child social welfare payments as well as the issue of relative income poverty and I look forward to receiving the report of the group in due course.
