Vol. 544 No. 3
397 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is not in receipt of part payment of widow's pension; and the reason she does not receive fuel allowance and Christmas bonus payments. [28983/01]
The person concerned was in receipt of widow's non-contributory pension but this payment was discontinued with effect from April 2000, as her means exceeded the statutory limit.
Free fuel allowance is a means tested payment payable to individuals in receipt of certain social welfare payments. As the person concerned is not in receipt of any qualifying payment, there is no entitlement to free fuel allowance or Christmas bonus.
If there has been a change in the financial circumstances of the person concerned she should inform the Department of this so her entitlement to pension can be reviewed.
Under social welfare legislation, decisions in relation to claims are made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.
398 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is having all his payment taken from him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28988/01]
The person concerned is in receipt of unemployment benefit at the maximum weekly rate of £92.10 – 116.94 – since 20 November 2001. No decision has been taken to adjust his rate of payment. The entitlements of the person concerned will be reviewed in the light of the information provided by the Department.
399 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the items which are disregarded in the means test for a rent or mortgage supplement where the applicant has a working spouse or where the applicant is working part-time or is unemployed; if these income disregards are indexed or are subject to alteration in the Budget Statement or in the Estimates. [29060/01]
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. The scheme is administered on behalf on my Department by the health boards and neither I nor my Department has any function in deciding entitlement in individual cases.
SWA is subject to a means test in which total household income, including that of a working spouse, is taken into account. Rent supplements are normally calculated to ensure that the household, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance appropriate to their family circumstances, less £6, 7.62. This £6, 7.62, represents the minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Most recipients pay more than £6, 7.62, towards their rent because applicants are required to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic supplementary welfare allowance rate towards their rent.
SWA is not normally payable to people in full-time employment. However, special arrangements have been in place for a number of years now which allow people on approved schemes such as community employment, CE, to retain part of their rent or mortgage interest supplement, subject to a gross household income limit of £250, 317.43, per week and certain other conditions. Following discussions with the social partners under Partnership 2000 substantial improvements in the conditions relating to the retention of rent and mortgage interest supplements were introduced from 6 April 2000.
401 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will give details of the fuel allowance that applies nationally and of the additional supplement which applies in smoke free areas; and the areas where the smokeless fuel supplement applies. [29062/01]
The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders who are on long-term social welfare or health board payments and who are unable to provide for their own heating needs. A payment of £5, 6.35, per week is normally paid to eligible households. However, an additional £3, 3.81, per week is paid in smokeless zones, bringing the total amount in those areas to £8, 10.16, per week. In the case of a relatively small number of people living in smokeless zones, the £3, 3.81, per week smokeless fuel supplement only is payable.
The average weekly number of recipients of the fuel allowances in the 2000-01 fuel season was 287,400. Approximately 175,000 of these received £5, 6.35, per week, over 112,000 received £8, 10.16, per week and less than 3,000 received £3, 3.81, per week. Total expenditure on the scheme in the 2000-01 fuel season was £49.9 million.
To be eligible for assistance under the national fuel scheme, a person must be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare or health board payment as set out in the following tabular statement, live alone or with qualified dependents, be a carer, a person in receipt of short-term unemployment assistance payments or a person who qualifies for a fuel allowance in their own right.
List of qualifying payments:
Old age contributory or non-contributory pension
Retirement pension
Widow's or widower's contributory or non-contributory pension
Employment schemes, for example, back-to-work, back to work enterprise allowance, job start, revenue job assist, job initiative
Unemployability supplement
Blind persons pension
Invalidity pension
Disability pension
Deserted wives benefit or allowance
One-parent family payment
Orphans contributory allowance
Orphans non-contributory pension
Farm assist
Pre-retirement allowance
Prisoners wives allowance
Long-term unemployment assistance, including smallholders
Disabled persons rehabilitation allowance
Infectious diseases maintenance allowance
Basic supplementary welfare allowance
Social security pension-benefit from another country
Special Department of Defence allowance.
Applicants must also satisfy a means test. Substantial improvements in the means test were introduced in recent budgets. A person may now have a combined household income of up to £40, 50.79, a week or savings-investments of up to £32,500, 41,266, over and above the maximum contributory pension rate and still qualify for fuel allowance.
Participants in approved employment schemes may retain entitlement to fuel allowances subject to a weekly household income limit of £250, 317.43.
