Vol. 566 No. 4
267 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will review the rules applying to supplementary welfare rent allowance and in particular the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8; if this person will receive arrears from the original date of application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13199/03]
The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides for the payment of rent supplement to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible persons who are unable to provide for such costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source.
In the case in question, the applicant is registered as a co-tenant of the property in question. His application for a rent supplement was refused on the grounds that details of the co-tenant's means were not provided. The applicant appealed against this decision and the Appeals Officer upheld the decision to refuse a rent supplement. It is open to any person who is dissatisfied with the determination of an appeal in relation to supplementary welfare allowance to appeal to the social welfare appeals office in the matter.
The health board has advised that it has been suggested to the person in question to apply for a transfer to single person accommodation in which case the board would assess him on an individual basis for rent supplement.
