Social Welfare Benefits.

Tuesday, 15 June 2004

Questions (553)

Michael Ring

Question:

608 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on whether it is fair that when supplementary welfare assistance is awarded to a person in the Western Health Board in the County Mayo region for domestic appliances and furniture, these items are delivered to them from a firm in County Galway, that no local businesses can provide the goods, that it can be over 100 miles from these firms to their homes giving them no immediate back-up when the goods are faulty and that it is unfair on small, local businesses being squeezed out of the business; and if he will consider leaving the suppliers to be nominated by each local community welfare officer, as it always was. [17834/04]

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Written answers

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Mary Coughlan)

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards. The scheme provides for a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of his or her weekly income. The scheme also provides that boards may grant assistance with exceptional needs in kind as well as in cash. The grant of assistance in exceptional cases is at the discretion of the board.

The Western Health Board was contacted and has advised that for the past six years it has operated a policy of using a central source to supply certain types of goods.

In the opinion of the board the policy it operates is the most effective and efficient way to deal with the type of assistance in question and also provides good value for money. The board is satisfied that the service arrangements in operation are satisfactory.

The board has further advised that the contract in place complies with EU law. In this regard tenders for the contract to supply the goods were advertised in local and national newspapers as well as the official EU journal.