Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 October 2004
173 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of exceptional needs payments made by health board officials in each year from 1997 to 2003; and the average payment made in each area. [23391/04]
View answer187 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of cases of supplementary welfare allowance rent subsidy handled in each year from 1997 to 2003; and the average weekly payment made. [23390/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 173 and 187 together.
The objective of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, is to provide assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their basic needs and those of their adult or child dependants.
Subject to certain conditions the scheme provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of rent to eligible people whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation needs and who do not have accommodation available from any other source.
The legislation also allows a health board to make a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. These payments are known as exceptional needs payments.
The number of recipients of rent supplement at the end of the years 1997 to 2003, inclusive, and the annual expenditure are set out in the following tabular statement. Details of the average weekly payment in the years 1997 to 2000 are not available. It should be noted that some 75% to 80% of supplements are paid weekly with the remainder paid monthly.
It is not possible to provide a breakdown of expenditure or recipient numbers in respect of exceptional needs payments for the years 1997 to 2000. Details of the number of exceptional needs payments and the average payment made at the end of 2001, 2002 and 2003 are set out in the following tabular statement.
|
Year |
Recipients |
Annual Expenditure |
Average Weekly Supplement |
|
€ |
€ |
||
|
1997 |
40,000* |
95.23m |
not available |
|
1998 |
40,000* |
111.74m |
not available |
|
1999 |
41,873 |
127.74m |
not available |
|
2000 |
42,683 |
150.72m |
not available |
|
2001 |
45,028 |
179.43m |
80.30 |
|
2002 |
54,213 |
252.34m |
94.88 |
|
2003 |
59,976 |
331.47m |
97.07 |
* = estimated
|
Health Board |
2001 No. of Payments |
2001 Average Payment |
2002 No. of Payments |
2002 Average Payment |
2003 No. of Payments |
2003 Average Payment |
|
€ |
€ |
€ |
||||
|
ERHA |
102,364 |
171.38 |
114,349 |
206.60 |
117,485 |
211.91 |
|
MHB |
6,280 |
156.53 |
7,788 |
193.50 |
7,035 |
234,83 |
|
MWHB |
20,427 |
186.81 |
20,248 |
206.14 |
20,269 |
229.27 |
|
NEHB |
8,511 |
169.19 |
8,686 |
195.26 |
8,201 |
230.34 |
|
NWHB |
5,976 |
271.75 |
6,709 |
327.17 |
7,128 |
361.11 |
|
SEHB |
23,822 |
209.05 |
26,174 |
232.02 |
26,351 |
255.44 |
|
SHB |
28,193 |
234.95 |
32,578 |
251.43 |
33,009 |
251.57 |
|
WHB |
22,917 |
177.16 |
24,874 |
190.16 |
24,316 |
194.77 |
