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Social Welfare Benefits.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2009

Tuesday, 15 December 2009

Questions (268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273)

Seymour Crawford

Question:

288 Deputy Seymour Crawford asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of civil servants granted their three year incentivised career break who applied for one-parent family payment while on career break; the number of these who were granted one-parent family payment; the number who were refused one-parent family payment while on career break; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46634/09]

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Seymour Crawford

Question:

289 Deputy Seymour Crawford asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of civil servants granted the three year incentivised career break who were granted one-parent family payment while on a career break; the number of civil servants who took the career break for a purpose other than educational reasons; the number of civil servants who were refused one-parent family payment who took career break for other than educational reasons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46635/09]

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Seymour Crawford

Question:

290 Deputy Seymour Crawford asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of civil servants granted the three year incentivised career break who were granted one-parent family payment while on a career break who took a career break for educational reasons; the number who were refused one-parent family payment who took a career break for educational reasons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46636/09]

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Seymour Crawford

Question:

291 Deputy Seymour Crawford asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of civil servants granted the three year incentivised career break who were granted a social welfare payment under each type of social welfare payment; the weekly amount payable; the breakdown on the number of civil servants granted three year incentivised career break who were refused a social welfare payment under each type of social welfare payment; the reason for refusal in each case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46637/09]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 288 to 291, inclusive, together.

Civil servants are entitled to claim and receive payment under any social welfare scheme provided they satisfy all the conditions of the appropriate scheme. The fact that a civil servant is availing of the incentivised career break scheme does not necessarily preclude them from Social Welfare payments. Since April 1995 all newly recruited civil servants pay full PRSI which entitles them to claim some social welfare payments such as treatment benefits, maternity benefit, illness benefit. The one-parent-family payment, while not based on PRSI contributions, has always been available to civil servants whose income does not exceed the prescribed limit of €425 a week. These benefits would still be available to a person on the incentivised career break. The Department does not maintain statistics in relation to persons who are on an incentivised career break and in receipt of a social welfare payment. Consequently I am unable to provide the Deputy with the information sought.

Leo Varadkar

Question:

292 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on paying rent supplement directly to the landlord rather than to the tenant to ensure that the money is spent on rent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46689/09]

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Leo Varadkar

Question:

293 Deputy Leo Varadkar asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action taken against persons who retain their rent supplement and do not pay their landlord the rent owed; the number of occasions reported in the past two years in which this has occurred; the number of persons who have had benefit or payments suspended as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46690/09]

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I propose to take Questions Nos. 292 and 293 together.

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of the Department by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The purpose of rent supplement is to provide short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation, whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Under the relevant legislative provisions, the Department's relationship is with the tenant; the tenant makes the application for rent supplement and payment is made to the tenant. Rent supplement is specifically for the benefit of tenants to assist them with their accommodation needs.

Legislation does however provide for the making of a rent supplement payment to another person on behalf of the recipient, at the tenant's request and with the consent of the HSE. Almost 20,000 (21%) rent supplement payments are made to a person other than the rent supplemented tenant, for example to a relative, a landlord or landlord's agent. It is open to the landlord to bring to the attention of the HSE any instance where a tenant is receiving rent supplement but is not paying their rent. Where a Community Welfare Officer becomes aware that a person receiving rent supplement is not using that supplement to meet housing costs, payment of the supplement is suspended and the matter investigated. Any overpayment of rent supplement incurred in circumstances of this kind may be recoverable from the tenant.

Statistics are not readily available on the number of incidences of the non-payment of rent to a landlord where rent supplement is in payment. Where a landlord has a grievance in relation to the non-payment of rent by a tenant, s/he may apply to the Private Residential Tenancies Board to have the dispute resolved through the board's dispute resolution process.

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