Written Answers Nos. 196 - 209
196. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the gross and net additional expenditure savings that her Department is seeking to achieve in 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49247/12]
View answerThe Comprehensive Expenditure Report, 2012 – 2014, published last December, provides for additional new expenditure reduction measures of €1,033 million in the Department of Social Protection’s budget over the two years 2013 and 2014. This total includes €540 million of new savings to be achieved in 2013 as well as an additional €173 million savings in that year consequential on measures already announced in Budget 2012. Further announcements in that regard will be made next month when Budget 2013 is presented.
197. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from reducing the personal weekly social protection rates of payment for persons under 66 years by €5 per week with proportionate reduction for qualified adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49254/12]
View answer198. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from reducing jobseeker's allowance by €10 per week for new and existing claimants with a duration of 12 months with proportionate reduction for qualified adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49255/12]
View answer199. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the savings that would be achieved from reducing jobseeker's allowance by €10 per week for new and existing claimants with a duration of 18 months with proportionate reduction for qualified adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49256/12]
View answer200. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from reducing jobseeker's allowance by €10 per week for new and existing claimants with a duration of 24 months with proportionate reduction for qualified adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49257/12]
View answer201. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from reducing the duration for which jobseeker's benefit is paid from 12 months to nine months for those with more than 260 contributions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49258/12]
View answer202. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from reducing the duration for which jobseeker's benefit is paid from nine months to six months for those with less than 260 contributions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49259/12]
View answer203. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from reducing the maximum age for qualified child increase to 18 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49260/12]
View answer204. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from reducing the maximum age for qualified child increase to 19 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49261/12]
View answer205. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from increasing the minimum number of hours worked for family income supplement from 19 to 24 hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49262/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 197 to 205, inclusive, together.
The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the table below.
|
Item |
Estimated Full Year Savings € m |
|
Reduction of €5 in the personal weekly social protection rates of payment for persons under 66 years with proportionate reduction for qualified adults |
230 |
|
Reduction of €10 per week in jobseeker's allowance for new and existing claimants with a duration of over 12 months with proportionate reduction for qualified adults |
121 |
|
Reduction of €10 per week in jobseeker's allowance for new and existing claimants with a duration of over 18 months with proportionate reduction for qualified adults |
100 |
|
Reduction of €10 per week in jobseeker's allowance for new and existing claimants with a duration of over 24 months with proportionate reduction for qualified adults |
85 |
|
Reduction in the duration for which jobseeker's benefit is paid from 12 months to nine months for those with more than 260 contributions |
64 |
|
Reduction in the duration for which jobseeker's benefit is paid from nine months to six months for those with less than 260 contributions |
14 |
|
Reduction in the maximum age for qualified child increase to 18 years |
14 |
|
Reduction in the maximum age for qualified child increase to 19 years |
7 |
|
Increase in the minimum number of hours worked for family income supplement from 19 to 24 hours |
66 |
Note: The potential full year yield from the family income supplement measure shown above is that which appears in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure published by the Department in December 2011.
206. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from increasing the minimum contribution for rent supplement by €4 weekly or €8 for couples; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49263/12]
View answerThe purpose of the rent supplement scheme 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. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are currently approximately 90,000 rent supplement recipients for whom the Government has provided €436 million for 2012.
Rent supplement is calculated to ensure that the person, after payment of rent, has an income equal to the basic supplementary welfare allowance rate, less a specified weekly minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. The minimum contribution is €30 per week for single people and €35 per week for couples.
An increase in the minimum contribution of €4 per week for single people and €8 per week for couples would lead to an annual saving of €23.4 million.
207. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from allowing only single persons under 25 years shared accommodation under the rent supplement scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49264/12]
View answer208. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from allowing only single persons under 24 shared accommodation under the rent supplement scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49265/12]
View answer209. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from allowing only single persons under 23 shared accommodation under the rent supplement scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49266/12]
View answer210. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the saving that would be achieved from allowing only single persons under 22 years shared accommodation under the rent supplement scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49267/12]
View answerI propose to answer Questions Nos. 207 to 210, inclusive, together.
The purpose of the rent supplement scheme 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. The overall aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are currently approximately 90,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided €436 million for 2012. The number of people age under 25 years and currently in receipt of rent supplement is approximately 10,000. Statistics are not available on the numbers of these customers who are currently residing in shared accommodation. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the estimated savings requested by the Deputy.
