asked the Minister for Social Welfare the amount of money paid out in family income supplement for the years 1986-87.
Ceisteanna-Questions. Oral Answers. - Family Income Supplement.
10.
Total expenditure on family income supplement was £4.4 million in 1987 and the Estimates provision for this year is £5.3 million.
Arising from the Minister's reply, may I ask whether he has any intention of extending or amending the scope of the family income supplement this year?
That is a separate question.
This is essentially a statistical question and the Deputy should put down a question along the lines indicated.
It arises out of the Minister's disclosure that £5.3 million was provided in this year's Estimate. May I ask the Minister to account for the increase on last year and whether he has any intention of extending the scope or amending the rules with regard to the family income supplement.
These are really two questions. In reply to the first, the scheme is under review and I would hope fairly shortly to have a result of the review, the object being to try to increase participation in the scheme. The second aspect is the question of the current arrangements for the scheme. These will be revised in the forthcoming Social Welfare Bill.
The question asked for information about 1986 and 1987. Could the Minister tell the House what the amount was for 1986?
The amount for 1987 was £4.4 million and £5.3 million is the estimate for this year.
And what was the amount for 1986?
For 1986, £3.2 million and for 1985, £2.2 million.
In relation to those three figures, the actual figures for 1986 and 1987 and the estimated figure for 1988, could the Minister give the number of applicants in receipt of family income supplement payments? Further, would he consider a suggestion I made a number of times in this House, that an indication of a person's right to this family income supplement, or application forms, should be included with tax free allowance forms when they are issued for this year, in April next?
The Deputy is raising a separate question.
It is a very important matter.
It may be, but it is a separate matter.
In relation to the statistical question, the number in December 1985 was 4,664. The number of child dependants was 18,300. The number in December 1986 was 4,834 and 17,921 dependants. Finally, the figure for 1987 was 5,532 and 20,264 dependants.