Vol. 440 No. 7
107 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to introduce powers to allow health boards who pay supplementary welfare allowance towards the cost of mortgages on houses to have this money repaid to the health board in the event that the house is eventually sold.
An advisory group, under the chairmanship of my Department, was established in September 1992 with representatives from the eight regional health boards, to review aspects of the operation of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. At present the group is reviewing the guidelines on rent and mortgage supplementation and the issue raised by the Deputy will be examined in the context of this review.
108 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 6W who has been admitted to hospital for a serious heart complaint will receive the same amount from the Eastern Health Board as he was receiving on unemployment assistance.
Under the regulations governing the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, an allowance is not payable in respect of a person who is being maintained in an institution. The adult dependant of the person who has been hospitalised may however, apply for a weekly basic supplementary welfare allowance payment in her own right and in respect of her child dependants.
It is understood from the Eastern Health Board that the spouse of the person in question is currently in receipt of the maximum basic weekly payment of supplementary welfare allowance applicable in her case. She is also in receipt of a weekly supplement of £5 towards travel expenses arising from her husband's hospitalisation.
