Liz McManus
Ceist:154 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Social Welfare the amount of money that was spent on the rent allowance scheme by each health board during each of the years 1992 to 1994. [603/94]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Liz McManus
Ceist:155 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will ensure that the mortgage relief scheme operated by the health boards for unemployed people is carried on for a period after people go back to work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [649/94]
Frances Fitzgerald
Ceist:156 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare in view of the escalation in support for rent allowances and mortgage payments the plans, if any, he has for the development of this scheme; and the implications of these developments. [1091/94]
Frances Fitzgerald
Ceist:157 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of persons or families in private accommodation who receive assistance by way of rent allowance from the Community welfare officer under the supplementary welfare allowances scheme in the Dublin area for each of the years 1990 to date. [1093/94]
Frances Fitzgerald
Ceist:158 Ms F. Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Social Welfare the numbers receiving financial support to help pay their mortgage under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme for each of the years 1990 to date. [1094/94]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 154 to 158, inclusive, together.
The supplementary welfare allowance scheme allows health boards to assist eligible persons with the cost of private rented accommodation or mortgage interest payments. The scheme is administered with minimal computer assistance which has limited the amount and quality of statistical material available.
A new statistical system for the scheme was introduced on a phased basis in 1993 and is now fully operational in seven health boards. The North-Western Health Board will provide similar statistical analysis from its computer system.
However, factual data on the number of recipients of rent supplements in the Dublin year for years 1990 to 1993 is not available. The Eastern Health Board has provided an estimate of the number in payment at the end of December for these years.
The number in payment at May 1994 is an actual figure derived from the new statistical system. The statistics are shown in the following tabular statement:
|
Dublin area |
Number of rent supplements in payment |
|
1990 |
8,500 (December) |
|
1991 |
9,600 (December) |
|
1992 |
13,300 (December) |
|
1993 |
13,900 (December) |
|
1994 |
15,100 (May) |
Details of the number of recipients who received mortgage supplements in all health boards for years 1990 to 1993 are not available; however, the number of rent and mortgage supplements in payment at the end of May 1994 was approximately 30,000 and 7,000, respectively. Some 51 per cent of mortgage supplements are paid in respect of mortgages sourced from local authorities or the Housing Finance Agency. The remaining 49 per cent are in respect of mortgages obtained from commercial lending institutions.
Expenditure data in relation to rent supplements is not available for 1992 and 1993 on a health board basis. However, the estimated national expenditure on rent and mortgage supplements for the years 1989 to 1993 is shown in the following tabular statement:
|
Year |
Rent supplements |
Mortgage suupple- ments |
Total |
|
£m |
£m |
£m |
|
|
1989 |
6.1 |
0.9 |
7.0 |
|
1990 |
8.6 |
3.6 |
12.2 |
|
1991 |
14.4 |
5.2 |
19.6 |
|
1992 |
23.0 |
7.0 |
30.0 |
|
1993 |
38.7 |
9.2 |
47.9 |
Expenditure on rent supplements from January 1994 up to the end of May 1994 was £17.1 million and the breakdown of expenditure on a health board basis is shown in the following tabular statement:
|
Health Board |
Expenditure on rent supplements January to May 1994 |
|
£m |
|
|
Eastern |
10.06 |
|
Southern |
2.18 |
|
Western |
1.68 |
|
South-Eastern |
0.89 |
|
Mid-Western |
0.87 |
|
Midland |
0.54 |
|
North-Eastern |
0.54 |
|
North-Western |
0.34 |
|
Total |
17.10 |
In recognition of the increasing role of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme in housing provision and the attendant financial implications, the Government decided in July 1994 that a review should take place, of the role of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme in housing provision. This review will attempt to identify the reasons for the increase in supplements and to identify the likely trends for the future. It will also consider what is the most cost-effective way of assisting those on social welfare incomes to meet their housing needs. I will be considering this matter further when I receive the report of the group in the coming months.
Legislation governing the supplementary welfare allowance scheme excludes people in full time employment from receipt of supplementary welfare allowance. The extension of the scheme to include the payment of mortgage supplements, for a certain period, to people who were previously unemployed and subsequently take up full time employment would have significant financial implications and would have to be considered in a budgetary context.