Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 3 May 1995

Vol. 452 No. 3

Written Answers. - Family Income Supplement.

Dermot Ahern

Ceist:

147 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for Social Welfare when the family income supplement scheme was originally devised, if it was the intention that this would be treated as additional income for means-assessed schemes such as differential rent schemes run by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7853/95]

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

Family income supplement is designed to provide cash support to families on low earnings and, thereby, preserve the incentive to remain in employment. The payment is not, in general, assessed as means against other schemes administered by the Department of Social Welfare.

The issue of treating family income supplement (FIS) as additional income for means tested schemes such as the differential rent schemes was not specifically addressed when FIS was originally devised. In the past, however, my Department has had discussions with other relevant Departments with a view to ensuring that FIS would not be assessable as income in the appropriate means tests. These discussions were successful in some cases for example, in the case of the means test applied to recipients of the medical card. In the case of the differential rent schemes I understand that the Department of the Environment took the view that it could not specify that one particular source of income, such as FIS, be excluded from the assessment of income for the purposes of the means test applied under the differential rent scheme, as responsibility for this scheme, had been devolved to the relevant housing authorities.

It is my view that FIS should not be assessable as income for the purposes of determining entitlement under the differential rent schemes and I propose to take up this matter with my colleague, the Minister for the Environment.