Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
Seán Haughey
Ceist:
312
Mr. Haughey
asked the
Minister for Social Welfare
if the Eastern Health Board operates in most cases an official-unofficial guideline of paying £27.50 to a single person claiming supplementary welfare for rent on the basis that the applicant can get adequate accommodation for £35 per week; his views on whether this payment is adequate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[6193/96]
Section 179 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993, as substituted by paragraph 3 of the 6th Schedule to the Act, provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in the case of a person whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The legislation also enables the Minister to make regulations prescribing the circumstances and conditions under which a supplement may be paid, the class or classes of persons to whom a supplement may be paid and the amount of supplement that may be paid, and this has been done in S.I. 382 (Social Welfare (Consolidated SWA) Regulations) of 1995.
Article 9 (2) (g) (iii) of the regulations requires the health board to be satisfied, in deciding entitlement to a rent supplement, that the rent payable by the applicant "is just and proper having regard to the nature, character and location of the residence".
To comply with this legislative provision, each health board is required to set reasonable maximum rent levels in respect of the various classes of persons, as a basis for calculating the amount of rent supplement payable.
In addition, Article 12 (1) of the regulations specifies that the amount of weekly rent supplement paid will be calculated to ensure that the person, after payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of SWA appropriate to the family circumstances, less £6. This £6 represents the minimum contribution which clients are required to pay from their own resources. However, the legislation requires that the health board must be satisfied that the amount of rent supplement payable must not exceed such amount as the health board considers reasonable to meet the applicant's residential needs.
In keeping with the legislative requirements of both these Articles, all health boards set maximum rent limits in respect of the various classes of persons (e.g. single persons, couples, lone parents with one child, etc.). Such limits are set by the health board using local knowledge of reasonable rents for private rented accommodation within and across the health board area.
The Eastern Health Board has advised that, in respect of single persons the maximum rent level on which a supplement will be based is £35 per week. The board is of the opinion that suitable accommodation is available to single people throughout the health board area at this level of rent. On this basis an applicant whose means do not exceed the SWA rate, and who meets all the requirements of the legislation, would receive a rent supplement of £29 per week.
An applicant who chooses to live in accommodation costing above the set limit will generally be expected to pay the additional costs themselves. However, in very exceptional circumstances, for example where there are extenuating medical or social circumstances, the board will consider basing the supplement on the higher rent level having regard to the applicant's means and all the other requirements of the legislation.
