Vol. 490 No. 3
11 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of non-nationals in receipt of unemployment assistance and supplementary welfare allowance, the circumstances in which they are allowed to claim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10048/98]
The number of non-nationals currently in receipt of unemployment assistance from my Department is approximately 4,600, the vast majority of whom are nationals of other EU countries.
Social welfare legislation does not require a minimum period of residence in Ireland for a person to qualify for unemployment assistance. The entitlement of non-nationals to unemployment assistance thus falls to be determined in accordance with the same conditions as claims by Irish nationals.
To qualify for unemployment assistance a person must be unemployed, capable of, available for and genuinely seeking work and must satisfy a means test. Under the Treaty of Rome, citizens of member states are entitled to travel to other member states to seek employment. As such, EU nationals are treated in the same way as Irish citizens in respect of applications for unemployment assistance. Non-EU nationals are subject to restrictions regarding the right to reside and work in the State. Where they apply for unemployment assistance, evidence must be produced that they are legally resident in the State and are free to accept employment here. Where these conditions are fulfilled they are allowed to claim unemployment assistance subject to the usual conditions. Non-EU nationals who do not hold work permits cannot claim unemployment assistance because they are considered to be not available for work. In general, unless they have means of their own, their sole potential source of income from the State is supplementary welfare allowance, paid by health boards out of the Social Welfare Vote.
It is estimated that there are 2,900 supplementary welfare allowance payments being made to non-nationals in respect of approximately 4,800 people. Almost all of these are asylum seekers, the vast majority of whom are living in Dublin. Each health board administers the supplementary welfare allowance scheme under the general direction and control of the Minister for Social Community and Family Affairs. SWA payments to asylum seekers and other non-nationals may continue as long as the claimant resides in Ireland and satisfies relevant qualification conditions. Payments may include all SWA elements, including basic payments, rent supplements, deposits to secure private rented accommodation and other elements such as exceptional need payments and back to school clothing and footwear allowance.
I would like information on two issues. I accept the Minister may not have this information in his brief, but does he know how many Irish people draw unemployment assistance in other EU states? How many Irish people draw supplementary assistance or its equivalent in non-EU states? It seems in the context of our diaspora, the huge number of people who emigrated from Ireland, the numbers claiming here are insignificant — a total of 7,500, of whom about 4,500 are from other EU states and, therefore, have a right of residence here, and only 3,000 from outside the European Union. I suggest that those figures would be swamped by the equivalent outflow figures of Irish people within the EU and outside it. What is the cost involved for the 4,500 people from other EU states, which I presume include Britain? What is the cost of supplementary welfare for the 3,000 claimants from outside the European Union?
The first part of the supplementary appears to be outside the parameters of this question.
I accept that, but the Minister may wish to answer it.
I cannot be informative on the Deputy's supplementary questions. The answer to the first part of the question is not in my brief. I am not sure if those figures are available but I would guess they are not. On the second part of the question, I do not have the figures in regard to cost. They are available and if the Deputy is more specific for the next round of questions I will give him that information.
Bearing in mind the hundreds of thousands of Irish people who have been given refuge, work and welfare in other countries, in the context of racist attitudes and xenophobia towards the handful of people who come to this country, it would be important to have those figures. The figures would be useful as an antidote to those who try to fuel an attitude of racism and xenophobia towards the few people who are attracted here because of the very fine economy that was bequeathed to the present Government.
In view of the way the previous Government handed over the economy in 1987, the last remark is off the wall. I was a Deputy in the period 1987-9 and, for those who were not here at that time, it was very difficult to be a Deputy on this side of the House in those years. Tough decisions were, however, taken and we are now reaping the benefit of those decisions. Perhaps Deputy O'Keeffe expects my Department to go to every country in the world to find out the figures in regard to our diaspora. I will inquire in the Department whether those figures are readily available, but I would guess they are not.
This matter is extremely relevant today because I am aware of an individual who has not been treated as well as the Minister suggests. Three students came to the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, two of whom receive social welfare and other allowances but, because of a technicality, the other does not. I received the briefing on this case only this morning and I will fully brief the Department on it.
A question, please.
Why is social welfare and health board assistance refused to a person who applied last October? The health board has been advised it cannot give assistance because the case is under appeal. When I spoke to the appeals office this morning I was assured the case is down for oral appeal but it will be some months before it is heard. How can this person, who has no family connections here, live if she cannot get a job? The person is available for work.
That is a separate question, one which does not relate to the question we are dealing with.
The person is of European origin.
I am sorry, I mistook the Deputy. If he contacts my Department we will endeavour to get the details. In a Department that makes 100,000 payments per week in respect of 1.5 million people, that information would not be available.
