Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 11 Apr 2000

Vol. 517 No. 6

Written Answers. - Asylum Seekers.

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

312 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of schemes and the level of payments available to asylum seekers under the supplementary welfare allowance and exceptional needs schemes; the main type and cost of exceptional needs payments made to asylum seekers in each of the years 1997 to 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10416/00]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

The income maintenance needs of asylum seekers are met for the most part by health boards who administer the supplementary welfare allowance system on behalf of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs. The SWA scheme provides entitlement to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. Payment is made in accordance with the relevant legislation as long as the person is resident in the State. Payments to asylum seekers are made on the same basis as payments to other recipients.

Where a person has access to some resources either in cash or in kind this is taken into account in determining entitlement to SWA. This occurs in the case of asylum seekers who are being provided with full board accommodation. Where a person in full board accommodation receives all meals and has access to other facilities such as laundry and leisure areas the recommended weekly allowance is £15 per adult and £7.50 per child.

Asylum seekers who have not been provided with full board accommodation and who have no other means qualify for the full standard rate of weekly SWA. This amounts to £72.00 per week for a single adult, £115.20 per week for a couple and £13.20 per week for a dependent child. Asylum seekers who live in private rented accommodation qualify for rent supplement on the same basis as other recipients. For example, a single person living in Dublin can receive up to £64 per week towards rent, while a family can receive up to £155 per week, depending on the number of people in the family.

Asylum seekers may also make an application for a one parent family payment and old age non-contributory pension if they satisfy the necessary conditions. An interim SWA payment can be made while they are awaiting a decision on their claim. In addition, asylum seekers are paid child benefit in respect of child dependants.

The legislation governing the supplementary welfare allowance scheme makes provision for a health board to make a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. These payments are known as exceptional needs payments. There is no automatic entitlement to an ENP. Eligible people would normally be in receipt of a social welfare or health board payment. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the health board taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case. ENPs paid to asylum seekers would normally be for clothing, prams, buggies and rent deposits. The ENP payments to asylum seekers are not identified separately from other categories of recipients.

Details of expenditure on ENPs in 1998 and 1999 are contained in the following tabular statements. Computerisation of the SWA scheme commenced in 1996 and was completed in six of the eight health boards in December 1997. Comprehensive statistics on ENPs are, therefore, not available for 1997. The total expenditure on ENPs in 1997 was £21.6 million.

Break down of ENP/UNP expenditure for year ended 1999

	Expenditure	TotalExpenditure
	£	£
Housing
Household Appliances	3,880,537
Furniture	1,535,629
Rent deposit	1,946,874
Bedding	1,142,861
Floor Covering	874,017
Repair/maintenance	488,235	9,868,153
Clothing
Child Clothing	2,482,046
Adult Clothing	1,875,361	4,357,407
Funeral
Funeral Expenses	1,259,717
Burial Expenses	144,607	1,404,324
Child Related
Pram/Buggy	867,598
Cot	505,126
Homeless Children	1,825	1,374,549
Bills
Rent/Mortgage Interest Arrears	1,090,321
Household	451,737	1,542,058
Illness
Confinement Costs	275,451
Hospital Requirements	160,367	435,818
General
Travel Costs	650,065
Insufficient Means	370,533
Household Budget	52,428
Heating	82,034
Lost/Stolen Money	62,222
Other	1,660,951	2,878,233
Urgent needs payments	76,324	76,324
Grand total		21,936,866

Break down of ENP/UNP expenditure for year ended 1998.

	Expenditure	TotalExpenditure
	£	£
Housing
Household Appliances	4,315,225
Furniture	1,533,817
Rent deposit	1,514,657
Bedding	1,206,607
Floor Covering	1,017,059
Repair/maintenance	571,635	10,159,000
Clothing
Child Clothing	2,142,508
Adult Clothing	1,316,892	3,459,400
Funeral
Funeral Expenses	1,412,944
Burial Expenses	186,156	1,599,100
Child Related
Pram/Buggy	801,074
Cot	460,003
Homeless Children	2,123	1,263,200
Bills
Rent/Mortgage Interest Arrears	832,158
Household	409,442	1,241,600
Illness
Confinement Costs	278,401
Hospital Requirements	160,499	438,900
General
Travel Costs	709,618
Insufficient Means	349,461
Household Budget	85,358
Heating	77,152
Lost/Stolen Money	58,843
Other	1,872,768	3,153,200
Urgent needs payments	85,600	85,600
Grand total		21,400,000