Ceist:
67 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the percentage of recipients of child benefit for whom the benefit is the only source of income in their own name. [10539/00]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
It is not possible to derive the information sought by the Deputy from the records of my Department.
However, research undertaken by the ESRI on behalf of the Combat Poverty Agency and published in 1994 under the title Income Distribution within Irish Households indicated that among households receiving child benefit, 58% of women had no other source of income.
The research was based on the responses given by a random sample of 625 couples to a survey in 1989. Given the significant increase in female labour force participation rates in the intervening period, it is reasonable to assume that the percentage of women for whom child benefit remains the sole direct source of income will have declined.
Child benefit is a monthly payment which is paid direct to the mother in the great majority of cases. The research published by the Combat Poverty Agency confirmed that this policy approach is appropriate, since the payment is more likely to be spent to the direct benefit of the child or children as a result.
Ivor Callely
Ceist:68 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the main type and cost of exceptional needs payments made to homeless people in each of the years from 1997 to 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10391/00]
The legislation governing the supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, 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 (ENPs).
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 are paid where a specific need exists regardless of whether the client is homeless.
ENPs paid to homeless people are not identified separately from other categories of recipients. The main type of exceptional needs payments sought by homeless people are normally for clothing and footwear, deposits for private rented accommodation, replacement of money lost or stolen and for necessary travel.
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.
Tabular Statement 1
Break down of ENP/UNP expenditure for year ended 1999
|
Expenditure |
|
|
£ |
|
|
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 |
|
Total Expenditure |
9,868,153 |
|
Clothing |
|
|
Child Clothing |
2,482,046 |
|
Adult Clothing |
1,875,361 |
Total Expenditure4,357,407
|
Expenditure |
|
|
£ |
|
|
Funeral |
|
|
Funeral Expenses |
1,259,717 |
|
Burial Expenses |
144,607 |
|
Total Expenditure |
1,404,324 |
|
Child Related |
|
|
Pram/Buggy |
867,598 |
|
Cot |
505,126 |
|
Homeless Children |
1,825 |
|
Total Expenditure |
1,374,549 |
|
Bills |
|
|
Rent/Mortgage Interest Arrears |
1,090,321 |
|
Household |
451,737 |
|
Total Expenditure |
1,542,058 |
|
Illness |
|
|
Confinement Costs |
275,451 |
|
Hospital Requirements |
160,367 |
|
Total Expenditure |
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 |
|
Total Expenditure |
2,878,233 |
|
Urgent needs payments |
76,324 |
|
Total Expenditure |
76,324 |
|
Grand total |
21,936,866 |
Tabular Statement 2
Break down of ENP/UNP expenditure for year ended 1998.
|
Expenditure |
|
|
£ |
|
|
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 |
|
Total Expenditure |
10,159,000 |
|
Clothing |
|
|
Child Clothing |
2,142,508 |
|
Adult Clothing |
1,316,892 |
|
Total Expenditure |
3,459,400 |
|
Funeral |
|
|
Funeral Expenses |
1,412,944 |
|
Burial Expenses |
186,156 |
|
Total Expenditure |
1,599,100 |
|
Expenditure |
|
|
£ |
|
|
Child Related |
|
|
Pram/Buggy |
801,074 |
|
Cot |
460,003 |
|
Homeless Children |
2,123 |
|
Total Expenditure |
1,263,200 |
|
Bills |
|
|
Rent/Mortgage Interest Arrears |
832,158 |
|
Household |
409,442 |
|
Total Expenditure |
1,241,600 |
|
Illness |
|
|
Confinement Costs |
278,401 |
|
Hospital Requirements |
160,499 |
|
Total Expenditure |
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 |
|
Total Expenditure |
3,153,200 |
|
Urgent needs payments |
85,600 |
|
Total Expenditure |
85,600 |
|
Grand total |
21,400,000 |