The supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, scheme provides entitlement to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The scheme is administered by the health boards on behalf of my Department. Payment is made in accordance with the relevant legislation as long as the person is resident in the State.
Under the SWA scheme asylum seekers can receive assistance in the form of a basic payment, a supplement for rent or diet and exceptional needs payments, ENPs.
Total expenditure on SWA payments to asylum seekers in 1999 is estimated at £35 million. This includes £22.7 million in respect of basic SWA, £10 million in respect of rent supplement and £1.3 million in respect of ENPs. Total expenditure in 1998 was £22 million. This includes approximately £15 million in respect of basic SWA, £5.5 million in respect of rent supplement and £1 million in respect of ENPs. Total expenditure in 1997 was £12 million but a detailed breakdown by type of payment is not available.
The information requested by the Deputy is not available in relation to earlier years. Prior to 1997, asylum seekers were not identified separately from other SWA applicants, but as there were fewer asylum seekers at that time expenditure would have been lower.
In addition to the above, asylum seekers are eligible to apply for the back to school clothing and footwear allowance and the fuel allowance. Expenditure on these schemes is not recorded by the category of person receiving the allowances so it is not possible to give statistics on either the number of claims or the expenditure for asylum seekers.