Vol. 525 No. 4
120 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the total expenditure on social welfare allowance payments for 1999; the likely expenditure for the year 2000; the value of rent supplements and mortgage pay ments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25346/00]
I understand that the Deputy is referring to payments under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.
The total expenditure under the SWA scheme was some £219.3 million in 1999. Taking into account cash balances held by the health boards the net expenditure figure was £210.6 million. Of this total, rent supplements accounted for £100.6 million and mortgage interest payments accounted for £6.5 million.
It is estimated that expenditure under the SWA scheme in 2000 will be approximately £258.2 million. Expenditure on rent supplements is expected to be in the region of £118.4 million and expenditure on mortgage supplements is expected to be in the region of £4.8 million.
The expenditure on mortgage supplements is falling by 35% from approximately £6.5 million in 1999 to an anticipated £4.8 million in 2000, mainly because more people have found employment. In contrast, the estimated expenditure on rent supplements in 2000 has risen by 17%. This is due almost totally to the increased cost of rented accommodation as the number of recipients increased by only 2% in the past 12 months.
