Vol. 531 No. 3
70 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on the recommendation of a report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Family, Community and Social Affairs which called for the introduction of a short-term allowance for teenage mothers to encourage them to return to work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5724/01]
The report of the Joint Committee on Family, Community and Social Affairs on Teenage Parenting Contemporary Issues recommended that a short-term payment be payable to all teenage mothers to encourage them, and ease their financial burden, to return to education and training.
In Budget 2001 I announced changes to the back to education scheme designed to assist and encourage young lone parents to return to education. Heretofore the qualifying age for the back to education scheme was set at 21. However, from this autumn the scheme will be available to 18 year olds who have been in receipt of the one-parent family payment for six months and who have been out of the school system for two years. These changes substantially meet the recommendations of the Joint Committee's report. While no further changes are planned at this stage the situation will be kept under review.
71 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if the provision of the social welfare allowance Circular No. 8/00 are being fully implemented in all local authority areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5728/01]
The circular to which the Deputy refers was issued last August to give effect to an improvement in the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The purpose of the initiative was to assist and encourage certain people to avail of full time work opportunities. The SWA scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent to any person in the State whose means are insuf ficient to meet their needs. The scheme is administered on behalf of this Department by the health boards and neither I nor my Department have any function in deciding entitlement in individual cases.
The purpose of rent supplements is to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible persons living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. Entitlement to a supplement is determined by the health boards and all assessable cash income must be taken into account in order to determine eligibility.
People who move from a welfare payment to participate in an approved employment programme are entitled to retain their rent-mortgage interest supplement on a reducing tapered basis over four years subject to a gross household income limit of £250 per week.
In addition to this I decided last year that anyone who has been unemployed for 12 months or more and who moves from a welfare payment into a full-time job will also be allowed to retain their rent-mortgage interest supplement subject to the same regulations pertaining to those participating in the employment programmes. The purpose of this initiative was to assist and encourage people who were not eligible to participate in an employment programme to avail of full time work opportunities.
SWA Circular No. 8/2000 was issued last August to the community welfare staff in the health boards who administer the SWA scheme to inform them of this new initiative. I am not aware of problems or difficulties resulting from the implementation of the circular in the various health board areas. However, if the Deputy has concerns about a particular case he might supply me with the details so that I can have inquiries made into the situation.
