The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards and neither I nor my Department have any function in deciding entitlement in individual cases. Under the terms of the SWA scheme payment of a weekly or monthly supplement may be made in respect of rent or mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs.
SWA is subject to a means test. Rent supplements are normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of SWA appropriate to their family circumstances, less £6 representing the minimum contribution recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Most recipients pay more than £6 towards their rent because applicants are required to contribute any additional assessable means they have over and above the appropriate basic SWA rate towards their rent.
In assessing a person's means for the purpose of rent supplement all income either in cash or in kind is taken into account. Certain sources of income can be disregarded for this purpose and they are for the most part identified in the third Schedule to the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993. Additional sources of income that may be disregarded are notified to the community welfare officers – CWOs – by way of circulars that are issued by my Department. The CWOs also use their national administrative procedures manual which contains instructions on how each type of claim should be processed including details of assessable and non-assessable income.
In relation to the specific query raised by the Deputy, the payments relating to crèche facilities paid by a former husband would normally be regarded as assessable whether they are paid directly to the crèche or to the mother. While I am satisfied there is general uniformity across the health boards in administering the SWA scheme it should be borne in mind that it is a matter for the CWOs on the ground to respond to individual cases in what they consider to be an appropriate manner. This discretionary aspect of the CWOs' response gives the SWA scheme a unique flexibility in effectively meeting different needs. While this is a major strength of the scheme, in some circumstances it can give rise to a real or sometimes a perceived lack of uniformity in treating apparently similar cases. I would however be concerned if the SWA means test was being applied in an inconsistent manner. If the Deputy has concerns about a particular case I will have the matter looked into if she supplies the relevant details.
