Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 26 Mar 2002

Vol. 551 No. 2

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Michael Noonan

Ceist:

374 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the assistance his Department can offer to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 15 in considerable difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9746/02]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

The person concerned is in receipt of one parent family payment from my Department. She is also in contact with the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, which, as the Deputy will know, is funded by my Department. In addition, she has received assistance in the form of exceptional needs payments from her local community welfare officer under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. She has requested additional assistance with meeting mortgage costs but has been found to be not entitled to this under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. That 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.

Supplementary welfare allowance is subject to a means test. Mortgage interest supplements are normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of mortgage interest, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance appropriate to their family circumstances, less €7.62. This €7.62 represents the minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Many recipients pay more than €7.62 towards their mortgage interest because applicants are required to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic supplementary welfare allowance rate towards their mortgage interest costs.

The Northern Area Health Board was contacted on behalf of the individual in question and has advised that when she first applied for a mortgage interest supplement in November 1999 her application was refused on the grounds of means. The accommodation in respect of which the application was made was jointly owned by herself and her former partner. In addition to paying half the mortgage her former partner was also paying her maintenance of £35 per week, equivalent to £151.66 per month. This is assessed as being towards her half of the mortgage, in accordance with the standard arrangements governing supplementary welfare allowance. At that time the total mortgage interest was £330 per month. The individual in question was liable for half that amount but her income from her lone parent payment and the maintenance from her former partner meant that she was deemed to have sufficient means to meet her mortgage interest liability.

She has applied for a mortgage interest supplement on two further occasions, firstly in July 2000 and again in December 2001. The position in relation to her entitlement to a mortgage interest supplement remains unchanged in so far as her income level is deemed to be sufficient to meet her portion of the mortgage interest costs. While the individual's application for a mortgage interest supplement has been unsuccessful, she has been given assistance under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme by way of three exceptional needs payments which issued in December 2001 in connection with outstanding bills.

The board has further advised that a copy of the letter which accompanied the Deputy's question was sent by the individual concerned to her local health centre. The superintendent of community welfare is currently trying to arrange a meeting with the various interested parties in order to see if there is any further assistance that can be given to help alleviate the difficulties currently being experienced by the individual in question.