Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 17 Apr 2002

Vol. 552 No. 1

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

491 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo can have his means reassessed for disability allowance purposes; and if there is a valid application on file for this person. [11838/02]

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

The person concerned received disability allowance from 21 May 1998. His means were reviewed following a compensation award and his claim to disability allowance was disallowed on the grounds that his means exceeded the statutory limit. His appeal against this decision to the social welfare appeals office has been referred to an appeals officer who proposes to hold an oral hearing as soon as possible. He will be advised of the date and venue for the hearing when the necessary arrangements have been made. Under social welfare legislation, decisions in relation to claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. The officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in making such decisions.

Jim O'Keeffe

Ceist:

492 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if, in the calculation of rent subsidy by a health board for a single mother, the amount payable for maintenance of a child by the father is properly taken into account in calculating the correct subsidy payable. [11883/02]

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

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent or mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet his or her needs. The scheme is administered by the health boards and neither I nor my Department have any function in deciding entitlement in individual cases. The allowance is subject to a means test; rent supplements are normally calculated to ensure that a household, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance appropriate to family circumstances, less €7.62, which represents the minimum contribution recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Many recipients pay more than €7.62 towards their rent because they are required to contribute additional assessable means in excess of the appropriate basic supplementary welfare allowance rate towards their rent. The value of maintenance payments must be considered in the means test for one-parent family payment and rent supplement in the case of a single mother who receives maintenance payments as well as the other two payments.

Half the maintenance payment is disregarded under the means test for the one-parent family payment. If a recipient has housing costs to meet, however, maintenance of up to €95.23 per week is disregarded. If maintenance of more than €95.23 per week is paid, half the amount above €95.23 per week is disregarded and the balance is assessed and a lower rate of one-parent family payment may be paid. A lone parent in receipt of maintenance payments and seeking a rent supplement, with rent costs because the maintenance payment does not meet housing costs in full, can apply for supplementary welfare allowance rent supplement. In such a case, rent for rent supplement purposes is the net amount of rent paid from his or her own resources, that is that part of the total rent met after taking into account the value of the maintenance payment. If maintenance of more than €95.23 per week is paid, the first €50 per week of net additional income, having regard to any reduction in one-parent family payment, is not taken into account in the means test for rent supplement.

In this way, the maintenance payment is consistently treated in the means tests for one-parent family payment and rent supplement. The maintenance payment is not regarded as income for the purposes of the one-parent family payment because it goes towards rent and equally, the rent for rent supplement purposes is the net rent after maintenance is paid. A review of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme is currently under way as part of my Department's formal programme evaluation studies. The review will examine all aspects of the scheme including the manner in which maintenance payments are assessed in the calculation of rent supplements.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

493 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and paid the carer's allowance. [11955/02]

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

The person concerned applied for carer's allowance on 21 March 2002. Her case has been referred to an investigative officer of my Department for a means assessment and to establish if the conditions for receipt of carer's allowance are satisfied. Her entitlement will be further examined in light of the investigative officer's report. Under social welfare legislation, decisions in relation to claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers who are statutorily appointed. I have no role in making such decisions.