Pat Breen
Ceist:46 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of cases of supplementary welfare allowance rent subsidy handled in each year from 1997 to 2002; and the average weekly payment made. [4861/03]
Written Answers - Social Welfare Benefits.
The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards, provides for the payment of a rent supplement to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible persons who are unable to provide for such costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source.
While information is not available to calculate the average weekly supplement in respect of previous years, the current position is that there are some 55,500 rent supplements in payment of which 78% are paid weekly at an average cost of €90.50 and the remaining 22% are paid monthly at an average cost of €632.67. Details of the number of rent supplements in payment at the end of each year for the period 1997 to 2002, together with the total annual expenditure, are set out in the following tabular statement which it is proposed to circulate with the Official Report.
Rent Supplements 1997-2002
|
Year |
No. of recipients |
Expenditure |
|
1997 |
40,000 |
€ 95.61 million |
|
1998 |
40,000 |
€111.74 million |
|
1999 |
41,873 |
€128.24 million |
|
2000 |
42,683 |
€150.59 million |
|
2001 |
45,270 |
€179.40 million |
|
2002 |
54,213 |
€252.34 million |
The number of recipients refers to the position at the end of each year.
Michael Ring
Ceist:47 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans to review the free travel pass scheme for people in rural areas in order that it can be used in part or in full for taxi fares. [4853/03]
Bernard J. Durkan
Ceist:140 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the extent to which the free travel scheme will be liberalised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5120/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 140 together.
The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by semi-State companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as services provided by over 80 private transport operators. The vast majority of these private contractors operate in rural areas. The underlying feature of the scheme is the use of spare capacity on these transport services.
I am always willing to consider applications from licensed private transport operators who may wish to participate in the free travel scheme. However, while my Department pays transport providers to operate the free travel scheme, it is not in a position to provide transport services where none exist.
I am aware that research has shown that those who are most marginalised by lack of access to transport in rural areas include the elderly and the mobility impaired and that the provision of accessible, affordable and acceptable local transport can make a very important improvement in the quality of life for these people. In this regard the rural transport initiative, RTI, has selected 33 community groups to receive funding to provide innovative community-based transport services, on a pilot basis, in rural areas. The pilot will continue until December 2003 after which it will be reviewed by the Department of Transport. This initiative is being managed by area development management ADM, on behalf of the Department of Transport and funding of approximately €6 million has been provided for this purpose through the national development plan. As free travel pass holders will clearly benefit from this initiative, I have contributed €500,000 towards the cost of the initiative, thereby ensuring that free travel pass holders have access to these community based transport services.
Very significant improvements have been made in the free schemes, including the free travel scheme in recent budgets in terms of the qualifying conditions and the coverage of the schemes. I will continue to review the operation of these schemes with a view to identifying the scope for further improvements as resources permit.