Vol. 530 No. 5
135 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a back to work allowance payment has not been made to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason applications made through the correct channels do not seem to be available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4306/01]
The objective of the back to work allowance scheme is to provide a financial incentive to lone parents and long-term unemployed persons to return to the active labour force. The rules of the scheme require that an application must be made prior to taking up employment. The person concerned commenced employment on 26 October 1999. His application for back to work allowance was not received until June 2000. There is no trace of an earlier application. His claim was refused as it was late. He appealed against this decision but there were no grounds for revising it.
136 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason rent or other supplementary payments have been terminated in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4399/01]
The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards and neither I nor my Department has any function in deciding entitlement in individual cases.
The main objective of the scheme is to make up the difference between a person's means whether in cash or in kind and their needs. Where a person has access to some resources in kind or in cash, through the social welfare system or otherwise, this is taken into account in determining entitlement to supplementary welfare allowance. This occurs in the case of asylum seekers in direct provision who are being provided with full board accommodation, all meals and other services. In such cases the recommended weekly allowance is £15 per adult and £7.50 per child to provide for personal requisites. Furthermore, where there are other reasonable expenses exceptional needs payments are made by the health boards.
A person who leaves direct provision accommodation without clear justification and who subsequently applies for rent supplement or assistance towards a rent deposit is regarded as not having an accommodation need and rent supplements are not payable. The rate of SWA payable in such cases is the same as that payable to people in direct provision. However, a health board may decide in exceptional cases to award a rent supplement due to particular circumstances.
The person concerned is an asylum seeker who was living in the Dublin 9 area and was receiving a reduced payment of £15 per week. She recently moved to County Kildare and made an application for SWA in Leixlip. The community welfare officer refused the application on the grounds that the accommodation was not suitable. It is open to the individual in question to find alternative suitable accommodation or to appeal the CWO's decision to the health board appeals officer. If the matter is not resolved at this level the applicant can ask the health board to refer the matter to the independent appeals officers in my Department.
137 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the measures he has put in place to make the eligibility criteria more flexible for carers allowance entitlements; the number of applications in counties Sligo and Leitrim which were received; the numbers granted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4292/01]
The carer's allowance is a means tested payment for carers on low income who look after people in need of full-time care and attention. The qualification conditions for the carer's allowance scheme have been significantly improved during my time in office, as follows: the residency conditions for carer's allowance were relaxed to introduce greater flexibility into the scheme, while still safeguarding the needs and interests of the care recipients. This measure allows non-resident carers to be assessed on a case by case basis. The full-time care and atten tion rules were relaxed to allow carers to engage in part-time work, education or other activities. Carer's allowance was extended to children in receipt of domiciliary care allowance and to all people between 16 and 65 who require full-time care and attention. The means test has been greatly improved over a number of budgets. An income disregard of £125 in the case of a single carer, and £250 in the case of a married couple, will apply from April 2001. It is estimated that this increase in the means disregard will qualify an additional 5,000 carers for payment and increase the payment rate of almost 3,000 existing carers.
I have also introduced other measures to improve the position of carers as follows: the carer's allowance has been increased by £28 per week (40%) for those over 66 and by £18 (26%) for those under 66 in the last four budgets. The increases announced in Budget 2001 will apply from April 2001. Carers in receipt of carer's allowance now qualify for the free schemes – a major additional benefit. An annual respite care grant was introduced in 1999 and this will be increased to £400 from June 2001. In addition, carers caring for more than one person will receive a double respite care grant of £800. A new carer's benefit scheme was introduced on 26 October 2000. This new scheme provides financial support for 15 months to a person who gives up employment to care full-time. As it is based on a person's PRSI contributions there is no means test. My colleague, Deputy Kitt, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with special responsibility for labour affairs, is introducing carer's leave legislation to protect the employment rights of the carer during that 15 month period.
138 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans he has in place to change or remove means test criteria for old age non contributory pensioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4293/01]
The old age non-contributory pension is a social assistance scheme which is designed to provide financial support for older people who do not qualify for one of the contributory pension schemes. In common with other social assistance schemes the OANCP features a means test which is intended to ensure that available resources are targeted at those who are most in need.
There are no plans to remove the means test as a qualifying condition. However, its operation is kept under review and changes are made as required. In October 2000 I introduced a much more generous and easily understood new method of capital assessment for most means-tested schemes, including old age non-contributory pension, came into operation. Under the new method, the first £10,000 of capital is disregarded, capital between £10,000 and £20,000 is assessed on the basis of £1 weekly means for each £1,000 of capital, capital between £20,000 and £30,000 is assessed on the basis of £2 weekly means for each £1,000 of capital and capital above £30,000 is assessed on the basis of £4 weekly means for each £1,000 of capital. The new system is designed to ensure that those with modest amounts of capital receive the greater share of available support. Any further changes to the scheme would have to be considered in a budgetary context.
139 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans in place to give a social welfare allowance to married women working full time in the home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4294/01]
Within the social welfare system there are a number of arrangements to assist women working in the home. Child benefit is normally payable to the mother, recognising the important value of the work done by the primary carer, who is usually the mother. The £1 billion three year child benefit investment package commenced in this year's budget will strengthen the position of those who choose to work in the home and care for their children in that way, while simultaneously easing the burden for those who opt to go out to work and use child care arrangements.
With effect from next June, a full three months earlier than usual, child benefit rates for first and second children will increase by £25 to £67.50 per month and by £30 to £86 per month for third and subsequent children. That constitutes a full year investment of £330 million and marks the first step in a three year programme of increases which will see Government investment in the child benefit scheme rise by an additional £1 billion by 2003. The dedication of substantial resources to child benefit in Budget 2001 reflects the serious commitment this Government has made to supporting those who are responsible for raising our children.
In relation to pensions I am also strongly committed to improving the position of people who take time out of the paid workforce to care for children or sick relatives. Measures already introduced, including the reduction in the average number of PRSI contributions required for pension purposes to ten and the extra recognition afforded to pre-53 contributions, are making it easier for people with reduced or broken insurance records to receive a pension.
While recognising that the social insurance system cannot cover all gaps in pension coverage, nevertheless, as I indicated in my speech on the budget more needs to be done in this area, for example, in relation to the existing system of homemaker disregards. This and other issues, including the cost and administrative implications, will be considered in the context of the second phase of the review of the qualifying conditions for old age contributory and retirement pensions which will get under way shortly. Another improvement relates to the decision to increase the rate of the qualified adult allowance for those over 66 years of age to the full old age pension rate. A major step towards this objective was taken in budget 2001 by providing an increase of £15 per week in the full rate QAA. Following on the report of the PPF working group examining the issues of administrative individualisation, arrangements will be put in place so that part of the pension can be paid directly to the qualified adult.
