Gay Mitchell
Question:326 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will restore full rental subsidy to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18513/01]
Vol. 539 No. 1
326 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will restore full rental subsidy to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18513/01]
Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, scheme payment of a weekly or monthly supplement may be made in respect of rent to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet his or her needs. The SWA 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 purpose of rent supplements is to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible persons living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source.
327 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive an unemployment benefit payment for the period she was not working. [18684/01]
To qualify for unemployment benefit a person must be available for and genuinely seeking work.
When the person concerned applied for unemployment benefit on 28 February 2001, she was asked to provide details of her efforts to find work. Based on her response, a deciding officer disallowed her claim on the grounds that she was not available for full-time work.
The person concerned appealed this decision to the independent social welfare appeals office. Having considered the case, an appeals officer upheld the deciding officer's decision. An appeals officer's decision is final in the absence of new facts or fresh evidence.
Under social welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by deciding officers and appeals officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.
328 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in receipt of lone parent allowance is having the value of land assessed against her. [18739/01]
The person concerned is receiving one-parent family payment. In determining entitlement to this payment, account must be taken of the applicants means. Under the relevant legislation, the value of property, such as land, which is not personally used or enjoyed is calculated on the basis of the capital value of the property.
The person's entitlement was reviewed on 27 April 2000. She was found to be the sole owner of approximately 42 acres of land with an estimated value of £43,000 which she was not using. On the basis of her means deriving from the estimated capital value of the holding, her entitlement to one-parent family payment was reduced by a deciding officer. She appealed against this decision to the social welfare appeals office. The appeals officer upheld the deciding officer's decision, stating that it was in accordance with the legislation.
329 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will consider extending the companion pass scheme to recipients of British retirement pensions. [18740/01]
Companion free travel passes are available to certain people who qualify for free travel and who, on account of their disability, are unable to travel alone. The companion pass enables a person 16 years of age, or over, to accompany the pass holder free of charge.
In addition, since September 1998, all people aged 75 years or over, who are unfit to travel alone, qualify for a companion free travel pass.
Recipients of a British retirement pension who hold a standard free travel pass are not excluded from these arrangements.