Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I raise this issue because it has come to my attention in recent times that one section of the Department of Social Protection has changed the formula used to assess applications for renewal of family income supplement, FIS. That is most disturbing and frustrating. I will spell out in black and white what has occurred. I have been in touch with various people in the Department and I have spoken to an official there but I am not satisfied as the issue has not been resolved. It should not have arisen in the first place. The case concerns an applicant for renewal of FIS for the fourth year. The person's circumstances have not changed at all in the four years. He got the payment in year one, year two and year three. The logical conclusion is that he would get it in year 4 but the Department sent out an inspector and stopped the payment and it is now assessing his circumstances in a different way. That is the kernel of the issue.

The constituent was contacted by the Department in the context of the renewal of the family income supplement to say that his hours of employment amount to less than 38 hours per fortnight, which means the application was unsuccessful. However, that is not the case. The Department has calculated his hours by virtue of what he earns as opposed to the hours he works, based on the evidence provided by his employer. His employer has given written confirmation of the fact that the individual concerned does work 20 hours per week. Does the reply given to the Minister of State, Deputy White, take cognisance of the serious issue outlined?

I have a copy of the employment details of the person concerned as filled out by his employer. The individual works 20 hours per week at €10 per hour. It is written in black and white. The case concerns a renewal of the family income supplement payment for the fourth year and the circumstances are the same as they were in the previous three years. It is interesting to note what the Department has done. It has identified a monthly gross payment of €800 and an annual gross of €9,600. The latter amount was divided by 52 to give a weekly gross of €184.61 and at €10 per hour it calculates that only 18.4 hours a week are being worked. That is ridiculous and time-wasting. It is causing financial hardship for a family that is doing its best to stay out of a poverty trap. If the policy change had been widely publicised by the Department then it could be accepted, to an extent, but this is more sinister and it is also clandestine. People are trying to weather the recession who are semi-welfare dependent, who do not need this type of bureaucratic nonsense to be thrown at them. I have spoken to a number of officials and tabled parliamentary questions. This week the person concerned has had to visit a social welfare inspector. It is time-wasting and also a waste of money to put officials dealing with a case that does not need to be dealt with at all. I would like to hear in the reply an indication from the Minister that this nonsense will be disposed of and that the status quo will be reinstated immediately.

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