Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 269: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she proposes to amend the rules of behaviour for persons in receipt of disability allowance under the rehabilitative care work scheme that will adjust €240 as the limit in order the keep the original integrity of the scheme for the small numbers involved. [12581/04]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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My Department operates a range of employment support measures for people on disability payments in order to encourage and facilitate them to take up available work and training opportunities. One of these measures is the rehabilitative earnings disregard that applies in the case of the disability allowance and blind person's pension schemes. Under the measure, people on means tested disability payments can earn up to €120 a week without it affecting their entitlement to payment and provided the work involved is rehabilitative in nature.

The rehabilitative earnings disregard was introduced to enable people with disabilities, who were engaged in sheltered work, to receive a small top-up payment without it affecting their entitlement to a disability payment.

In 1996 my Department took responsibility for the disability allowance scheme. Since then the level of disregard has been substantially increased. Many more people with disabilities can benefit from the measure such as those engaged in employment in the open labour market and participants on community employment schemes.

The question of further increases in the earnings disregard for rehabilitative employment would have financial implications and would have to be considered in a budgetary context.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Question 270: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason rent allowance was not granted in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if an appeal can be expedited. [12584/04]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The South Eastern Health Board was contacted about the case. It advised that the person concerned was refused a rent supplement in accordance with the legislation that provides that asylum seekers and persons who are not lawfully in the State are not entitled to the supplement.

The person concerned is an asylum seeker who is currently accommodated in a direct provision centre operated by the Reception and Integration Agency.

The person concerned lodged an appeal with the health board appeals officer and my Department's chief appeals officer. On both occasions the decision to refuse payment was upheld.