Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 205: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to review the guidelines pertaining to an adult dependant of persons on certain social welfare payments, to increase the amount of money a dependant is permitted to earn before payments are affected and to allow for the permitted 15 hours weekly working to be carried out over two to three days as opposed to the present system whereby the hours must be carried out over a five day period. [2730/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The maximum rate of qualified adult increase is payable where a claimant's spouse or partner has a gross weekly income not exceeding €88.88. Regulations provide for the gradual or tapered withdrawal of the qualified adult allowance for claimants of certain welfare payments where the spouse or partner of the claimant is earning between €88.88 and €220 per week. The allowance is fully withdrawn if the spouse or partner's weekly income exceeds €220.

In addition to the above, where the spouse or partner is engaged in insurable employment, certain means-based social assistance schemes, such as unemployment assistance, pre-retirement allowance and disability allowance, disregard €38.09 plus expenses where he or she is employed for up to three days, or €88.88 where he or she is employed four days or more. Some 50% of the balance is then assessed. There is no restriction on the number of hours which a spouse or partner may work. Any change to the existing arrangements would have to be considered in a budgetary context and in light of competing priorities.