Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 315: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person paying a maintenance charge for an apartment is entitled to apply under supplementary welfare for support on the basis of hardship or exceptional need; and if his Department has issued guidelines to community welfare officers regarding the way in which they should treat such applications. [5019/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Subject to certain conditions, rent supplements are provided through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme which is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive.

The legislation governing rent supplements precludes payments being made to defray the cost of maintenance of, or repairs to, a dwelling for which, in the absence of agreement to the contrary, the tenant would be liable. Neither is rent supplement payable in respect of management charges for services such as gardening, window cleaning or general upkeep, which might apply to a tenancy.

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme also provides for exceptional needs payments to be made at the discretion of the community welfare service to assist with essential, once-off expenditure in individual situations of need. In general it is not appropriate for an exceptional needs payment to be made to a tenant in respect of normal recurring management charges for an apartment. However, it is open to the community welfare service to assist if necessary in the specific circumstances of an individual case, particularly if an unforeseen charge arises, which would cause hardship.