Written answers

Tuesday, 21 February 2006

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Social Welfare Benefits

9:00 pm

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 434: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11 will be examined as a case of poor reconciliation between welfare and work policies whereby taking up employment in a community employment scheme only has a marginal increase in their net income; and the reason a person in these circumstances does not qualify for the back to school allowance. [6519/06]

Photo of Séamus BrennanSéamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Social welfare programmes aim to be responsive to the needs of those who depend on income maintenance support while providing incentives to assist people to become more independent financially, particularly through employment. People, including one-parent families, are entitled to retain certain social welfare and other secondary benefits in total or in part for the duration of the employment scheme, subject to certain conditions. An income limit of €317.43 per week applies to the retention of secondary benefits. Alternatively, they may qualify for secondary benefits under the standard rules of the scheme in question, which is often a more beneficial option for lone parents on rent. A number of positive measures have been introduced in recent years to assist in the transition from welfare to work, including special means disregards, tapered withdrawal of benefits as earnings increase, and employment support schemes such as the back to work programme. In budget 2006, I improved the standard assessment rules governing the rent supplement scheme to ensure that a lone parent who takes up a training or employment opportunity will be financially better off having done so. Participants on certain employment and training courses, such as a community employment scheme, have the first €60 per week of additional income and half of any additional income between €60 per week and €90 per week disregarded. Any PRSI and reasonable travelling expenses are also disregarded in the means test. A lone parent on rent supplement who takes up a community employment opportunity will be €75 per week better off as a result. This amounts to €3,900 over a full year, although I recognise that child care expenses, if they are incurred, could reduce that net benefit.

The back to school clothing and footwear allowance scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when their children start school each autumn. From June 2006, an allowance of €120 is payable in respect of qualified children aged from two to 11 years, or €190 in respect of qualified children aged from 12 to 22 years. Applications may be made between the beginning of June and the end of September each year. In January 2006, I provided for an improvement in the standard means test for the allowance by increasing the income limits. A person may qualify for the payment if they are in receipt of a social welfare or health board payment, are participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education or training course and have household income at or below certain specified levels. While community employment is one of the qualifying schemes for the purposes of the scheme, a person who has income from one-parent family payment and community employment will not qualify on means grounds. However, a person in such circumstances who is on rent supplement is still significantly better off for having taken up a community employment place. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance and rent supplement schemes are administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor the Department of Social and Family Affairs has any function in decisions on individual claims. The Dublin and mid-Leinster area of the HSE has advised me that the person concerned last received a back to school clothing and footwear allowance payment in July 2003. The HSE has further advised that no application has been received since then. The HSE also advised that no claim has been received for a rent supplement.

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