Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason rent allowance has been reduced in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9727/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on my behalf by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has any function in relation to decisions on individual claims.

Under standard SWA rules rent supplements are normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of SWA appropriate to his or her family circumstances less a minimum contribution, currently €13, which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Many recipients pay more than €13 because they are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic SWA rate towards their accommodation costs. The Dublin/mid-Leinster area of the executive has advised that the person concerned, who has earnings from part-time employment, had been awarded a rent supplement of €377.80 per month. However on re-examination, the executive now advises that this rate of supplement is incorrect and that the correct rate of rent supplement payable in this case is €402.20 per month. The executive advises that this will be payable from the next payment date and any arrears due, if any, will issue as soon as possible.