Written answers
Wednesday, 31 May 2006
Department of Social and Family Affairs
Social Welfare Code
9:00 pm
Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 100: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the cost to the Exchequer in the last year, of which a reliable figure is available, of supplementary welfare; and if an estimate is available of the amount paid out in that year for costs associated with a family member making their Holy Communion or other once off costs such as funeral expenses and so on. [21184/06]
Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on my behalf by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Assistance may be given in the form of a basic payment, supplements which may be paid in respect of such needs as rent/mortgage, diet or heating and exceptional needs payments which may be paid where in the opinion of the Executive exceptional circumstances exist.
The tabular statement shows details of expenditure on supplementary welfare allowance. A breakdown of expenditure on exceptional needs payments for 2005 is also appended. This shows that a total of €1.3 million was spent on costs associated with communion or confirmation, while €3 million was spent on funeral and associated expenses.
| Expenditure on Supplementary Welfare Allowance, 2005 | |
| €000 | |
| Basic SWA Payments(1) | 162,368 |
| Rent Supplements | 368,705 |
| Mortgage Interest Supplements | 6,339 |
| Other Supplements(2) | 13,392 |
| Exceptional Needs & Urgent Needs Payments | 56,513 |
| Back to School Clothing and Footwear | 16,713 |
| Administration Costs | 47,279 |
| Total | 671,308 |
| (1) Includes DPA. | |
| (2) Includes Diet, Travel, Other. | |
| Note: All figures are provisional. |
It should be noted that some of the totals are not equal to the sum of the parts. This is due to rounding.
| Type of Payment | Expenditure | Total Expenditure |
| â'¬000 | €000 | |
| Exceptional Needs Payments and Other Exceptional SWA Payments | ||
| Housing | ||
| New Accommodation Kit | 7,209 | |
| Household Appliances | 5,886 | |
| Rent Deposit | 5,861 | |
| Furniture | 2,574 | |
| Floor Covering | 1,854 | |
| Bedding | 1,725 | |
| Repair/maintenance | 1,113 | 26,223 |
| Clothing | ||
| Adult Clothing | 6,794 | |
| Child Clothing | 1,213 | |
| Communion/Confirmation | 1,321 | 9,328 |
| Funeral | ||
| Funeral Expenses | 2,633 | |
| Burial Expenses | 385 | 3,018 |
| Child Related | ||
| Pram/Buggy | 1,185 | |
| Cot | 885 | 2,070 |
| Bills | ||
| Rent/Mortgage Interest Arrears | 3,898 | |
| Household | 1,353 | 5,251 |
| Illness | ||
| Confinement Costs | 823 | |
| Hospital Requirements | 351 | 1,175 |
| General | ||
| Other(1) | 4,365 | |
| Travel Costs | 2,296 | |
| Insufficient Means | 1,550 | |
| Heating | 863 | |
| Lost/Stolen Money | 135 | |
| Household Budget | 98 | 9,308 |
| Urgent Needs Payments | 140 | 140 |
| Grand Total | 56,513 | |
| (1)This includes €0.44m in payments in respect of homeless people made on behalf of local authorities and subsequently re-imbursed. |
It should be noted that some of the totals are not equal to the sum of the parts. This is due to rounding.
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