Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 1017: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will extend the eligibility criteria for computer training courses to allow people who are the qualified adult dependents on their spouse's pension or social welfare payment to earn a training allowance similar to lone parents and widows; the reason married women are being discriminated against and treated differently to others. [28973/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Across the majority of social welfare payments, entitlement to an increase for a qualified adult is based, inter alia, on the spouse/partner's income. An increase at the maximum rate is payable where the spouse/ partner's income is €100 per week or less, with a reduced or tapered rate payable where this income is between €100 and €250.

Since this Government came into office, a number of changes to these tapering arrangements have been introduced with a view to ensuring that the impact of increases in earnings are not negated for families where the spouse is the sole earner and is in low-paid employment. Firstly, the range of income over which the increase for a qualified adult is withdrawn has been progressively extended. Secondly, provision was made for the deferral of the loss of half the child dependant allowance until the earnings of the spouse/partner exceeds the upper bound of the income range, which has been increased in each successive Budget from €171.41 in 2000 to €250 during the course of 2006. Thirdly, the qualified adult weekly rates have been increased annually in each Budget package. It should be noted, therefore, that the increase for a qualified adult is now not fully withdrawn until the spouse/ partner's weekly income exceeds €250.

Where the spouse/partner of a claimant is in receipt of an allowance in respect of a full-time FÁS or VTOS course, s/he is not considered to be a qualified adult dependant. The Training Authority/VEC is responsible for paying the spouse/partner a personal rate plus half rate child dependant increase (if applicable) for the duration of the course.

Where a spouse/partner is on a part-time FÁS/VEC course, the full increase for a qualified adult is payable where the spouse/partner's total gross weekly income (including training allowance) does not exceed €100.00. Otherwise entitlement (if any) to a reduced increase is calculated in the usual way in line with weekly earnings between €100.00 and €250.00. These rules also apply where a spouse/partner is participating in a full-time or part-time course which is not administered by FÁS or the VEC.

It should be noted that, for the purpose of calculation of means for one parent family payment and widows' pension, training allowances are assessed in the same way as earnings from employment.

One of the key objectives of the 2006 social welfare budget package was to protect and enhance the real value of all rates of payment. In this context, it provided for increases in the main personal rates of weekly payments ranging from 9.4% to 14%. The main qualified adult rates were also increased by the same percentages thereby ensuring that they did not fall as a proportion of the associated personal rate. The lower threshold was increased from €88.88 to €100 and the earnings bands which dictated the rate of withdrawal of the increase for a qualified adult were extended from €6.35 to €10.

Any change in the current arrangements relating to the qualified adult increase would have to be considered in a budgetary context and in light of available resources.