Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 402: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is being refused family income supplement in view of their need for this. [41585/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Family income supplement (FIS) is designed to provide cash support for employees on low earnings with families. This preserves the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were unemployed and claiming other social welfare payments.

FIS is not payable to self-employed people. As the person concerned is self-employed, she does not qualify for FIS. However, self employed persons on low income can, subject to fulfilling the means and other conditions, qualify for job seekers' allowance. Any extension of FIS to categories of persons not covered by the scheme at present would have to be considered in a budgetary context.