Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 334: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason rent allowance and other benefits have been withdrawn from a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [25942/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered on behalf of my Department by the Health Service Executive. It provides for the payment of a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of rent to eligible persons in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation needs. In general people engaged in full-time employment are not entitled to receive rent supplement. For these purposes, full-time employment means working in excess of 30 hours per week. However, since June of this year recipients of rent supplement who are accepted by local authorities as eligible for the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) may take up full-time employment and still continue to receive rent supplement subject to their satisfying the standard means test.

The Health Service Executive has advised that payment of rent supplement has been terminated in this case as the person concerned is in full-time employment. The Executive has further advised that a letter has issued on 25th October 2007 to the person concerned advising her of the reason for termination of rent supplement and advising of her right to appeal.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 335: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if elderly people living in boarded out accommodation can be allowed to retain their fuel allowance. [26035/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The aim of the national fuel scheme is to assist householders on long-term social welfare or health service executive payments with meeting the cost of their additional heating needs during the winter season. Fuel allowances are paid for 29 weeks from end-September to mid-April and are not intended to meet the full cost of heating.

The main conditions that applies to the scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or only with:

a dependent spouse or partner

a dependent child

a person who gives full-time care and attention where the applicant requires constant care and attention

a person who is in receipt of a qualifying payment from the Department

a person in receipt of a short-term unemployment assistance payment

a person in receipt of a carer's allowance

The purpose of the household composition and means test rules for fuel allowance scheme qualifying purposes is to ascertain the ability of applicant households to meet their normal heating requirements out of their own resources. A fuel allowance is unlikely to be payable where there is a working adult residing in the applicant household, unless that person is in one of the above categories. People in boarded out accommodation will not qualify for a fuel allowance, or will not retain their fuel allowance, unless they satisfy the scheme criteria as outlined above.

Any changes in the rules for the scheme, such as including people in boarded out accommodation would have cost implications and would have to be considered in the context of the Budget and in the light of the resources available to me for improvements in social welfare generally.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 336: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will review the disability allowance awarded to a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement with regard to the payment of disability allowance to Irish citizens who are involuntarily moved to residential care in Northern Ireland. [26113/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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One of the qualifying conditions for entitlement to Disability Allowance is that an applicant must be resident in the State. Section 249 6(a) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, states "a person shall be disqualified for receipt of jobseeker's allowance, pre-retirement allowance, disability allowance or farm assist while he or she is—

(a) resident, whether temporarily or permanently, outside the State."

The person concerned was awarded disability allowance in May 2001 which was stopped in 2004 when he was admitted to residential care in Northern Ireland. He was subsequently awarded disability allowance from 24 May 2006 when he returned to the State. His request that his Disability Allowance be awarded for the period 6 October 2004 to 23 May 2006 when he was in residential care in Northern Ireland was refused on grounds that he was absent from the State.

I am satisfied with the current arrangements regarding payment of Disability Allowance as it is preferable that the income needs of people outside the State are met by authorities in the relevant jurisdiction. In that regard, a person concerned, while resident in Northern Ireland, may apply for Incapacity Benefit under United Kingdom legislation.

Mary O'Rourke (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 337: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason rent subsidy is being refused to a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath. [26141/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Rent supplement is subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant for rent supplement may incur. These limits take household size into account. The objective is to ensure that rent supplement is not paid in respect of overly expensive accommodation.

The Health Service Executive which administers the scheme on behalf of my Department has advised that the person concerned was in receipt of rent supplement from 8th January 2007 to 31 July 2007. His rent supplement was terminated on the grounds that the rent payable was in excess of the prescribed limits for a person in his circumstances. The current rent limit applying in County Westmeath for a household comprising one parent with one child is €140 per week or €606.67 per month. The Executive advises that the person concerned was in private rented accommodation with rent of €750 per month.

The Executive further advises that the person concerned was initially granted rent supplement from January 2007 on an interim basis to afford him time to seek alternative rented accommodation within the rent limits applying to his circumstances.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 338: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will qualify for the Christmas bonus payment. [26165/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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A special Christmas Bonus payment was first introduced in December, 1980, for social welfare pensioners and people who depend solely on their social welfare payments for income support. I will make an announcement in relation to the special Christmas Bonus payment for 2007 shortly.

The person concerned is not currently in receipt of any income support from the Department of Social and Family Affairs. However, should she apply and become entitled to a social welfare payment her entitlement to a Christmas bonus will be considered in light of the criteria applying to the bonus this year.