Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 399: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people in receipt of rent supplement who the community welfare officers have deducted overpayment money from their allowances, in view of the fact that they have not made the payment to their landlords having received payment from the CWO; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6203/08]

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 Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Where the HSE becomes aware that a person receiving rent supplement is not using that supplement to meet housing costs, the supplement may be stopped and an overpayment may be raised. Any overpayment of rent supplement incurred in circumstances of this kind may be recoverable from the tenant. It is a matter for a Community Welfare Officer (CWO) of the HSE to determine if an overpayment should be raised and recovered, taking into account all of the circumstances of each particular case. Where an overpayment is deemed to be recoverable, a CWO will make appropriate arrangements with the tenant for recovery of the overpayment.

Available statistics do not specifically identify the number of people who have had deductions made from payments, where rent supplement was found not to have been paid over to a landlord. However, enquiries with the community welfare service suggest that the scale of this particular type of overpayment is not significant.