Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 173: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will expand the carer's programme to facilitate payments to a wider group of carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18850/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if it is her intention to ease the qualification requirements for respite care grants in line with the original announcement at the introduction of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18852/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 173 and 175 together.

Supporting and recognising carers in our society is, and has been, a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and extended.

Carer's allowance, in line with other social assistance schemes, is means tested. This ensures that scarce resources are directed at those in greatest need. The carer's allowance means test is one of the more flexible tests in terms of the assessment of household incomes. It has been significantly eased over the years, most notably with regard to spouse's earnings.

Increases to the carer's allowance income disregard, provided for in Budget 2008, mean that, from April 2008, a single person can have an income of €332.50 per week and a couple can have an income of up to €665 per week and still qualify for the maximum rate of carer's allowance (the previous levels were €320 and €640 per week respectively). This ensures that a couple can have an income in the region of €37,200 per year and still qualify for the maximum rate of carer's allowance as well as the associated free travel, household benefits package and the respite care grant. This increase surpasses the Towards 2016 commitment of ensuring that those on average earnings can qualify for carer's allowance. In addition, in Budget 2008 the maximum rate of carer's allowance was increased to €214 per week for those aged under 66 and to €232 per week for those aged over 66, with effect from January 2008.

Budget 2007 provided for new arrangements whereby people can receive a maximum payment equivalent to a half rate carers allowance while receiving another social welfare payment, other than jobseekers benefit or allowance. In June 2006 the number of hours for which a person can engage in employment, self-employment, education or training and still be considered to be providing full time care for the purposes of carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant was increased from 10 to 15 hours per week.

From June 2005, the annual respite care grant was extended to all carers who are providing full time care to a person who needs such care, regardless of their income. A carer who is caring for two or more people is entitled to a full grant for each of the care recipients. The rate of the grant will increase to €1,700 per year from June 2008. I will keep the supports for carers available from my Department under review in order to continue to improve the schemes and ensure commitments on income support are delivered.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 177: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will examine the qualification for the back to education allowance with a view to extending and broadening the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18854/08]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 178: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications for the back to education allowance received in her Department in each of the past three years to date; the numbers approved, rejected or pending; her proposals to extend or improve the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18855/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 178 together.

The back to education allowance (BTEA) is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to the maximum rate of the relevant social welfare payment that qualifies the applicant for participation in the scheme. It essentially replaces their existing social welfare income and in addition an annual €400 cost of education allowance is payable. From September 2008 the annual cost of education allowance will increase to €500.

The current scheme is in place since January 1998 and has been subject to review and modification over the years to ensure it continues to support those people who are most distant from the labour market and whose need is greatest. Improvements include:

In Budget 2005 a reduction in the qualifying period for access to the third level option from 15 to 12 months.

From September, 2005, a reduction in the qualifying period to 9 months for access to the third level option for persons participating in the National Employment Action Plan (NEAP) process where a FÁS Employment Services Officer recommends pursuance of a third level course of study as essential to the enhancement of the individuals employment prospects.

From September, 2006 time spent in receipt of supplementary welfare allowance from the Health Services Executive or the direct provision system operated by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform can count towards the qualifying period for back to education allowance in circumstances where the person establishes an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment prior to commencing an approved course of study.

Further improvements to the BTEA scheme came into effect from the beginning of the current academic year in September 2007. People who are awarded statutory redundancy may access the BTEA scheme immediately provided an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment is established prior to commencing an approved course of study. The qualifying period for illness benefit recipients was also reduced from three to two years.

I will continue to monitor the scheme but I believe that, overall, the current arrangements provide that my Department's back to education allowance scheme continues to meet its objectives and ensures that limited resources are targeted at those who are most in need.

The details requested in relation to applications for BTEA are given in tabular form below for the academic years 2004/2005 to 2006/2007 inclusive. There are no cases pending for any of these years.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 179: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will increase rent support in line with economic circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18856/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The purpose of rent supplement, administered under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, is to provide short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. Rent supplement is subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant may incur. Rent limits are set at levels that enable the different eligible household types to secure and retain basic suitable rented accommodation, having regard to the different rental market conditions that prevail in various parts of the State. The objective is to ensure that rent supplement is not paid in respect of overly expensive accommodation having regard to the size of the household. There are currently over 62,000 rent supplements in payment.

Setting maximum rent limits higher than are justified by the open market would have a distorting effect on the rental market, leading to a more general rise in rent levels. This in turn would worsen the affordability of rental accommodation unnecessarily, with particular negative impact for those tenants on lower incomes, including people in low wage employment. Notwithstanding these limits, under existing arrangements the HSE may, in certain circumstances, exceed the rent limits. This discretionary power ensures that individuals with particular needs can be accommodated within the scheme and specifically protects against homelessness.

The current rent limits were set in January 2007. A review of rent limits is currently being undertaken. A consultative process is being used to ensure that the views of all relevant parties are sought and taken into account in the process. This includes consultation with the HSE, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Central Statistics Office, the Private Residential Tenancies Board and voluntary agencies working in this area. This process helps ensure that the new rent limits reflect realistic market conditions throughout the country. Any adjustments to rent limits, resulting from this review, will be effective from 1 July 2008.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the extent to which she has met or will meet in full applications for full occupational injury payments for suffers of pneumonocosis to those deemed to suffer from illness regardless of the extent to which they are affected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18857/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Pneumoconiosis is a prescribed disease for the purpose of the Occupational Injuries scheme administered by my Department. The legislation governing the Occupational Injuries Scheme provides entitlement to benefit for persons suffering from certain prescribed diseases which are listed in the legislation and where that person has contracted that disease in the course of their employment.

Where a person has contracted one of the diseases listed in the legislation, benefits are payable if they were employed in an occupation which is specifically prescribed in relation to that disease or if they can show, to the satisfaction of the Chief Medical Advisor in the Department, that the disease was contracted through an employment not specifically prescribed in relation to that disease.

Employment under a contract of service is insurable for Occupational Injuries Benefit under the Social Welfare Acts. An insured person who contracts pneumoconiosis may qualify for disablement benefit under that scheme, in addition to disability benefit under the general social insurance scheme, subject to meeting the qualifying conditions. Medical assessments are undertaken in all such cases to determine the degree of disablement, which is calculated by comparison of the state of health of the applicant with a person of the same age and gender.

Persons claiming Occupational Injuries Benefit in cases of Pneumoconiosis are referred to Consultant Respiratory Physicians in the first instance for an examination and report. This examination consists of a clinical assessment and pulmonary function testing (PFT). Disablement benefit is awarded on the basis of the consultant's report, including the pulmonary function test result. The degree of disablement is expressed as a percentage of loss of faculty and the compensation payable varies accordingly.

Loss of faculty may be determined within a range of less than 1% to 100%, depending on the severity of the condition. Currently, there are 25 people in receipt of disablement benefit as a result of contracting pneumoconiosis arising from their occupation, of which 20 are former coal miners and 5 were in employments prescribed in relation to asbestos. The percentage of disablement assessed in these cases ranges from 8% to 90%. A person must be assessed as having a minimum of 20% loss of faculty before they may be considered as being incapable of work due to their disablement. Of the 25 persons already mentioned who are in receipt of disablement benefit in respect of pneumoconiosis 16 are also in receipt of state pension (contributory), 1 is in receipt of state pension (transition), 7 are in receipt of invalidity pension and 1 is at work.

Where a person qualifies for disablement benefit, the rate of benefit increases on an annual basis in line with the normal social welfare budget increases. In addition, where a person feels that his/her condition has deteriorated since the assessment was made under the scheme, it is open to that person to apply for a review of the percentage calculated.