Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 200: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kildare has been refused supplementary welfare allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44108/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The Executive has advised that the person concerned has been asked to provide additional information in order that her claim to supplementary welfare allowance can be processed. To date the person concerned has not provided the information requested.

P J Sheehan (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 201: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if assistance is available for persons (details supplied) in Dublin 10; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44114/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The purpose of the rent supplement 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 not payable in circumstances where the applicant or spouse is engaged in full-time employment. The Executive has advised that the person concerned was previously in receipt of rent supplement and that her rent supplement was stopped on 21 October 2007 on the grounds that her partner is engaged in full-time employment. The income limit for payment of family income supplement for a family in their circumstances is currently €570 per week. The person concerned was granted an exceptional needs payment to assist with payment of household bills in June 2008.

The Executive has further advised that, if their circumstances have changed, they should contact the community welfare services directly in order to make an application for or discuss any entitlements they may have to further assistance under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. In the meantime, their possible eligibility for housing support is being examined.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 202: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the policy in place to deal with the weakening pound and the currency rate used to calculate a UK payment as part of an Irish means tested claim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44120/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In assessing means deriving from payments received from EU Member States (including U.K.) which do not form part of the EMU currencies, the Department uses the conversion mechanism provided for under Article 107 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 574/72 on Social Security for Migrant Workers. The exchange rates for converting Sterling and other non-EMU currencies are published quarterly in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Under this mechanism the conversion rate used for means testing purposes is derived from the average of the daily exchange rates in the first month of a quarter. This rate is then used in all conversions during the course of the succeeding quarter. Alternatively the conversion rate applicable to the next succeeding quarter is used if it is more beneficial to the customer. When reviewing customers who are in receipt of British pensions the exchange rate used to convert Sterling is the rate applicable to the second quarter (i.e. the quarter in which the British pension increase occurred) or the third quarter if that is more beneficial.

The Department does not generally review claims specifically because of movements in the exchange rate. However, it is open to any pensioner who believes they may be entitled to an increase in the rate of their State Pension (Non Contributory) payment to seek to have their means reviewed. It should be noted that changes to the value of a British pension due to currency fluctuation may well be offset by annual increases to the rate of those pensions that have yet to be included in the assessment and consequently the customer's State Pension (Non Contributory) payment may be unchanged or even reduced as a result of a review. In this regard the Department is aware that the British Retirement Pension (including graduated pension rates) has been increased by 3.9% effective from the 7th April 2008.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 203: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in County Cork is entitled to rent allowance. [44123/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the Department by the Health Service Executive (HSE), as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. The purpose of the rent supplement 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 normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of SWA appropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum contribution, currently €13, which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Many recipients pay more than €13 because recipients are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic SWA rate towards their accommodation costs.

The Executive has advised that it has no record of an application for rent supplement from the person concerned. The Executive has further advised that he should contact the community welfare services directly in order to make an application for or discuss any entitlements he may have to rent supplement.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 204: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be awarded jobseeker's allowance in view of the fact that all information requested has been supplied by the claimant. [44261/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Social Welfare Inspector's enquiries in this case have been completed and the file has been forwarded to the relevant Social Welfare Local Office for a decision on entitlement. A decision will be made as soon as possible and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.

Under Social Welfare legislation decisions in relation to claims must be made by Deciding Officers and Appeals Officers. These officers are statutorily appointed and I have no role in regard to making such decisions.