Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 1002: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a rent support review will be undertaken in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2425/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the department by the Health Service Executive 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 supplementary welfare allowance a ppropriate to their family circumstances less a minimum contribution, currently €18, which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Many recipients pay more than €18 because recipients are also required, subject to income disregards, to con tribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic supplementary welfare allowance rate towards their accommodation costs.

The Executive has advised that the person concerned has been refused rent supplement as the total household income is sufficient to meet his accommodation costs. The person concerned has recently appealed against this decision to the HSE Appeals Office. He will be contacted directly when a decision has been made on his appeal.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 1003: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved an awarded jobseekers allowance. [2433/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned applied for a jobseeker's allowance payment on 1 December 2008. His claim is currently with a Social Welfare Inspector for investigation of his circumstances. On completion of enquiries, a decision will be made as soon as possible and he 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.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 1004: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position of an appeal by a person (details supplied) in County Kildare against the decision to refuse their application for rent supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2436/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Rent supplement is administered on behalf of the department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive 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.

The community welfare service must satisfy itself that an applicant for rent supplement has a genuine accommodation need for which he or she cannot provide, that a bona fide tenancy arrangement exists between the applicant and the landlord and that the property being rented is suitable to his or her needs. In determining whether the accommodation is suited to the person's accommodation needs, a community welfare officer must establish the household composition, the size of the accommodation unit and identify any special needs that the person may have.

The Executive had advised that rent supplement was refused in this case as the accommodation in question was deemed to be not reasonably suited to the needs of the person concerned i.e. the accommodation was larger than her family circumstances required. The HSE Appeals Office has advised that it has no record of an appeal from the person concerned.