Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 128: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of claimants whose allowance payment is reduced because they are also claiming payment, pension or income from the UK. [2888/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The number of people in receipt of State Pension whose payment is reduced due to the fact that they also receive a Pension payment from the UK is as follows:

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 129: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when rent support will be offered in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2929/09]

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 Executive has advised that it has no record of an application for rent supplement from the person concerned. If the person concerned wishes to make an application for rent supplement he should contact the community welfare officer at his local health centre.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 130: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when rent support will issue in the case of persons (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2932/09]

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 position remains as advised in question number 1002 which I answered for the Deputy on 27 January 2009. 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.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason unemployment benefit or allowance has not been granted in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2935/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The claim by the person concerned for job seekers benefit was disallowed by a Deciding Officer of the Department on 19 May 2008 on the grounds that he was not available for or genuinely seeking full-time work. He appealed this decision on 10/7/08 and I am advised by the Social Welfare Appeals Office that the appeal was referred to an Appeals Officer who held an oral hearing of the case on 23 October 2008.

Having considered all the available evidence including that adduced at the oral hearing, the Appeals Officer held that the person was genuinely seeking employment but disallowed the appeal on the grounds that he was not available for full time employment as prescribed in social welfare legislation as the Appeals Officer considered that the terms and conditions of his part-time employment as a fire-fighter placed restrictions on the location and conditions of prospective employment. The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an office of this Department that is independently responsible for determining appeals against decisions on social welfare entitlements.