Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 61: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of people in each county availing of the rent income supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16960/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The following tabular statement shows the number of recipients of rent supplement by county.

Rent Supplement Recipients by County

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the action she is taking to speed up processing times for payments for unemployed people who were formerly self-employed. [17000/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Self-employed people or those who were formerly self-employed are treated the same as any other applicant for a jobseekers payment. Those who do not qualify for jobseekers benefit which is based on PRSI contributions may qualify for jobseekers allowance provided they satisfy the normal conditions which include a means test.

Generally, self-employed persons are assessed on the basis of their income in the past 12 months to determine their expected income in the following year. If a self-employed person lost a contract and was unlikely to find a substitute contract in the coming year, this is factored into the assessment of future income. It is recognised that the present downturn in the economy is having a significant impact on many self-employed persons and the consequent reduction in their income and activity levels would be reflected in any assessment of their means from self-employment for jobseeker's allowance purposes. The Social Welfare Inspectors take account of this fact in projecting future earnings.

While additional staff have been allocated to Local Offices to deal with the increasing live register, other initiatives have also been put in place to speed up the taking and processing of claims. This includes the setting up of regional support units in Sligo, Carrick-on-Shannon, Finglas, and Townsend St. in Dublin. These improvements are part of a programme of initiatives being developed by the Department to streamline processes and procedures in Local and Branch Offices and it is intended that further improvements will be introduced on an on-going basis during 2009.