Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 481: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in County Cork is entitled to a jobseeker's allowance payment. [22910/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned made a claim for jobseeker's benefit on 13 May 2009. Her claim will be decided by a deciding officer as soon as possible and she will be advised of the outcome.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 482: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when a decision will be made on an application for farm assist for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [22931/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned recently provided farm account details as requested by the Social Welfare Inspector in connection with her claim. These are currently being examined and on completion of enquiries, a decision will be made as soon as possible and she 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.

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 483: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when eligibility for jobseeker's benefit will expire for a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [22974/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned has been in receipt of jobseeker's benefit for a total of 312 days (12 months) and exhausted her entitlement to benefit on 27 May 2009. She has now made a claim for credited contributions and this will be examined by a Deciding Officer as soon as possible.

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 484: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason the free schemes have been removed from a bill to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [22984/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned had her connection to the ESB ceased due to a house fire and notification of this to the Department caused her Household Benefits allowance to be stopped. The electricity supply has since been reconnected and her Household Benefits were restored on 28 May 2009. Any credit due will appear on her revised ESB bill.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 485: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason the free schemes have been removed from a bill to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [23000/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned claimed jobseeker's allowance on 27 May 2009 and the claim has been forwarded to the social welfare inspector for investigation of the person's means. The claim will be decided by a deciding officer as soon as possible and the person concerned will be advised of the outcome immediately thereafter.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 486: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when rent supplement will be reviewed in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare whose rent has been reduced twice in the last number of months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23075/09]

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.

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 appropriate to family circumstances less a minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. Many recipients pay more than the minimum contribution of €24 a week because they are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic rate of supplementary welfare allowance towards their accommodation costs.

As part of Budget 2009, the minimum weekly contribution which a person is required to contribute towards their rent was increased from €13 to €18 with effect from January 2009. The recent Supplementary Budget provided that the weekly minimum contribution payable towards rent was increased from €18 to €24 from 1 June 2009. It also provided that payments currently being made to existing rent supplement tenants be reduced by 8% from the same date. These measures account for the reduction in the rent supplement payments to the person concerned this year. The Executive has advised that she should contact her local community welfare officer if there has been a change in her circumstances so that her entitlement to rent supplement can be reviewed.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 487: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a person (details supplied) in County Cork is entitled to unemployment assistance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23108/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned has not made an application for jobseeker's allowance. Until such time as an application is received, no determination can be made as regards his entitlements.