Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will provide an assurance that no further cuts in social welfare payments or schemes are expected to take place having particular regard to increased requirements arising from the economic downturn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25605/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There are no plans to introduce any further changes to social welfare entitlements in 2009. Social welfare changes for 2010 will be considered later this year in a Budgetary context and having regard to available resources.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when jobseeker's allowance is expected to be awarded in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25606/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The person concerned applied for jobseeker's allowance on 16 December 2008. Her file was referred to an Inspector for a means assessment. She was interviewed by the Inspector on 04 February 2009 and subsequent to this interview a number of checks were required regarding her identity, residency and employment record. The Inspector will be finalizing a report in the next week or so and a decision will be made on her application as soon as possible thereafter.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 177: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when rent support will be offered to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25608/09]

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 (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.

The Executive has advised that rent supplement was refused on the basis that the person concerned was not in a position to afford the rent at the time she took on the tenancy in question. She was in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance at that time. Article 9 (2) (a) (1) of SI 412/07 provides that a Rent Supplement should only be paid where the claimant "could reasonably have afforded the rent at the commencement of the tenancy". She appealed against this decision to an Appeals Officer of the Executive and that appeal was successful. The person concerned was advised of the Appeals Officer's decision on 16 June 2009.