Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 277: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the fact that people who have exhausted their jobseeker's benefit and are awaiting the processing of their jobseeker's allowance applications are being refused supplementary welfare allowance; and the steps she proposes to deal with this situation. [32073/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) is administered on behalf of the Department by the Community Welfare Service of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Officials in the Department have contacted HSE management in the Community Welfare Service who have been unable to find evidence of a problem of routine refusals of SWA where a jobseekers allowance claim is pending. However, if the Deputy has particular cases in mind I can arrange to have specific enquiries made.

The SWA scheme is delivered locally by community welfare officers who interview claimants when they present to claim SWA and decide on entitlement based on all of the facts of the case and the relevant legislative provisions. There is a right of appeal against the decision of a community welfare officer to an Appeals Officer of the Health Service Executive and thereafter to the Chief Appeals Officer of the Department.

Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 278: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if carer's allowance is included as income when calculating a family's entitlement to back to school clothing and footwear allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32074/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The back to school clothing and footwear allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a one-off payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when their children start school each autumn. The allowance is not intended to meet the full cost of school clothing and footwear but only to provide assistance towards these costs.

A person may qualify for payment of an allowance if they are in receipt of a social welfare or Health Service Executive payment, are participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education and training course and have household income at or below certain set levels. The income limits for the BSCFA scheme for 2009 are € 560 for a couple with one child and € 407 for a person with one child. The limit is increased by €26 for each additional child.

In line with other secondary payments, a means test is applied to ensure that limited resources are directed to those in greatest need. In general, all household in come, including welfare payments such as carer's allowance, is assessable as means under the BSCFA scheme. The exceptions to these rules are that any income received in the form of Family Income Supplement (FIS), Higher Level Education grants or the first €120 earnings from employment of a rehabilitative nature is disregarded for the purposes of the BSCFA scheme.

Over €58m has been paid to 120,600 claimants to date in 2009, in respect of the BSCFA scheme. Any further improvements to the scheme, or amendments to the qualifying criteria, would have to be considered in a budgetary context and in the light of resources available for improvements in social welfare payments generally.