Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 134: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the minimum payment from a social welfare income; the ceiling level of eligible rent, mortgage interest and house insurance; the maximum duration of payment in respect of new claims for supplement towards private rents or mortgage interest payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42508/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme provides for a weekly or monthly supplement to be paid in respect of rent or mortgage interest to any person in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is administered by the community welfare service of the Health Service Executive on behalf of the Department. The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term 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.

Similarly, mortgage interest supplement provides short-term income support to eligible people who are unable to meet their mortgage interest repayments in respect of a house which is their sole place of residence. The supplement assists with the interest portion of the mortgage repayments only. Rent and mortgage interest supplement is subject to a means test which is normally calculated to ensure that, after payment of rent or mortgage interest, an eligible person has income equal to the rate of basic supplementary welfare allowance appropriate to their family circumstances, less a minimum contribution, currently €24, which each recipient is required to pay from his or her own resources. In accordance with the statutory qualifying conditions, rent supplement is normally paid for the duration of the period for which entitlement exists.

Rent supplements are subject to a limit on the amount of rent that an applicant may incur. The objective is to ensure that rent supplement is not paid in respect of overly expensive accommodation having regard to the size of the household and market conditions. Maximum rent limits are prescribed in regulations and are time limited so that they can be adjusted in the light of rent levels generally. Rent limits were reviewed earlier this year. In testing the level at which basic accommodation can be secured, the Department was informed by analysis of a number of data sources including data published by the CSO on trends in the private rental market. Rent limits and payments to existing rent supplement recipients were reduced to reflect the downward trends in the private rental market. A copy of the current maximum rent limits is attached.

Mortgage interest is defined in Section 187 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended). In accordance with this provision, a mortgage interest supplement may be paid on the full amount of interest payable, where the loan has been taken out for the purchase, repair or essential improvement of the sole or main residence of a person or to pay off another loan used for that purpose.

In addition, under Article 10 of the Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Allowance ) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 412 of 2007), a supplement towards mortgage interest may be payable where the Executive is satisfied that the amount of mortgage interest payable by the claimant does not exceed such amount as it considers reasonable to meet his or her residential and other needs and where the Executive considers it is reasonable to award a supplement having regard to the amount of any arrears outstanding on the loan. When considering if the amount of mortgage interest is reasonable to meet residential need, regard would normally be had to the household composition of the claimant and to the appropriate maximum rent limits in operation in that geographical area.

In accordance with the statutory qualifying conditions, mortgage interest supplement is normally paid for the duration of the period for which entitlement exists. In exceptional circumstances, the Health Service Executive may award a supplement where the amount of mortgage interest payable by a person exceeds such amount as the Health Service Executive considers reasonable to meet his or her residential needs. Such an exceptional supplement is payable for a maximum of 12 months from the date of the claim.

Table 1

Maximum Rent Levels from 1st June 2009

The values refer to weekly values except for the values in Column 6, Column 7 and Column 8 for Dublin Kildare and Wicklow which are monthly values.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the person eligible to apply for rent supplement; and the procedure where a person who has an emergency housing need would avoid the application of the six month renting rule. [42509/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term 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 another source.

The 2009 Supplementary Budget introduced new arrangements for access to rent supplement. In order to qualify for a rent supplement, from the 27th July 2009, a person must have been residing in private rented accommodation or accommodation for homeless persons (or any combination of these) for a period of 183 days within the preceding 12 months of the date of claim for rent supplement. A person may also qualify for rent supplement where an assessment of housing need has been carried out within the 12 months preceding the date of claim and the person is deemed by the relevant local authority to be eligible for and in need of social housing support.

In all other cases, a person who wishes to apply for rent supplement is referred, in the first instance, for an assessment of eligibility for social housing support by the local housing authority in the area where claim to rent supplement is made (and the person intends to reside). Only when the person has been assessed as being eligible for and in need of social housing support, does the person become eligible for consideration for rent supplement. The aim of this restriction on entitlement to rent supplement and the new working arrangements is to ensure that the housing authorities remain the principal agents both for assessing housing needs and for meeting the long-term housing needs of persons.

Detailed guidelines on the operation of the restrictions on access to rent supplement were issued simultaneously by the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government to community welfare staff and local housing authority staff respectively. The Guidelines which issued to local housing authorities advised that they should deal with those presenting with an immediate housing need, by way of social housing accommodation or, where none is available, emergency accommodation until such time as a housing needs assessment is completed.

Where emergency accommodation is deemed not appropriate by the relevant local authority, the authority can prioritise the housing needs assessment for this household so that rent support can be provided sooner, where applicable. These procedures, where operated by local housing authorities, should ensure that those with an urgent housing need have their needs met in the most appropriate manner.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 136: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if persons, who are on a partial jobseeker's allowance, are excluded from back to education allowance to participate in career changing college courses arranged with Higher Education Authority support under the labour market activation programme; her views on relaxing rules to allow such persons receive support while participating. [42520/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The back to education allowance is a second chance educational opportunities scheme for people on welfare payments who wish to participate in full time education and who would not otherwise be able to do so. In order to qualify for participation, an applicant must be in receipt of a relevant social welfare payment for 3 months if pursuing a second level course or 12 months if pursuing a third level course. The qualifying period for access to third level courses is reduced to 9 months for those who are participating in the National Employment Action Plan process or engaging with the Department's facilitator programme. People who are awarded statutory redundancy may access the scheme immediately, provided an entitlement to a relevant social welfare payment is established prior to commencing an approved course of study.

The back to education allowance is paid at a standard weekly rate equivalent to the maximum rate of the relevant social welfare payment that qualifies the person to participate in the scheme. Consequently a person (a) that satisfies the qualifying period outlined above and is (b) on a reduced rate of jobseeker's allowance would have their rate increased if approved for the back to education allowance. The Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, the Department of Education and Science and the Higher Education Authority have undertaken a joint initiative to provide 1,500 part-time undergraduate places and 1,000 part-time postgraduate places to people who are unemployed and on the live register for at least 6 months or have an entitlement to statutory redundancy.

A jobseeker who wishes to participate in a part-time course may do so under the Department's part-time education option (PTEO). Participants may continue to receive their existing social welfare entitlements provided they continue to satisfy all the existing terms and conditions of their jobseeker scheme. Participation on a part-time course does not attract any increase in the rate of payment or any extension of the payment period. There is no requirement to be unemployed for a certain length of time before commencing a part-time course of education. Approval to undertake a part-time course must be obtained in advance from the local social welfare office. The conditions of the back to education programme will continue to be monitored in the context of the objectives of the schemes and changes in the economic climate.