Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 814: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications for back to education allowance received, granted or refused in each of the past five years to date in 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2184/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Participants on the back to education allowance (BTEA) scheme transfer from another social welfare payment. Annual statistics are collated by the department for the number of participants on the basis of the relevant academic year. Statistics are not collated centrally on the number of applications received or the number who are refused entry to the scheme and, consequently, remain on their existing payment. Details of the number of participants on the scheme (BTEA) for the academic years 2004/2005 to 2008/2009 are presented in the following table. The table shows a significant increase in the number of participants on the scheme in the 2008/09 academic year. BTEA Participants 2004/2005 to 2008/2009

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 815: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons in receipt of mortgage support and the cost thereof in each of the past three years to date in 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2185/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 816: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of persons in receipt of rent support; the cost thereof in each of the past three years to date in 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2186/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 817: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applicants for rent support received in each of the past five years to date in 2010; the number awarded; the number appealed; the number of cases overturned on appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2187/10]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 818: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the number of applications for mortgage support received in each of the past five years to date in 2010; the number awarded; the number appealed; the number of cased overturned on appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2188/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 815 to 817, inclusive, and 818 together.

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.

The following is a tabular statement on rent and mortgage interest supplement recipients and expenditure for: 2007; 2008; and 2009. Currently there is no available data on expenditure for rent and mortgage interest supplement for 2010. Expenditure data is collected on a month-end basis. I also attach tables showing the number of rent and mortgage interest supplement claims registered and awarded in: 2007; 2008; 2009; and up to the 15th of January 2010. Figures are unavailable for the number of claims registered and awarded for the years 2005 and 2006. Further tables show the number of rent and mortgage interest supplement appeals received and, of those, the number of appeals which were successful for the years 2005 to 2009.

Recipients and Expenditure on Rent Supplement 2006 to 2009

* Expenditure for 2009 is Provisional

* No expenditure figures for 2010 available.

Recipients and Expenditure on Mortgage Interest Supplement 2006 to 2009

* Expenditure for 2009 is Provisional

* No expenditure figures for 2010 available.

Rent Supplement Claims Registered and Awarded 2007 to 2010

Notes

· Claims registered include claims not pursued by the applicant and re-application where a rent supplement recipient moves to new accommodation.

· Claim details are recorded electronically where it is established that rent supplement is payable. Where an appeal has been lodged, claim details are also recorded electronically.

· Given the pressure on the community welfare service, claim details are not always recorded on the system where no entitlement has been established to rent supplement.

· The difference between claims registered and claims awarded is not necessarily a refusal rate, for the reasons outlined above.

· In these circumstances, fully reliable statistics are not available on the total number of people who applied for and were refused rent supplement.

Mortgage Interest Supplement Claims Registered and Awarded 2007 to 2010

Notes

· Claims registered include claims not pursued by the applicant.

· Claim details are recorded electronically where it is established that rent supplement is payable. Where an appeal has been lodged, claim details are recorded electronically.

· Given the pressure on the community welfare service, claim details are not always recorded on the system where no entitlement has been established to mortgage interest supplement.

· The difference between claims registered and claims awarded is not necessarily a refusal rate, for the reasons outlined above.

· In these circumstances, fully reliable statistics are not available on the total number of people who applied for and were refused mortgage interest supplement.

Rent Supplement Appeals Received and Granted by HSE Appeals Officers 2005 to 2009

Mortgage Interest Supplement Appeals Received and Granted by HSE Appeals Officers 2005 to 2009

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 819: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason for the refusal of old age pension in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare in 2002; if a further review has taken place to ascertain if they qualify under partnership or self employed criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2189/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In order to qualify for a State Pension (Contributory), a minimum of 260 paid reckonable contributions is required, from either employment or self-employment. The person concerned applied for State Pension (Contributory) in 2002. Her claim was disallowed on 23 January 2002 on the grounds that she does not satisfy the contribution condition as she only has a total of 156 paid contributions (in respect of a three year self-employment period from 1991 to 1994). The person concerned has been advised of the procedure for having the status of a commercial partnership recognised.