Written answers

Tuesday, 9 February 2010

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Social Welfare Code

9:00 pm

Photo of Willie PenroseWillie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 410: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason, in the context of a person making an application for jobseeker's allowance, that a person's partner's income is not reduced by the amount of mortgage that is being paid, together with VHI payments, travel expenses and other such expenses, whereby the failure to allow such expenses deprives people of application for jobseeker's allowance, where it is properly due, since if such expenses were allowed, the level of household income available is negligible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6074/10]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Jobseeker's Allowance is a means tested social assistance scheme operated by my Department. For means test purposes, account is taken of the income and assets of both the claimant and his or her spouse/partner including the earnings of the spouse.

Where a spouse/partner has earnings from employment, earnings less PRSI contributions, pension contributions and trade union subscriptions are assessed as means. In addition, the first €20 per day is also disregarded, subject to a maximum of €60 per week and 60% of the balance is assessed where a claimant or a spouse/partner has income from employment. This means, for example where a spouse/partner is working three days a week and earning €200 per week, only €84 is assessed as means thereby ensuring that there is always an incentive to take up, or remain in, employment. The provision of any further disregards in relation to health insurance premiums or travel expenses would have to be considered in a Budgetary context and having regard to the level of existing incentive to take up employment.

No account is taken of mortgage repayments in calculating means for social assistance schemes generally, including jobseeker's allowance. This would be inappropriate given that there is a specific social assistance scheme, the mortgage interest supplement scheme, which provides, subject to certain conditions, support for people who have difficulty meeting their mortgage repayments and whose means are insufficient to meet their needs. The mortgage interest scheme takes into account all of the person's income, including social welfare income when calculating levels of entitlement. Accordingly, the net effect of disregarding mortgage interest repayments in calculating means for jobseeker's allowance purposes would be to reduce the level of entitlement to mortgage interest supplement as the income of the person would be higher due to a higher level of jobseeker's allowance being in payment. Mortgage Interest Supplement is not payable to people in full time employment.

There are no plans to change the assessment of means for jobseeker's allowance or any other scheme so as to take mortgage interest repayments into account and it is appropriate that the mortgage interest supplement scheme remains the primary mechanism for supporting people who have difficulty making their repayments.

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