Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 250: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the existence of cash payments on top of rental allowance. [21235/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The type of payments to which the Deputy refers are known as top-up payments and fall into two specific categories.

Where a person has an additional income above the rate of supplementary welfare allowance they are, in certain circumstances, allowed to top up their rent as they will have sufficient income to meet their basic needs after paying their rent. The second type of top-up payment can occur where the application to the Community Welfare Officer declares a rent lower than that actually being charged by the landlord.

Any instance of false declarations should be reported to the relevant Community Welfare Officer who has specific legislative powers to deal with such matters.