Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 268: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of children between the ages of two and four years in respect of whom the back to school clothing and footwear allowance is paid; the cost of this scheme to the Exchequer in the school year 2010-11; and the number of two year old children who attend primary school, or if this allowance is paid in respect of two year olds who attend pre-school facilities. [30014/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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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. Expenditure on the scheme in 2010 was €77.4m with some 162,500 payments made in respect of approximately 325,000 children.

The number of children aged 2 to 4 years of age (inclusive) that benefited in 2010 was 63,200. The number of such children for the 2011 scheme will be available when all claims are processed. Statistics are not available regarding the number of these that were attending school or preschool.

The BSCFA scheme was introduced in 1990. This scheme superseded the arrangements which had been in place since 1977 whereby child clothing and footwear payments were made under the exceptional needs provisions of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme. The SWA clothing and footwear scheme had in turn replaced a previous Public Assistance Footwear scheme that had been introduced in 1944.

These previous schemes had been targeted at both school and pre-school children from the age of two years up. When the BSCFA scheme was introduced, the provision to pay the allowance to children from the age of two years up was retained.

At the end of this year's BSCFA scheme a review will be undertaken of all aspects of the operation of the scheme, including eligibility criteria.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 269: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) in County Clare has been refused payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30055/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The community welfare service (CWS), and the community welfare officers providing it, formally transferred to the Department of Social Protection (DSP) from 1 October 2011. The service and the staff are now part of the DSP.

The Department's representative administering the supplementary welfare allowance scheme has refused the person concerned a mortgage interest supplement payment as it is considered that he has sufficient income to meet his mortgage interest costs.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 270: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if any case has ever been referred to her whereby a person has purposely disengaged from his or her place of work in order to have the State pay their mortgage; if she will clarify the provisions made for paying such mortgages if a person is deemed to qualify; if she will clarify the criteria to qualify, and the number of persons availing of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30071/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The community welfare service (CWS) and the community welfare officers providing it transferred formally to the Department of Social Protection (DSP) from 1 October 2011. The service and the staff are now part of the DSP.

At the end of December 2010 there were 17,974 people in receipt of mortgage interest supplement, an increase of 337% over the 2007 figure. There are currently over 18,500 households benefiting from the scheme for which €77.2m has been allocated for 2011.

Under the mortgage interest supplement means-test, where a Department's representative is aware that an applicant has deprived himself or herself of an income in order to qualify for supplementary welfare allowance, the weekly value of all income forgone is assessed in full.

The Department is unaware of any instances where applicants have deprived themselves of an income in order to qualify for mortgage interest supplement.