Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 271: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the fact that single parents in receipt of rental supplement may often have variations in their income subject to the vagaries of the other parent's intermittent maintenance payments; if there is a mechanism to deduct maintenance at source where it is linked to a rental supplement payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33558/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income 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. The aim is to provide short term assistance, and not to act as an alternative to the other social housing schemes operated by the Exchequer. There are approximately 92,000 persons in receipt of rent supplement for which the Government has provided a sum of €436 million for 2012.

Rent supplement is normally calculated to ensure that a person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of supplementary welfare allowance appropriate to their family circumstances less a weekly minimum contribution which recipients are required to pay from their own resources. The minimum contribution is currently €30 for a single adult and €35 for couples.

Many rent supplement recipients pay more than the minimum contribution because they are also required, subject to income disregards, to contribute any additional assessable means that they have over and above the appropriate basic supplementary welfare allowance rate towards their accommodation costs.

A person who claims a one-parent family payment is required to seek maintenance from her/his spouse or the other parent of the child. Maintenance payments are assessed as means for the purpose of determining entitlement one-parent family payment. However, vouched housing costs of up to €95.23 per week in respect of rent or mortgage are disregarded in establishing the rate of one-parent family payment payable.

For rent supplement, maintenance payments of up to €95.23 per week are assessed in determining the appropriate rate payable. Where a person has weekly maintenance payments of more than €95.23, the first €75 a week together with 25% of any additional maintenance above €75 can be disregarded for means assessment purposes. This ensures that the family benefits from any maintenance payments received in excess of €95.23.

Customers are obliged to notify the Department of any changes in circumstances, including changes in maintenance payments.

In every case where a one-parent family payment is awarded, the Department seeks to trace the other parent (liable relative) in order to ascertain whether he or she is in a financial position to contribute towards the cost of the one-parent family payment. Liable relatives in receipt of a social welfare payment from my Department are not asked to contribute, as, when assessed in line with the regulations, they are determined to have a nil contribution due. Accordingly there is no mechanism to deduct maintenance at source from any social welfare payment.

The Liability to Maintain Family provisions contained in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 is separate to Family Law legislation. Any applications to the courts under family law for a maintenance order against the other parent are made through the courts service and are not the responsibility of the Department.