Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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52. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection given that her Department turned down an application for rent supplement from a family (details supplied) in Dublin West, and given her assurance in her reply to Parliamentary Question No. 176 of 20 October 2015, to provide assistance to this family, if she will intervene in the appeal of the decision to avoid this family becoming homeless. [38652/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The person concerned is currently in receipt of one parent family payment from this Department. On 24 September 2015 she made an application for rent supplement for her new planned tenancy away from her family home which was commencing on 1 October 2015.

A request for further information in support of her application was issued by the Rents Unit on 8 October 2015. Following receipt of the requested information the person concerned contacted the Designated Person (DP) by telephone 12 October 2015 in order to ensure that she had provided all the necessary information. The DP advised her at this point that as she had deprived herself of income by voluntarily taking a career break from her employment, this would be taken into account when her application was being assessed.

A calculation of her possible entitlement to rent supplement was made by the DP on 21 October 2015. This was based on the rent payable, her income from her one parent family payment claim, the maintenance payments from her child’s father, and her deprived income based on her gross average weekly wage when in employment. The calculation resulted in her having a nil entitlement to rent supplement and consequently her claim was disallowed. This decision was made under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 3 Schedule, Part 4, Rule 1(4) – income voluntarily forgone in order to qualify for Supplementary Welfare Allowance.

A letter notifying her that her claim was disallowed and of her right to appeal the decision to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office was sent to the person concerned on 28 October 2015.