Ireland and the Minimum Income Guarantee - Combat Poverty Agency

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Detailed Descriptions of the Existing Schemes There is an earnings disregard in the means tests under these schemes, as described above, and for lone parents a more generous disregard and the exclusion of child-minding and travel to work expenses in calculating means, both of which go some limited way to providing an incentive to work. The main problems with the administration of the scheme relate to the implementation of the means test and the cohabitation condition. Scheme: Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) General Information Legislation for the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme was passed in 1975 and the scheme was introduced in 1977. The legisla- KK» f r SWA iS SGt ° ° Ut in the Social Welf are Consolidation Act UJ5 as subsequently amended, while specific rules governing the implementation of SWA are detailed in the Social Welfare (SWA) Regulations, 1977, as amended subsequently. The aim of the scheme is to provide support for all residents whose other sources of income, if any, are inadequate to meet their essential needs. General Principles dtictiorc of the smscheme> as ° utuned at thedme ° f itsinm> to provide a residual and support role within the overall income maintenance structure; ) to provide immediate and flexible assistance for those in need iii) 7obrt T ^ u fy f ° r PaymentS Under the
Detailed Descriptions of the Existing Schemes normally eligible for assistance under SWA. The exclusion of those in full-time work appears to reflect the assumption that they would not require such basic levels of support, and the exclusion of students appears to be on the basis that they should be supported by their families or by means-tested education grants or scholarships. Those involved in trade disputes were excluded apparently on the basis that the State would not wish to in effect support one side in such a dispute, although the dependants of those involved in trade disputes may receive SWA support. Attributes Conditions of Access To qualify for SWA, someone must have means insufficient to meet their essential needs, and must: 0 apply for any other benefits to which he/she may be entitled; u) register for work, if of working age; ni) satisfy a means test. Those working full-time, in full-time education or involved in a trade dispute would not normally qualify, though they may be given an allowance in cases of urgency or to avoid hardship. Those involved in a trade dispute may claim on behalf of their dependants. Claimants must normally be aged 18 years or over, although those aged 16-17 narenr ^ " T ^ ' drcumstan «* (eg if not being supported by a r ~Z 8Uardian) - Nationality is not a condition of access. Any Zaul XZ m £ ^ , thC StatE and without mean * m a y be helped hrough SWA. Homeless people are also eligible for SWA If of workabro,H w„u amS u mUSt regiSter f ° r wor k/training. Nationals residing aoroad would not be eligible. Organisation Wdfare Ind HnTncTT^ ^ haS ° Vera11 responsibility for SWA, HealthToal,' ^ K " ^ " administered « *s behalf by the ^^tl h tZTrl nde \ the so Department ° f Health) ' through ieaitn centres. The claimant submits the application for payment to the Community Welfare Officer (CWO) at the local health centre, who examines it and decides on whether the claimant meets the qualifying conditions and satisfies the means test. The staff at the health centre also pay out the allowance. Applicants may appeal not to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, but to Appeals Officers appointed by each Health Board, generally the overall Programme Manager in charge of Community Care in that Health Board. The Allowance The amount paid is for the individual plus adult and/or child dependants. There is no explicit official reference standard for the payment rates set from year to year, nor for the levels initially set. There is no automatic indexation in line with prices or earnings, etc. Rates have in practice generally been increased by at least as much as consumer prices in recent years, and official announcements of rate increases generally set them in the context of the increase in general consumer prices. The amounts to be paid are set at national level, in Acts passed by parliament, and are generally announced as part of the annual Budget Statement. The amounts paid are uniform throughout the State. The resources which are taken into account in determining the applicant's means are: • cash income • value of property excluding dwelling • value of investments and capital • value of board and lodgings. In the case of capital, for example savings deposits, a notional interest rate is applied to calculate "income" to be counted as means, rather than taking actual income accruing. The value of board and lodging is taken into account in the means test. Earnings and other income, including income imputed from capital using a notional interest rate, count fully towards means, with no disregard. The 51
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Page 47 and 48: Appendix The first is that the reco
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Ireland and the Minimum Income Guarantee - Combat Poverty Agency

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