Asylum seekers in State-provided accommodation who are working could be asked to make a €15 per week contribution for such support under a new charge being considered by the Government.
It is understood a senior officials group from relevant departments discussed a minimum charge of €15 per week at a meeting in recent days. This figure is expected to be considered by the Cabinet subcommittee on migration ahead of full Government decision this month.
At present asylum seekers living in State accommodation are entitled to €38.80 a week. There is an additional subsidy of €29.80 for each child in a family unit.
International protection applicants are entitled to seek work in Ireland once they have been resident in the State for six months after claiming asylum. If they have worked for more than 12 weeks and if their income is above a threshold of €135, that allowance may be reduced.
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An additional 5,000 people who have been granted permission to stay in Ireland have remained in direct provision, many of them working. As reported in The Irish Times last May the Government is also considering asking them to make a contribution towards the cost of their accommodation. That issue is also expected to be addressed by Cabinet. However, some Ministers have expressed concern that in those cases such a contribution might be interpreted as “rent” which would open the possibility of a tenant-landlord legal relationship.
Earlier this year, Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman announced reductions in allowances, and also imposed time restrictions for stays in State-provided accommodation. His Department undertook to keep the situation under review to ensure that Ireland’s system was not out of kilter with that of other European states.
One such review which began during the summer had concluded that a model of contributions for accommodation was the best way to proceed.
At a media conference on Wednesday, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said that the change was appropriate.
“We have an economy that is at full employment and the vast majority of [asylum seekers] I have met either want to work, or want to be in college.
“As they look at Ireland being their homes for longer, it is appropriate that the support we gave them is changed to reflect that.”
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said her Department had already started a process where those in employment were no longer entitled to the €38.80 weekly payment.
“This (proposal) is about making a contribution towards your rent, and I think it’s fair. I think that if people are working, they should be making that contribution.”
The issue is expected to go before the Cabinet subcommittee on migration within the next week before being brought to a full meeting of all Ministers for approval later this month.
Ms Humphreys also disclosed at the meeting that the fuel allowance, worth €33 per week during the winter period, will be extended to people over the age of 66.
At present, the allowance is payable to those who are over 70 years of age. The change is expected to be announced as part of the Coalition’s cost-of-living package in the Budget.
Fuel allowance is payable per household rather than to individuals. There is an income limit of €512 per week for a single person and €1,024 for a couple.
There are over 177,000 households, with one person at least over 70, currently in receipt of fuel allowance.
While no definitive estimate has been done by the Department of Social Protection as of yet, sources said it will result in thousands more pensioners being eligible to qualify for the Fuel Allowance.
The fuel allowance is paid at a rate of €33 per week for 28 weeks between September & April. The cumulative benefit is worth €924 per household over the winter season.
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