Rent Supplement in Dept. of Limbo

national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Wednesday February 04, 2004 18:14

by Fergus

newsforthedeaf at yahoo dot com

Refocused into the future where it can be forgotten about

On Monday, the cuts to rent allowance kicked in.
"It was presented to us as a fait accompli. By then it was already decided" - Dept. of the Environment spokesman.
Government negligence ?
Or is there a method behind the apparent incompetency ?

Back in January I phoned the Dept. of Social & Family Affairs, in an attempt to find out WHY rent allowance cuts were being introduced.
After been told numerous answers to different questions, put on hold (X 10), transfered and not phoned back by what sounded like a bunch of office cowboys,
I was 'informed' that the rent allowance scheme was being "refocused" and that from now on the Dept. of the Environment would hold responsibility.
What a load of bullshit, I thought....
However, that was the 'official' answer.

On Monday, the rent allowance cuts kicked in.

On Tuesday [Feb 3rd 04], The Irish "a bit late now" Times reported that
The first time Social & Family Affairs Minister Ms. Coughlin spoke of the issue to anyone in the Dept. of the Environment was the day before she publicly announced cuts to rent allowance [Nov. 12th 03]

No Prior Consultation
"It was presented to us as a fait accompli. By then it was already decided"
- Dept. of the Environment spokesman.

However, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act indicate Ms. Coughlin met Mr. McCreevy on a number of occasions and that her officials were in contact with officials of his Dept. on a regular basis from June to November last year.

Was the Minister so obsessed with kick starting cutbacks with the Minister of Finance that she forgot her other duties ?
Why didn't she work out contingency plans with the Dept. of the Environment to take over the provision of housing for those who HAD been eligible for rent allowance ?

Is it through negligence that supplementary welfare allowance has ended up in the Irish governments Dept. of Limbo ?

Or is there a method behind the apparent incompetency ?

Check the related link, for wild unexpert interpretations to the reasons WHY.