Income Support exceptional payments (FOI)

Request

Please advise:

A

How much in money terms has been sent out of the Island in Child Benefits in the last five years?

B

How much has been paid out in "Special Emergency Benefit " to persons / families / children who have just arrived / settled in Jersey and who have not attained five years residency.  Please include the housing benefit if any.

Response

A

Jersey does not have a separate child benefit. Benefits in respect of children are only paid as part of the Income Support benefit.

Entitlement to Income Support requires the residency conditions in the legislation to be satisfied, a minimum of five years continuous residence in the island, and for a person to also be ordinarily resident in Jersey.

The legislation does allow for people to be reasonably absent for short periods, or longer periods where there are exceptional reasons depending on the component type. This is usually related to temporary absence for medical treatment, or education for young people with a disability, but people who qualify to receive continued payment under these conditions still remain ordinarily resident with their home in Jersey even whilst temporarily absent.

Therefore the answer is that no money is sent out of Island in the form of child benefits.

Further information relating to the residency conditions and also absences from Jersey for each component of Income Support are contained in the Income Support Policy Guidelines (Sections 2, 5, 6) which can be accessed via the following link;

Claiming Income Support

B

The Minister for Social Security has the power under the Income Support scheme to make payments to anyone in Jersey. These discretionary powers are very carefully controlled and they are only used in exceptional circumstances.

The Social Security Department holds data on the amount paid as exceptional payments for the period 2011to 2016. The amount paid in respect of households who did not meet the five year Income Support residency condition is £131,877.88.

This figure is based on benefit rates and individual circumstances at the time the Ministerial exception is agreed. There is no separate housing benefit. Payment towards accommodation as appropriate is included in the overall value of an award of Income Support and the same applies to exceptional payments.

The Social Security Department Minister’s Report for 2016 records that 43% of the net annual expenditure of Income Support represents spending on accommodation. The report is available to download at:

Social Security Department Minister's Report 2016