Sailesh Tavaria

Every non-dependent adult household member is expected to pay a minimum contribution to the rent of €30. (A non-dependent household member is anyone who is not your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant who is working or getting a social welfare payment in their own right.)

Custom and practice is that the assessable income of the non-dependent household member (that is, gross income less PRSI and travel costs to work) is divided by the appropriate rate of SWA for their situation which is then multiplied by €30 to establish how much they should contribute to the household's rent.

If the non-dependent household members are a couple their contribution is €40.

When your child turns 18, if they are still in full-time education, there will be no change to your Rent Supplement. If a child living in the household turns 18 and gets a job or a social welfare payment in their own right they are expected to pay a minimum contribution of €30. However, if benefit and privilege has been assessed against their social welfare payment they do not have to contribute €30.

If a child leaves home your rent must be under the limit for your reduced family size. (The Rent Supplement limits vary depending on where you live. You will need to know what the limits are in your local area.)

If you have a new baby or if you adopt or foster a child your family size will increase so the rent limit that applies to your household may increase. If you have a large family and you need larger accommodation that costs more than the rent limits that apply in your area you should discuss your situation with your local Community Welfare Officer - see ‘How to apply’ below.

The DSP can make additional Rent Supplement payments above rent limits when necessary. This is done on a case-by-case basis, for both people getting Rent Supplement and for new applicants.

If someone comes to live with you as a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant you will be treated as a couple and you will be expected to pay a minimum household contribution of €40 towards your rent. You do not have to make a new application for Rent Supplement. However your existing claim will be reviewed and any income that your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant has from work or from a social welfare payment will be taken into account. If the person is working full-time you will no longer be entitled to Rent Supplement.

If your spouse or partner leaves the family home and you remain there with your children, your Rent Supplement payment does not change (because the rent limits for a one-parent family and a couple with children are the same). However, if your partner has custody of your child(ren) for most of the time, the rent limits applied for the family size can change (because the child(ren) are no longer in the home full time).

If your former spouse or partner pays maintenance some of this will be assessed in the means test for Rent Supplement. The first €95.23 per week of maintenance payments is assessable in full (because it is considered to be a contribution towards your housing expenses) and any amount above this is assessed under the additional household income disregard - see ‘Additional household income disregard’ above.

If you do not have children and your partner leaves you, will be assessed as a single person for Rent Supplement.

If you own your home as joint owners and the person who leaves the family home applies for Rent Supplement, they may be refused because they are considered to have an interest in the home. However, once a separation agreement is in place and the home ownership issues have been resolved, the person who left should be able to apply for Rent Supplement in their own right. They will need to have their housing need assessed by the local authority in the usual way.

If you have shared custody or guardianship of a child and that child stays with you overnight for part of the week, you should check with your local Community Welfare Officer (CWO) to find out what level of Rent Supplement can be provided. Each Rent Supplement claim is examined with regard to all of the circumstances of the case.

If you are not the primary carer and are looking for accommodation to provide for your children the DSP will take the following into consideration when processing your Rent Supplement claim:

Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is called diastolic pressure.

Your blood pressure reading uses these two numbers. Usually the systolic number comes before or above the diastolic number. For example, 120/80 means a systolic of 120 and a diastolic of 80.

High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. So the only way to find out if you have it is to get regular blood pressure checks from your health care provider. Your provider will use a gauge, a stethoscope or electronic sensor, and a blood pressure cuff. He or she will take two or more readings at separate appointments before making a diagnosis.

For children and teens, the health care provider compares the blood pressure reading to what is normal for other kids who are the same age, height, and gender.

People with diabetes or chronic kidney disease should keep their blood pressure below 130/80.

Anyone can develop high blood pressure, but there are certain factors that can increase your risk:

You can help prevent high blood pressure by having a healthy lifestyle. This means:

If you already have high blood pressure, it is important to prevent it from getting worse or causing complications. You should get regular medical care and follow your prescribed treatment plan. Your plan will include healthy lifestyle habit recommendations and possibly medicines.

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