Brennan rejects SSIA fears

SOCIAL and Family Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan rejected claims yesterday that thousands of welfare recipients would lose their benefits when the Government’s special savings scheme matures.

The claim was made by Labour’s consumer affairs spokeswoman Kathleen Lynch, who said the Minister had confirmed to her that the money saved in the Special Savings Investment Accounts (SSIA) will be treated in the same manner as all other income a social welfare claimant possesses.

Ms Lynch claimed that thousands of social welfare recipients could lose their entitlements when their SSIAs mature in 2006 and 2007 because the money they get from these schemes will be counted as income.