Vol. 541 No. 4
364 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the extra benefits and supports available to blind and visually impaired older people who are already in receipt of contributory old age pension payments from his Department; the number receiving the blind person's pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23084/01]
Old age contributory pension is paid on the basis of contributions paid over a person's working life and blind or visually impaired people can qualify for pension on the same basis as other claimants. The pension includes increases in respect of adult and child dependants together with living alone, over 80 and fuel allowances as appropriate.
Blind person's pension is a means-tested payment for people aged 18 years and over who are blind or visually impaired to such an extent that they cannot perform any work for which eyesight is essential or cannot continue in their ordinary occupation. The pension is equivalent to the rate of old age non-contributory pension. There are currently 2,182 people getting a blind person's pension from my Department, of which 589 people are over 66 and 1,593 people are under that age.
All people who are resident in the State are entitled to a free travel pass from age 66. Recipients of a blind person's pension are entitled to claim a companion free travel pass. This enables the passholder and a companion age 16 or over to travel free of charge on most public, and many private, transport services throughout the country.
Persons aged 70 or over may claim an electricity or gas allowance, free television licence and telephone allowance. Contributory old age pensioners between ages 66 and 70 may also claim these benefits provided they reside alone or only with certain excepted categories of people. A person over age 18 who is getting a blind person's pension may claim these benefits subject to satisfying certain household composition rules.
In addition to the benefits outlined above, blind or visually impaired contributory old age pensioners may qualify for additional benefits from the local health board. These would include a medical card, rent or mortgage interest allowance, exceptional needs payments and diet and heating supplements under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme.
365 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the proposal he has to increase by 100 units the number of free units available under the free electricity scheme in view of the 9% increase in the cost of electricity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23085/01]
The free electricity allowance covers 1,500 units each year, 200 units per billing period in the summer and 300 units per billing period in the winter, in addition to the normal standing charges. VAT due on this standard allowance is also covered. The value of the allowance, if fully taken up, is £156.57, 198.80, per annum. Approximately 86% of recipients use their full allowance.
367 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the position regarding supplementary welfare in relation to a supplement towards rent or mortgage interest and house insurance if, after paying these, the applicant is left with less than £70 single, £117 married, plus £13.20 for each child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23100/01]
Under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, scheme, payment of a weekly or monthly supplement may be made in respect of rent to any person in the State whose means are insufficient. The SWA scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by health boards. Neither I nor my Department has any function in deciding entitlement in individual cases.
Rent or mortgage interest supplements are normally calculated to ensure that the person, after payment of rent or mortgage interest, has an income equal to the rate of SWA appropriate to the family circumstances, less £6, 7.62. This amounts to £78, 99.04, per week in the case of a single person and £132, 167.61, per week in the case of a couple, with an additional £13.20, 16.76, for each dependent child in each case.
The £6, 7.62, referred to represents the minimum contribution which people are required to pay from their own resources towards their accommodation cost. In addition to the minimum contribution, applicants are required to contribute any assessable means in excess of the appropriate SWA rate. The terms of the SWA scheme also provides for a single payment to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income to be made by the health boards. These payments are known as exceptional needs payments, ENPs. Eligible people are normally in receipt of a social welfare or health board payment. There is no automatic right of entitlement to such payments. ENPs are payable at the discretion of the health board taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of each individual case. The principal consideration in paying an ENP to address a particular need is that the need is of an exceptional nature. Payments should arise only under abnormal conditions and should not become a regular or standard practice.
369 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the inadequacy of welfare support for working mothers on low pay who have high child care costs; the action he is taking to address these inadequacies, particularly in relation to mothers who earn over the £230 threshold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23261/01]
The policies pursued by this Government since coming into office have been designed to maximise the supports available to low paid workers with families, including working mothers, with a view to increasing the reward for work. In this regard, enhancements to the family income supplement, FIS, scheme have included the introduction of net income assessment for the purpose of calculating FIS entitlement and progressive increases in the FIS income limits, culminating in increases of £25, 31.74, at each point from April 2001.
Furthermore, the Government has heavily invested in the child benefit scheme as part of a strategy of making child income support more neutral vis-à-vis the employment status of the parents. This policy was intensified with the provision, in this year's budget, of a three year programme of investment in child benefit which will see the value of the payment rise almost threefold, by 2003. In addition, the tapering arrangements which apply to the qualified adult allowance have been improved, to provide for a more gradual reduction in the payment when the spouse or partner of a social welfare claimant takes up work or gets a pay increase. These reforms, together with the substantial increases in qualified adult allowances from April 2001, have improved the financial gain from employment for working mothers in welfare dependent households.
