Vol. 410 No. 2
107 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has any proposals to upgrade the working conditions of those employed in the Wexford employment exchange at Anne Street, Wexford; if so, the stage these plans are at; when they will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
It is intended to replace and upgrade the existing employment exchange to a new social welfare services office as part of the proposed new Government office complex which will be provided in Wexford under the Government's decentralisation programme.
108 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has any plans to change the regulations for the payment of separate payments of the statutory pension to make it easier for people to obtain separate payments of same.
Social welfare payments, including any increases in respect of adult and child dependants, are normally paid to the claimant. However, provision exists under regulations which provides for the appointment by the Minister of a person other than the claimant to receive and deal with the payment on his/her behalf where the circumstances appear warranted. This power is invoked, for example, in cases of marital disharmony where the spouse is not obtaining the proper benefit from his/her partner or where the applicant is unable to properly control the family finances through alcoholism, drug addiction or gambling.
The provisions are set down in regulations and are reviewed from time to time. I am satisfied that the present arrangements are working satisfactorily.
109 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline in relation to childrens' allowance whether parents who have children aged 16 years will receive childrens' allowance over the school summer months for those returning to school in September; and, if not, whether the parents of children who do return to school in September are entitled to back payment for the school summer months.
As I announced last week, with effect from next year child benefit will continue to be paid in respect of the summer months for children aged 16 and 17 who are in full-time education. When the next bulk issue of child benefit books takes place from April 1992, continued payments over the summer of 1992 will be included.
The normal arrangements will apply this year. The parents in question will receive full back payment for the summer months when their children return to school in September.
110 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Social Welfare the outcome of an appeal by a person (details supplied) in County Carlow to have unemployment assistance paid on appeal.
The person concerned applied for unemployment assistance on 22 February 1991. She is not entitled to payment as her means exceed the maximum short term rate of unemployment assistance. The means are derived from the benefit of board and lodging in her parents' home.
The person concerned made an appeal against the decision to the independent social welfare appeals office. The appeals officer has upheld the decision to disallow payment.
111 Mr. O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider (i) implementing the carer's allowance for the designated carer of eligible persons with a mental handicap without recourse to means testing and (ii) extending the free travel arrangements to all persons with a mental handicap in residential centres.
The carer's allowance, introduced for the first time last November, provides for the payment of a personal allowance directly to the carer on a means-tested basis. The scheme covers carers who are looking after elderly or invalided social welfare pensioners who require full-time care and attention. Later this month the scheme will be extended to include carers of recipients of disabled person's maintenance allowance (DPMA) and those in receipt of a pension from another EC member state or from a country with whom Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement.
Any question of a full or limited removal of the means test applicable to the carer's allowance in the case of particular groups would have cost implications which would have to be examined in a budgetary context. I have already indicated to the House that the means test is currently being reviewed to see what improvements can be made within existing resources.
Similarly, the extension of the free travel companion pass to the mentally handicapped in residential care who had not previously been in receipt of DPMA would have cost implications which would also have been considered in a budgetary context.
Last November I introduced a free travel companion pass for people in receipt of DPMA who are unable to travel alone. This new scheme, which was widely welcomed, enables the mentally and physically handicapped, including the visually handicapped, who are in receipt of DPMA, to bring a companion with them when availing of their free travel passes. Some 12,000 people with disabilities have already received their companion pass.
This year I am extending the right to free travel and the companion pass to former recipients of DPMA who had lost their entitlement to DPMA because they went into residential care.
112 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Social Welfare the estimated cost of extending the carer's allowance to include those caring for pensioners aged 66 and over who do not hold social welfare pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The carer's allowance, introduced for the first time last November, provides for the payment of a personal allowance directly to the carer on a means-tested basis. The scheme covers carers who are looking after elderly or invalided social welfare pensioners who require full-time care and attention. Later this month the scheme will be extended to include carers of recipients of disabled person's maintenance allowance (DPMA) and those in receipt of a pension from another EC member state or from a country with whom Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement.
Persons in receipt of pensions other than social welfare pensions can qualify for a non-contributory old age pension in addition if their means are below the prescribed limits. In that event a person caring for them could qualify for a carer's allowance. Statistical data is not maintained in a fashion which would enable an extension of the scheme to non-social welfare pensioners generally to be costed.
113 Mr. J. Fahey asked the Minister for Social Welfare if arrears of deserted wife's allowance have been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary.
A cheque for £167 issued to the person in question on 7 June 1991. The payment represented arrears of deserted wife's allowance for the period 11 April 1991 to 15 May 1991, less a deduction of £268 for supplementary welfare allowance paid from 20 April 1991 to 11 May 1991. There are no further arrears due in this case.
114 Mr. J. Fahey asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Waterford has had the rate of her invalidity pension reduced; and if the full amount plus arrears will be restored.
A deduction of £1 per week is being made from the weekly entitlements of the person concerned in respect of an overpayment which occurred in 1987.
115 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of applications received from the Drogheda area of County Louth in relation to grants for back to school uniforms; and the number of applications which were successful and were paid.
In 1990 there were 707 applications under the back-to-school clothing and footwear scheme in the Drogheda area. Of these, 693 applicants were successful and paid the allowance.
116 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline (1) the current cost of the free fuel allowance scheme for old age pensioners and (2) the estimated cost if the scheme was extended to cover all old age pensioners regardless of any other small pensions which they might have.
It is estimated that the cost of the free fuel allowance in the current heating season as it applies to old age pensioners will amount to £8.6 million out of a total cost of £34.9 million.
Under existing arrangements the fuel allowance is not payable to old age contributory pensioners who have means of £5 per week or more in addition to their social welfare pension. Information is not maintained in a way which would enable the cost of increasing the £5 income disregard to be worked out.
