Vol. 540 No. 2
61 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that people who applied in January 2001 for carer's allowance are awaiting decisions on their application; and his views on whether this delay is tolerable. [20195/01]
My Department is committed to providing an efficient service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are issued as expeditiously as possible having regard to the eligibility conditions which apply.
In determining entitlement to carer's allowance there are medical, means and residency conditions to be satisfied and there is inevitably a timelag involved in making the necessary investigations and inquiries to enable decisions to be made. In addition to the work my Department has to carry out, there is also an onus on applicants to furnish all necessary documentation. In a certain number of cases, delays are caused by the fact that the applicants have not provided the necessary information in support of their claim.
The Deputy will also be aware that in recent years there have been a number of very significant improvements to the scheme. The number of persons who now receive a carer's allowance has increased from 10,330 at the end of December 1997 to 17,269 at the end of June 2001. The number of new claims now being received for carers allowance is double the intake over previous years. This large increase is reflected in the expenditure on carers allowance which was £36.5 million in 1997 and is projected to be £108.4 million this year representing an increase of almost 200 per cent.
62 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that non-contributory pensioners who are also in receipt of a pension from the UK are subject to a reduction in the non-contributory pension to take account of the sterling difference; if he views this as a rather harsh measure, in view of the small amount of means involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20105/01]
Old age, non contributory, pension is a means tested payment.
Under the relevant legislation, account must be taken of cash income, including pensions from other sources, in determining a person's means. When a pension is awarded, the pensioners are advised of the means assessment in each case and of their obligations to notify my Department of any subsequent change in their circumstances.
Periodic reviews of entitlement are carried out from time to time to ensure that the correct entitlement is in payment. These reviews result in pensions being increased in circumstances where the pensioner's means have reduced – for example, when savings reduce or the net income from a business is reduced – and conversely, reductions in pension occur where the persons means are found to have increased.
When carrying out reviews it is the practice to use the rate of exchange at the date of the last increase in foreign pensions or the rate of exchange in the subsequent quarters, whichever is most beneficial to the pensioner.
In the case of pensioners who are also in receipt of British retirement pensions, it would be normal to expect that the British pension would be increased periodically. In cases where such pensioners do not notify my Department of changes in their means, reductions in their entitlement from my Department are likely to result from these reviews.
64 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will grant further arrears to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford in respect of a disability allowance. [19163/01]
Legislation provides for the back dating of claims for social welfare payments in certain circumstances. In the first instance, payment can be made in respect of a late claim, for a period of six months prior to the date of the claim, where good cause is shown for it being made late. I have also introduced important additional provisions for further payment of late claims where: the delay was due to incorrect information having been given by my Department; illness prevented a person from claiming earlier; for reasons of force majeure; where payment of the claim is necessary to prevent or relieve financial hardship.
The person concerned applied for disability allowance on 4 March 1998 and was awarded the allowance with effect from that date. On 17 July 2000 he requested to have his claim backdated on the grounds that community welfare office and social welfare staff did not advise him of his potential entitlement at the time his incapacity commenced in January 1993. This request was considered by a deciding officer who made a revised decision.
His claim was backdated by six months to 3 September 1997 under the relevant provisions in respect of late claims and arrears paid. On 8 August 2000 he appealed this decision to the social welfare appeals office. An appeals officer decided on 4 January 2001 that he was not entitled to disability allowance prior to 3 September 1997 as he had failed to show that he fulfils the statutory condition for further backdating of his claim. An appeals officer's decision is final and conclusive and can only be revised in the light of new facts or fresh evidence.
During the period 25 February 1993 until the 3 September 1997, the person concerned was an adult dependent on his wife's invalidity pension claim. From October 1996, when the disability allowance scheme commenced to June 1997 limitation provisions applied to the disability allowance and invalidity pension schemes. Under these provisions the total amount payable to a couple was limited to a rate equivalent to that of personal rate plus qualified adult allowance.
Similar limitation provisions also operated in the case of the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme and accordingly the same situation would apply in respect of any further arrears for this allowance.
