asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of people who qualified for (a) the full contributory old age pension and (b) the partial contributory old age pension on 1st January, 1961.
25.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Contributory Old Age Pensions.
24.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare (1) the number of persons who made application for contributory old age pensions, (2) the number of applications rejected, (3) the number of pensions in payment at the various rates, distinguishing between male and female pensioners, (4) the number of dependants' allowances being paid and (5) the number of men and women in receipt of contributory old age pensions.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions numbered 24 and 25 together.
It is intended to keep statistics of old age (contributory) pensions from which details such as those requested by the Deputy will be available. However, it has not yet been possible to extract these statistics as the staff have been concentrated on the essential work of deciding claims and arranging payment of pensions awarded. Compilation of statistics will be started when the present pressure of work eases within the next few months and I will then have the figures requested made available to the Deputy.
In the meantime, the overall position is that up to and including the 4th February, 1961, 36,329 claims to pension had been received. Decisions have have been given on 23,920 of these claims, comprising 19,556 awards of pension at the maximum rates, 1,380 awards of pension at reduced rates and 2,984 claims rejected. The 20,936 pensions awarded were, with the exception of some 400 cases, payable from 6th January, 1961, the commencement day of the scheme. Approximately 9,100 of the total pensions awarded include an allowance for a wife or dependent husband. It is not possible to give separate figures for men and women at this stage.
The 12,409 claims still on hands, together with claims which are being received at the rate of 150 each day will be dealt with as quickly as possible. In a very high proportion of these claims the pensions awarded will be effective from the 6th January, 1961.
Could the Minister say how these figures compare with the original estimate he gave?
I am sorry I cannot give that information at the moment but if the Deputy puts down a question to me within a fortnight I hope to be able to do that. Of course the Deputy will also understand that no real comparison can be made between the rate at which these claims come in and the estimate I gave on which the scheme was based.