asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether any circular has been issued by his Department to local authorities in connection with the payment of public assistance to old age pensioners who qualify for contributory old age pensions.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Contributory Old Age Pensions: Payment of Public Assistance.
30.
By circular dated 9th January, 1961, public assistance authorities were referred to the provisions of the Social Welfare (Amendment) Act 1960, under which old age (contributory) pensions became payable as from the 6th January, 1961, to persons who had attained pensionable age and who satisfied the contribution conditions. They were informed that Section 5 of the Act amended Section 14 of the Social Welfare Act, 1952, by the inclusion of an old age (contributory) pension as a benefit and that, accordingly, in granting home assistance they may not, under Section 62 of the 1952 Act, take into consideration any such benefit except in so far as it exceeds ten shillings per week.
The authorities were also informed that the Social Welfare (Overlapping Benefits) Regulations, 1953, had been amended by the Social Welfare (Overlapping Benefits) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations (1960), so as to apply to old age (contributory) pensions and that, accordingly, public assistance authorities were entitled to claim and be repaid out of any arrears of old age (contributory) pension which might be payable, any excess of home assistance paid to a person claiming the pension while his title to it was being determined.
Does the Minister agree that if local authorities ignore the instructions and cut off home assistance, plus blind pensions, plus cheap fuel, what the contributory scheme now means is taking off the shoulders of the ratepayers the responsibility of providing for people in need and placing it on the shoulders of the workers through their increased contributions?
If the Deputy wants to make me responsible for the failure of any home assistance authority to observe the regulations and to give the beneficiaries the benefit of the regulations, I simply will not accept that responsibility.
And who is going to accept it?
The members of the local authority concerned.
Would the Minister consider sending them a circular drawing attention to the circular already issued by Deputy Corish when he was Minister?