This increases the means limit for qualification purposes. It makes it £100 all over the country.
Committee on Finance. - Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, 1961—Committee and Final Stages.
Sections 1 to 7, inclusive, put and agreed to.
SECTION 8.
Question proposed: "That Section 8 stand part of the Bill."
Question put and agreed to.
Sections 9 to 18, inclusive, put and agreed to.
NEW SECTION.
I move amendment No. 1:—
In page 7, before section 19, to insert the following section:
"The Seventh Schedule to the Act of 1952 is hereby amended by the insertion in subparagraph (c) of paragraph (1) of Rule 3 after ‘each so determined' of ‘less, as respects the older member of a married couple consisting of persons each of whom is not less than sixty years of age and neither of whom is wholly or mainly dependent on the means of an individual other than a member of the married couple—
(i) in case the sum of the income (if any) in cash of the married couple of which account is taken under paragraph II of Rule 1 of this Schedule and of the amounts (if any) which were excluded, by virtue of subparagraphs (e), (g) and (h) of the said paragraph II, in the calculation of the said income in cash of the married couple does not exceed £165, the whole of the income in cash of the married couple of which account is taken under the said paragraph II, and
(ii) in any other case, so much of the income in cash of the married couple of which account is taken under the said paragraph II as, when added to the amounts (if any) which were excluded, by virtue of the said subparagraphs (e), (g) and (h), in the calculation of the said income in cash of the married couple, amounts to £165'."
This amendment is in substitution for the amendment circulated last week and the purpose of it I might briefly explain as follows. The purpose of the amendment as originally circulated, and of the amendment which it is now proposed to substitute for it, is to allow a concession in assessing the means of a claimant to an old age pension who is one of a married couple living together, where the spouse of the claimant is 60 years of age or over and where the couple are wholly or mainly dependent on each other for their livelihood. Where one of these old people reaches pensionable age and the other has not yet attained pensionable age the proposal here is to make it easier for the spouse who is over 70 years of age to secure the old age pension. That is the general purpose.
Yes. That is agreed.
I do not understand it. Would the Minister give an example?
Supposing there is a road worker who is himself over 60 years of age and his wife has reached the age of 70. I am going on the assumption that the road worker will want some person who is fairly active to look after him and I am saying in that case the amount that will be disregarded from all sources will be increased to £165 so that his wife, being over 70 may get a pension. That is the general purpose of it. It applies also to agricultural labourers and to other persons in the same class.
That is fair enough.
Amendment put and agreed to.
Sections 19 and 20 agreed to.
Title agreed to.
Bill reported with amendment.
Agreed to take remaining Stages to-day.
Bill received for final consideration and passed.