asked the Minister for Health if he will put an end to the practice of taking Social Welfare payments into account when assessing the income of a patient who applies for ar infectious disease allowance.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Infectious Disease Allowances.
7.
The rates of allowances specified in the Infectious Diseases (Maintenance) Regulations are maximum rates and the amount payable in any particular instance is at the discretion of the health authority, within the specified maximum applicable to the case.
The fundamental purpose of the allowances is to encourage persons suffering from the specified infectious diseases to undergo treatment by guaranteeing a measure of financial assistance while they are under treatment. In determining the amount of allowance payable in any particular case, income from other sources, including social welfare benefits, is ordinarily taken into account. A health authority has discretion, in cases in which undue hardship would be caused, if income from other sources, including social welfare allowances, were taken into account, to disregard such income in whole or in part. I cannot accept that there is a case for singling out, for exceptional treatment, payments under the social welfare code.
8.
asked the Minister for Health whether in view of the fact that the amount paid as infectious disease allowances has not been increased for a considerable number of years, and that persons suffering from these diseases are suffering hardship resulting from the rise in the cost of living he will consider raising the amount of these allowances.
While the rates of infectious diseases maintenance allowances have not been revised recently, they still compare very favourably with rates of other social welfare payments and I do not feel that I would be justified in present circumstances in proposing any general increase.