asked the Minister for Health if a mental hospital authority is entitled to take possession of a patient's old age pension book and, after giving the patient 10/- for comforts, retain the balance as a contribution towards the cost of maintenance where the person in question is the holder of a medical card.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Retention of Mental Hospital Patient's Pension.
12.
Detained patients first became eligible for old age pensions (non-contributory) under the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1960, and under Section 8 of that Act the pension is payable to the mental hospital authority which may pay portion of it not exceeding 10/- per week to the patient. In the case of other patients, i.e., voluntary patients entitled to a non-contributory pension and voluntary and detained patients entitled to a contributory pension, the mental hospital authority may make a charge and, for the purpose of securing payment of the charge, it may seek to be paid the pension as the agent of the patient or it may with the consent of the patient take possession of the pension book. In either case it is a matter for the mental hospital authority to determine how much it will charge and how much it will allow the patient for comforts.
Will the Minister say if he considers it correct that a mental hospital authority should be able to confiscate the book and leave the aged wife absolutely destitute?
I have no knowledge of the incident but the Deputy must not forget that the primary purpose of the amendment was to relieve, first, the local authority and then the patient.
Surely the Minister will agree that it is no kind of relief to the patient when the mental hospital authority can take control of the book and take the money which would otherwise pass to the wife?
Prior to 1960, there would be no old age pension payable in a case of this kind.
This is a contributory old age pension.
If the Deputy will send me particulars of the case, I shall see if there is any reason to reconsider the matter.