asked the Minister for Health if he will explain the regulations governing the payment of maternity cash grants by local authorities; if he is aware that the Donegal County Council have refused payment of such grants to medical card holders and if there is authority for refusing the grant to the holder of a medical card.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Maternity Cash Grants.
11.
Section 23 of the Health Act, 1953, provides for the payment of a cash grant of four pounds in respect of each confinement to a woman:—
(a) who is entitled to the services made available by the health authority under Section 14 of the Health Act, 1953, and
(b) whom it is not proposed to maintain in an institution after confinement (otherwise than for the purposes of medical or surgical treatment) by or at the expense of the health authority, and
(c) who fulfils the prescribed conditions.
These conditions, which are set out in the Maternity Cash Grants Regulations, 1953, require the woman (a) to apply in writing to the health authority for the grant within three months of the confinement, (b) to produce satisfactory evidence that the confinement took place.
One case in which Donegal County Council refused a maternity cash grant to a woman whose husband held a medical card has been brought to my notice. I should explain, however, that while the possession of a medical card would ordinarily constitute prima facie evidence of eligibility for the grant it would not necessarily confer entitlement if the applicant had ceased to be entitled to services under Section 14 of the Act because of a change in circumstances.
12.
asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who received maternity cash grants in North Tipperary in each of the years 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1961 and up to the present in 1962.
Information about the number of maternity cash grants paid by health authorities is received in my Department in respect of financial years. The number of persons who received grants from the Tipperary North Riding Health Authority in each of the financial years 1957/58 to 1961/62 was as follows:—
|
Number of grants paid |
|
|
1957/58 |
461 |
|
1958/59 |
452 |
|
1959/60 |
431 |
|
1960/61 |
392 |
|
1961/62 |
347 |
I have asked the health authority for information as to the number of grants paid to date in the current financial year and when the information is received I shall forward it to the Deputy.