asked the Minister for Health if it is a fact that regulations of his Department insist that a local authority shall reduce the amounts paid to recipients of infectious diseases allowance by the amount of increases given in social welfare payments; and, if so, if he will take steps to amend this provision.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Infectious Diseases Allowances.
36.
The matter of the abatement of Infectious Diseases Maintenance Allowances by income from other sources, including Social Welfare payments, is not dealt with in statutory regulations made by me. I would, however, refer the Deputy to the reply given on 2nd June last to a similar question by him, when I informed him that the rates of these allowances specified in the Infectious Diseases (Maintenance) Regulations, 1964 are maximum weekly amounts and that abatement is not mandatory. I explained that health authorities were advised by circular letter that, subject to their discretion in individual cases of undue hardship, Infectious Diseases Maintenance Allowances should in general be abated by income from other sources, including Social Welfare benefits. This maintenance allowance is not a "welfare allowance" in the ordinary sense and hence it does not necessarily follow that because a person is suffering from an infectious disease he is thereby entitled to an allowance or to an allowance at the maximum rate permitted by the Regulations. As I indicated to the Deputy in my previous reply, I cannot accept that there is a case for singling out payments under the Social Welfare code from other forms of income for exceptional treatment in the matter of abatement.