asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will extend the free electricity and travel schemes to include persons in receipt of disability benefit; and the annual cost of such extension.
44.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Electricity and Travel Scheme.
43.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will grant travelling facilities to recipients of disability benefit similar to those given to old age recipients.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 43 and 44 together.
The answer is in the negative. In the circumstances, I see no point in attempting to estimate the cost.
Has the Minister not available to him the number of disabled persons in the country, and if he has such information available, would it not be easy from that to estimate the cost?
The number of persons to whom disability allowances are paid varies from time to time. Some of the cases are of very short duration while others are of a more permanent nature. This would make it very difficult to form an estimate.
Is the Minister talking about disability benefit or disablement allowance?
Disabled persons.
But that is not what the questions are about.
Disability benefits.
We can put down another question, but would the Minister consider the provision of such amenities as are suggested in the questions for the people who are permanently disabled?
There would probably be more justification for doing that. Permanently disabled persons are in a category I have had under consideration in connection with a number of other things recently.