asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will remove a person's home from inclusion as capital for the assessment of non-contributory old age pension.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Old Age Pensions.
34.
Under existing legislation, a house owned and wholly occupied by a claimant for non-contributory old age pension is assessed at the rateable value less the ground rent and mortgage interest that may be payable. Vested labourers' cottages are not assessed as means. The means test for old age pensions will be included in the review of social welfare services at present in progress.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary give every consideration to having that removed? It is only a capital value and no asset at all. More often it is a liability.
He is doing more. He is eliminating the means test.
If Deputy O'Connell were promoted Parliamentary Secretary——
35.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange that non-contributory old age pensions paid by his Department are not reduced in cases where the recipients receive cost-of-living increases in statutory pensions from other sources.
Increases in statutory pensions from other sources must be treated as income and assessed as means in accordance with the statutory rules for the calculation of means for non-contributory old age pension purposes. However there is statutory provision for ensuring that an increase in another statutory pension cannot result in a reduction in a non-contributory old age pension greater than the increase.
(Interruptions.)
Serious consideration will be given to this matter.
That is not true. In fact, if a person is granted an increase in a statutory pension then his Old Age Pension is similarly reduced by virtue of that.
I did not say otherwise. If the Deputy had not been so busy exchanging words with Deputy O'Connell, he would have heard what I said.
He is your Deputy.
Why do you not leave him with us?
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that in some cases in this category persons have had to spend what little savings they had in order to qualify for free travel because of the small increases in earned pensions? Does the Parliamentary Secretary think that this is right? Can he introduce any measure to correct the situation?
I do not accept the Deputy's first assumption. Therefore, the rest does not arise.