asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will permit the payment of reduced rates of unemployment benefit and disability benefit to persons who are in receipt of those benefits in conjunction with other pensions but who cease to qualify when they reach pension age.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unemployment Benefit.
33.
Unemployment benefit and disability benefit are short term benefits designed to cover the contingencies of unemployment or sickness during the working lives of insured workers and they cease at pensionable age. After that age, when workers are no longer insured and would in the normal course have retired from work, there is provision for payment of the long term retirement and contributory old age pensions. This distinction between short term and long term benefits is a fundamental feature of social security systems.
It is also a generally accepted principle of social insurance that an insured person qualifies for only one insurance benefit at the same time. An exception to this principle was, however, allowed under the Social Welfare Acts in favour of insured widows in whose case unemployment or disability benefit can be paid at a reduced rate concurrently with widows' pension. This concession in favour of widows was further enhanced when provision was made in last year's Social Welfare Act that a widow pensioner when working is exempted from paying the employee's share of the social insurance stamp.
I appreciate the situation where some persons in the transition to pensionable age may suffer a reduction in the amount of social welfare payments being received. The matter is a complex one, however, and examination of the problem has revealed that it is difficult to find a solution that would solve the existing anomaly without, at the same time, giving rise to similar anomalies over a much wider field.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary agree that this is most undesirable and that something should be done about it straight away?
I think it would be desirable to have the matter very closely examined. I could not give the Deputy any undertaking that something would be done right away.
34.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will extend the period for payment of full employment benefit to 12 months in the case of married women.
A married woman who is living apart from and not being supported by her husband, or who is herself supporting an invalid husband, is already entitled to unemployment benefit up to a maximum of 312 days for herself and her dependants. In the case of a married woman living with or wholly or mainly maintained by her husband, however, title to unemployment benefit is limited to 156 days. I am examining this limitation in the context of recommendations made by the Commission on the Status of Women.
When the Parliamentary Secretary is examining this matter, will he take into consideration the fact that there is an Anti-Discrimination Bill going through the House at the moment?
All aspects of the situation will be taken into consideration.
Does the Parliamentary Secretary not feel that there is discrimination against married women, particularly newly married women who do not have the excuse of having one child and are considered by the Department to be in full employment? When they apply for unemployment benefit or unemployment assistance they are turned down because they are married, and often they appeal their cases.
I do not agree with that statement.
Is it not a fact that a married woman pays the same for a stamp as a single woman or a man? Would the Parliamentary Secretary not accept that she should be entitled to equal benefit with the man or single woman?
As I said in the last part of my reply, I am examining the matter at the moment and all aspects will be taken into consideration.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.