asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will extend the free telephone allowance to those pensioners who are not already telephone subscribers, this allowance to include free installation charges.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Free Telephone Allowance.
34.
It is not proposed to extend the free telephone rental allowance scheme in the manner proposed.
While the installation charge for a telephone may not take too much out of the pocket, for instance, of someone in the income bracket of a Member of this House, does the Minister not accept that in the case of an old age pensioner it may amount to more than the total weekly income of the person concerned? Would the Minister not further agree that giving this right, subject to this major cost, creates a very real risk, that it is a right which exists only on paper?
I could not accept that last suggestion by the Deputy. A considerable number of persons will benefit and to date 3,000 old age pensioners have. To that extent it represents an important step forward in this area. Admittedly, it does not apply to old age pensioners who have not got a telephone or who may not be able to afford the installation costs but at least it is a start. I expect that in many cases the families of pensioners, or through community effort, will meet the installation charges. The scheme has only started and I am not in a position yet to even start thinking in terms of an extension of it.
Can the Minister tell the House how much money was spent in respect of those 3,000 people?
£300,000 is the estimated cost of a full year for those who are expected to qualify.
Just £100 each.
I should like to put a suggestion to the Minister that might improve the scheme, bearing in mind that one wants equity in this situation and that somebody who has a telephone is in a better position than a person who does not have one. Would the Minister consider extending the scheme by way of making a facility available to an old aged pensioner who does not have a telephone whereby he or she could make a limited number of free telephone calls at the local post office? This would in some way meet the situation in rural areas.
I will consider that suggestion but offhand I can see considerable administrative difficulties.
Did the 3,000 people the Minister referred to have telephones before the scheme was introduced?
Yes.
Can the Minister say how many of those people have telephones that are now working?
Touché.
That is a very indefinable figure.
I have not received any complaints on that score.
The people cannot get through to the Minister on the telephone to lodge complaints.
I trust the Deputy's telephone is still in order.
It has not been for a fortnight.