asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have single women's allowance paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
406.
A deciding officer decided that the person concerned was not entitled to single women's allowance on the grounds that her means exceeded the statutory limit of £11.00 weekly. The decision of the deciding officer was subsequently upheld by an appeals officer.
407.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have unemployment assistance paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
Arrangements have now been made to pay all amounts due to the person concerned.
408.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have a children's allowance book issued to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
A children's allowance book has been issued to the claimant.
409.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have an increase in contributory old age pension paid to a person (details supplied) in Cork.
A supplementary pension book in respect of the increase in pension due from 5 October was issued at the end of October. It has been confirmed that the pensioner received payment of the increase together with the arrears due on Friday, 9 November 1979.
410.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have disability benefit paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 10 September 1979. Payment at the full appropriate rate in her case has been made up to and including 5 November 1979, the date of the last medical certificate received.
411.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have social welfare benefit paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person concerned claimed disability benefit from 18 August 1979 to 17 September 1979. His claim was not admitted as contributions in respect of his employment during 1978, on which his entitlement to benefit depended, had not been credited to him. This has now been done and payment of all disability benefit due has been made. The person's entitlement to pay related benefit is being examined and any payment due will be made as soon as possible.
412.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when arrears of an old age pension will be paid to an individual (details supplied) in Cork.
The arrears of old age pension due to the person concerned have been issued.
413.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will arrange to have unemployment assistance paid to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The person referred to by the Deputy is being paid unemployment assistance continuously since November 1973.
Following a recent review of his claim a deciding officer increased his means to £7 a week. He appealed against this assessment and an appeals officer reduced the assessment of means to £2 weekly. On the basis of this rate of means he is entitled, subject to the usual conditions for receiving it, to payment of unemployment assistance at the weekly rate of £37.25, that is the maximum rate of £39.25 payable in his case less £2 means. Arrangements have been made to pay all the arrears due at an early date.
414.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he is aware that the cheap fuel scheme does not apply to pensioners in receipt of an old age contributory pension in Dún Laoghaire Borough and if he will have the scheme modified to include such cases.
Yes, I am aware that the cheap fuel scheme has never applied to contributory old age pensioners. As the scheme for the present season has already commenced, I do not propose to make any changes in the eligible categories at this stage. I do not propose to change this position, at any rate, during the present heating season.
I might mention that a contributory old age pensioner who may have difficulty in procuring his or her heating requirements may apply for assistance for this purpose under the supplementary welfare allowances scheme.
415.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare in relation to the supplementary welfare allowance scheme in south Tipperary the amount paid out in each year since the implementation of the scheme; the number (a) who applied and (b) were refused the allowance; the numbers of special cash grants paid and the average amount; the number of appeals against refusals and the number of appeals granted and refused; the amount paid out to recipients and the amount recouped by deduction from social welfare benefits when paid; and the cost of administering the scheme annually.
The information requested by the Deputy is as follows: the figures for 1977, 1978 and 1979 refer respectively to the second half of 1977 (the supplementary welfare allowances scheme having commenced on 1 July 1977), the full year 1978 and the first nine months of 1979.
The amounts of supplementary welfare allowances paid by the SouthEastern Health Board in County Tipperary (S.R.) were: 1977, £89,113; 1978, £205,767; 1979, £304,804. Records of the numbers who apply for and are refused allowances are not maintained by the health boards.
Single payments made to meet exceptional needs were: 1977, 2; 1978, 15; 1979, 8 and the average amounts paid £5, £45 and £19 respectively. There have been in all, since the beginning, 11 appeals of which five were allowed and six refused.
The amounts paid to persons awaiting social welfare payments are not available but the sums recouped by deduction from social welfare payments were £6,077, £23,152 and £34,283 respectively.
The estimated cost of administering the scheme was 1977, £9,971; 1978, £28,473; 1979, £22,684.
416.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a decision will be made regarding the free ESB allowance for a person (details supplied) in County Meath.
The person in question has had her application for the allowance approved and the ESB have been instructed to apply the allowance to her account from the November-December 1979 billing period which is the appropriate commencement period under the scheme in her case.
417.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will outline the social welfare benefits or allowances which Irish recipients of British pensions qualify for in Ireland and the benefits or allowances for which they do not, and if he has any proposals to expand the category of recipients in this regard.
Persons in Ireland receiving retirement pensions from the British Department of Health and Social Security or the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services may qualify under the schemes for free travel, free electricity, free bottled gas and free television licences on the same conditions as persons receiving pensions of a similar type under Irish legislation. The only schemes of that nature not available to British pensioners are those for free telephone rental allowance and cheap fuel.
If their means are insufficient to meet their needs, British pensioners may also qualify for assistance under the supplementary welfare allowances scheme.
Under EEC regulations British pensioners would normally qualify for family benefits under United Kingdom legislation for any qualified children instead of children's allowances under Irish legislation.
The various social welfare schemes are kept under review and extended and improved from time to time as circumstances permit.
418.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare why arrears of children's allowance have not been paid to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
Arrears of children's allowances have been issued in this case.
419.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in paying unemployment benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
The person concerned is claiming disability benefit. Payment had been issuing at regular weekly intervals on monthly certificates but, due to an error in recording the receipt of the medical certificate for October, payment ceased to issue after 13 October 1979. Payment for the period from 15 October 1979 to 24 November 1979 has now been made and the issue of payment at weekly intervals is being resumed.
420.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare why an old age non-contributory pension book has not been issued to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry.
A pension order book was issued to the person concerned. It was late in reaching the pensioner because of failure to notify the Department of a change of address which took place some time ago.
421.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will amend the regulations governing old age pensions to enable payment of pension to be made separately to a husband and wife on request and if he will make a statement on the matter.
When a husband and wife are both over 66 and are eligible two personal rate old age pensions are payable, each having a pension book.
Where a pensioner is eligible for an increase of pension in respect of an adult dependant such an increase, which is an integral part of the pension, is paid to the pensioner. There are statutory provisions, however, to enable this increase to be paid separately where circumstances so warrant.
422.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the net cost to the Exchequer of 20 per cent in social welfare children's allowances.
The net annual cost to the Exchequer of an increase of 20 per cent in children's allowances at current rates is estimated at about £13,250,000.