asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will abolish the restrictions which prevent recipients of the British invalidity pension from qualifying for free travel and free electricity allowance in Ireland.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - British Invalidity Pensioners.
37.
I do not propose to make any change for the present in the conditions for the receipt of free travel and free electricity allowance.
Is the Minister aware that there are Irish citizens living in the State who have been working in Northern Ireland and who are not entitled to free travel or free electricity or free telephones? Could the Minister do something about the Irish citizens at least who have been working in Northern Ireland?
I will consider that point.
Will the Minister also consider the position of the Irish citizen, particularly around the Border areas. who is not entitled to travel on Northern Ireland buses?
Is the Deputy referring to Irish citizens being enabled to travel in the North?
I am talking about Irish citizens who live around the Border and who may have to travel across the Border on Northern Ireland buses.
I will look into that.
Would the Minister agree that the refusal to allow recipients of British invalidity pensions free travel and free electricity allowances is discrimination? Many of the people involved are people who had to emigrate because of lack of opportunities in the past. They have not cost this country one penny in social welfare payments. They now come back and they are denied rights that people who stayed here and who availed of social welfare payments down through the years have. Is the Minister concerned with the whole idea of denying these people this facility?
I am prepared to look particularly at the question which Deputy White raised in the light of the resources available. It is a matter of cost.
It should not cost very much. We are not talking about that many people but it affects those people considerably.
It would cost close to £300,000. The point is the way in which the system operates. Once one has it one is counted as a person moving all the time. I am not entirely happy with that approach to it. I would prefer an estimate related directly to use but administratively that would be much more complicated. That is the kind of cost involved.
Would the Minister look at the legal end of it? Surely under EEC regulations if somebody is living in the State he should be entitled to the benefits and once he is resident in the State it is not good enough to say that he worked and had insurance in England.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Is the Minister aware that the people covered by the question are confined to travelling on CIE buses? Does he agree that that is unfair?
That is a separate question. The question on the Order Paper asked about persons getting British invalidity pensions being entitled to free travel. The Deputy is enlarging the question.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Deputy White was allowed some ground. This is one net question. I suggest to the Minister that it is unfair that people should be confined to CIE. They should be entitled to travel on the Cavan-Longford bus which is licensed transport for that area.
The Deputy raises an interesting point.
Will the Minister look at that point as well?
Certainly.