asked the Minister for Social Welfare the approximate cost of extending the concessions in regard to free electricity and free telephone rental to annuitants who retired from farming under the pre-EEC Farm Retirement Scheme operated by the Land Commission, and who are now disqualified from these benefits which are available to other pensioners with larger incomes.
Written Answers. - Pensioners' Benefits.
178.
The estimated annual cost of applying free electricity allowance and free telephone rental allowance to all existing annuitants is £5,000.
I would like to advise the Deputy, however, that some annuitants have already satisfied the conditions for non-contributory old age pension which gives entitlement to free electricity allowance and free telephone rental allowance. I should also mention that I am aware that other annuitants have, in the past, exceeded the statutory means limit for non-contributory old age pension.
In view, however, of improvements in recent years in the assessment of income from capital and extensions to the upper means limits it is possible that some annuitants who have not hitherto qualified may now qualify for non-contributory pensions which give underlying title to the free electricity allowance and free telephone rental allowance schemes. Such annuitants should therefore apply to have their old age non-contributory pension entitlement investigated.
A further extension of the free electricity allowance and free telephone rental allowance schemes will be considered at an appropriate date.