asked the Minister for Social Welfare if recipients of the free telephone rental allowance will continue to qualify for this benefit if they should decide to avail themselves of the new digital telephone instrument which is currently available from the Department of Posts and Telegraphs to private subscribers.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
548.
Subscribers who are in receipt of free telephone rental allowance from my Department and who opt for digital telephone instruments will continue to receive the allowance. The additional rental charge payable for such an instrument cannot, however, be met by my Department at present.
549.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will be awarded an invalidity pension; and, if so, when.
The person concerned has been awarded an invalidity pension from 25 November 1982. The pension book has been issued to the designated post office of payment for collection by her.
550.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will increase the rate of unemployment benefit for a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The person concerned is at present in receipt of unemployment assistance at the rate of £21.55 being the maximum rate payable to him £44.40 less means £22.85 derived from the notional value of his land and from capital.
It is open to him to apply for a review of his claim and an application form for this purpose may be obtained at his local office. When the application is received the claim will be reinvestigated and entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the outcome.
551.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a widow's pension will be granted to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
The person concerned has been awarded a widow's contributory pension at the rate of £34.30 per week with effect from Friday 16 April 1982. This is the rate of pension payable to a widow under 66 years with no qualified children whose yearly average number of insurance contributions is 25.
A pension book with orders payable from 1 October, 1982 has been issued to the designated post office for collection by her and she has been notified accordingly. The arrears of pension due for the period from 16 April, 1982 to 30 September, 1982 will be paid directly to her shortly by means of a payable order.
552.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in County Wexford will continue to receive unemployment assistance.
The person concerned was in receipt of unemployment assistance from June, 1976 to August, 1982. Following a re-investigation of his case payment was terminated from 18 August, 1982 on the grounds that his means, assessed at £72.95, derived from self-employment and the benefit of his wife's earnings, exceeded the maximum weekly rate of unemployment assistance £69.55 payable to him.
He appealed against the assessment of his means and his case is being referred to an appeals officer for determination. His entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
553.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when disability benefit will be paid again to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
The person concerned was paid disability benefit from 24 October 1981 to 23 October 1982. Payment was suspended after that date pending inquiries regarding his insurance record in the 1980-81 governing contribution year. On completion of the inquiries payment was restored from 25 October 1982 and all benefit due to 6 November has been paid.
554.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when unemployment assistance will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford.
The person concerned was paid unemployment assistance at the rate of £69.55 a week in respect of the period 25 May to 13 July 1982. As a result of a reinvestigation of his means which showed that he had income of £70 a week derived from self-employment payment was terminated as from 14 July 1982.
He has appealed against the assessment of his means and his claim has been referred to an appeals officer for determination. His entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the decision of the appeals officer.
555.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of applicants for the deserted wive's allowance since the inception of the scheme; and the number of applicants for deserted wive's benefit since its inception.
556.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of wives at present receiving the deserted wive's allowance.
557.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the amount of moneys paid out under the deserted wive's allowance scheme in each year since the commencement of the scheme; and the amount of moneys paid out under this scheme in each year since its commencement.
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 555,556 and 557 together.
Separate statistics of the numbers of applicants for deserted wive's allowance and deserted wive's benefit are not maintained, as a common application form is used and most deserted wives make application under both schemes at the same time.
The scheme of deserted wive's allowance was introduced on 1 October 1970 and the deserted wives benefit scheme was introduced on 5 July 1973.
The combined total number of applications under the two schemes to 30 September 1982 was 14,428. The number in receipt of deserted wife's allowance on 30 September 1982 was 3,244 and the figure for deserted wife's benefit was 3,362.
The amounts paid out under these schemes since their inception are as follows:
|
Year |
Deserted Wife's Allowance |
Deserted Wife's Benefit |
|
£ |
£ |
|
|
1970/71 |
119,000 |
— |
|
(from 1 October 1970) |
||
|
1971/72 |
505,000 |
— |
|
1972/73 |
699,000 |
— |
|
1973/74 |
944,000 |
267,000 |
|
(from 5 July 1973) |
||
|
1974 |
951,000 |
475,000 |
|
(9 months) |
||
|
1975 |
1,738,000 |
1,026,000 |
|
1976 |
2,224,000 |
1,457,000 |
|
1977 |
2,646,000 |
1,934,000 |
|
1978 |
2,982,000 |
2,637,000 |
|
1979 |
3,253,000 |
3,393,000 |
|
1980 |
4,416,000 |
5,459,000 |
|
1981 |
5,564,000 |
6,761,000 |
|
(provisional) |
||
|
1982 |
*7,007,000 |
*8,627,000 |
* These figures are based on the amounts allocated for the full year.
558.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of deserted husbands who have applied for the housekeepers allowance; and the number at present in receipt of the allowance.
It is presumed that the Deputy is referring to deserted husbands who are claiming social welfare benefits which provide for an increase of the benefit in respect of an adult dependant who has the care of the claimant's dependent children. Statistics are not kept in such a way as to enable the information sought by the Deputy to be supplied.
559.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of deserted husbands who have applied for the supplementary welfare allowance in each of the years since the inception of the scheme; and the number of deserted husbands at present in receipt of the allowance.
Statistics of deserted husbands who have applied for supplementary welfare allowances are not kept by the health boards and the particulars sought by the Deputy are not therefore available to my Department.
560.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when full pay-related payments will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Clare.
The person concerned claimed injury benefit from 25 January 1982 and was paid for the full statutory period of 26 weeks to 24 July 1982 after which date he was transferred to disability benefit. He has also been paid pay-related benefit from 8 February 1982. Payment of pay-related benefit from that date to 28 July 1982 was at the rate of 40 per cent of reckonable earnings. The rate payable from the latter date to 27 October was 30 per cent of reckonable earnings and as from 28 October the rate has been further reduced to 25 per cent of reckonable earnings for three months.
Owing to an administrative error payment of pay-related benefit was not made in respect of the period 7 August to 20 August 1982 but the matter has since been rectified. The adjusting cheque for £83.28 issued on 29 October 1982.