asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will extend the terms of the prescribed relative allowance scheme to include all families taking care of incapacitated old age pensioners; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
12.
The prescribed relative allowance is an increase in pension payable to certain categories of pensioners under very specific conditions. To qualify for the allowance the pensioner must be so incapacitated as to require full time care and attention and have a prescribed relative living with him solely for the purpose of providing that full time care and attention. Apart from the prescribed relative the pensioner must be living alone or only with a child or an incapacitated person.
The purpose of the allowance is a limited one, providing income-maintenance support to a pensioner where a prescribed relative is devoting his-her energies to providing full time care and attention to the exclusion of gainful activity. The conditions applying to this scheme effectively restrict payment to cases where the relative providing the care and attention has no independent means of support.
An extension of the scheme along the lines proposed by the Deputy would radically alter the scope of the scheme and would have very costly implications. In present circumstances it is regretted that an extension of the scheme on the lines suggested is not possible.
13.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will expedite a decision on an appeal for unemployment assistance on behalf of a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
Following reinvestigation of the unemployment assistance claim of the person concerned he was assessed with means of £51.10 weekly, derived from capital. He is, accordingly, entitled to unemployment assistance at £11.85 weekly, being the maximum weekly amount payable in his case of £62.95 less means of £51.10.
Arrangements have been made with his local office to have the arrears due paid this week. The person concerned ceased signing at his local office on 24 December 1985. It is open to him to appeal against the means assessment should he wish to do so. A form for this purpose may be obtained from his local office.
Question No. 14 re-entered for oral reply.
15.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the average length of time it takes her Department to decide on unemployment assistance applications in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Entitlement to unemployment assistance depends on the means of the applicant and individual investigations must be made in each case by a social welfare officer. The decisions in individual cases are made by deciding officers appointed under the Social Welfare Acts.
The time taken to carry out a means investigation and reach a decision in any particular case depends to a large extent on the individual circumstances of the case. The general applications for unemployment assistance in County Kerry are processed within two months but the time involved in some cases is longer.
The continuing rise in numbers claiming unemployment assistance combined with the need for individual investigation of cases by a social welfare officer has resulted in lengthening of the time taken in processing applications. In addition many of the unemployment assistance applications made in County Kerry are from smallholders and these cases are generally more difficult to investigate and take more time to process than the ordinary run of unemployment assistance applications because of the necessity to obtain detailed information on the income and expenditure of holdings. Every effort however is made to ensure that unemployment assistance claims are processed as quickly and efficiently as possible.