Vol. 369 No. 9
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the projected savings in a full year to her Department as a result of, the elimination of the wife's dependency allowance and half the children's dependency allowance in families where the husband is on social welfare payment and the wife earns over £50 per week.
65.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the projected cost in a full year of equalising the duration of payment of unemployment benefit to men and women; and how many will benefit from this increased duration of payment.
66.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the projected cost in a full year of equalising payments for married women; and how many will benefit from this increase.
67.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the projected savings in a full year to her Department as a result of the elimination of a wife's dependency allowance or her husband's social welfare payment where both parents are on social welfare payments.
It is proposed to answer Questions Nos: 64 to 67, inclusive, together.
Under the equal treatment provisions men and women will have an equal right to claim benefit for a spouse who is a dependant or for children who are dependants. Where a spouse is earning over £50 a week or is in receipt of a social welfare payment he or she will not be regarded as an adult dependant, and as a result some married men will lose the adult dependant allowance and half of any child dependant allowances which they may now be getting. On the other hand, married women will now be able to claim adult dependant and child dependant allowances. The net effect of the changes in the arrangements for adult and child dependant allowances including the cost of enabling spouses earning under £50 to be regarded as adult dependants and of the special temporary payment of £10 where both spouses are on social welfare payments is estimated to be broadly neutral.
The cost in a full year of the extension from 312 days to 390 days with effect from May last, of the maximum duration of entitlement of married women to unemployed benefit is estimated at £5.7 million.
The cost in a full year of equalising the costs of payments of unemployment and disability benefits for married women is estimated at £12.3 million. It is estimated that approximately 18,300 married women gained from the increase in the duration of entitlement to unemployment benefit, and a further 28,000 from the increase in the rates of benefit paid.
68.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if free fuel vouchers are being granted to the long term unemployed; how many unemployed persons have been granted free fuel vouchers to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Persons on unemployment assistance with dependants qualify for fuel allowances under the urban fuel schemes. There are no accurate statistics available of the number of long term unemployed persons at present in receipt of fuel vouchers under these schemes but it is estimated that 18,000 unemployed persons in total will benefit under these schemes in the current year. Persons on unemployment payments do not qualify for fuel allowances under the national fuel scheme.
69.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will be paid unemployment benefit, as she is unemployed and cannot find suitable work.
Entitlement to unemployment benefit is subject to the condition that a claimant must be available for and genuinely seeking employment. The claim of the person concerned to unemployment benefit from 4 July 1986 was disallowed on the grounds that she was not available for employment.
She appealed against the disallowance and attended an oral hearing of her case on 6 November 1986. The appeals officer allowed her claim from 4 July 1986. All arrears due will be paid to her this week and further weekly payments of £36.75, the appropriate rate in her case, will continue to be made as they become due. The person concerned is not entitled to pay-related benefit as she had insufficient earnings during the relevant income tax year, 6 April 1984 to 5 April 1985.
70.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the date on which an appeal form which was handed personally to the Galway employment exchange was received in the Department; the reason for the delay in making a decision on the appeal; and when she expects to be in a position to make a decision.
The appeal form completed by the person concerned was received in the Department on 21 August 1986. Arising from contentions raised by him in support of his appeal it was necessary to refer his papers to the social welfare officer for further inquiries before the case could be submitted to an appeals officer. These inquiries were only recently completed and his case has been submitted to an appeals officer for determination at the earliest available oppurtunity. The entitlement of the person concerned to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the outcome of the appeal.
71.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when an application for unemployment benefit was made by a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay in making a decision on the matter; and when a decision will be made on the matter.
Entitlement to unemployment benefit is subject to the condition that a claimant must have at least 26 contributions paid or credited at the appropriate rate in the contribution year which governs the claim. The person concerned claimed unemployment benefit from 18 February 1986. He did not, however, qualify for payment as he had not the necessary contributions paid or credited in the period 6 April 1984 to 5 April 1985, the contribution year which governed his claim. He had been employed in the United Kingdom in that year but his British contributions could not be invoked under EC regulations for the purpose of his claim.
Article 67 of EC Regulations 1408/71 allows for the transfer of insurance records from one member state to another for unemployment benefit purposes, providing the last history of reckonable insurable employment is in the country of claim. The person concerned had not been employed in this country since his return from the United Kingdom and, accordingly, it was not possible to invoke his British record. He was advised of the position and he then made a claim for unemployment assistance. His claim for unemployment assistance was disallowed in August 1986 on the grounds that his means, derived from the value of capital, a pension and the profit from his holding, exceeded the maximum rate of unemployment assistance payable in his case.
He appealed against the disallowance on 6 October 1986 and, arising from contentions raised by him in support of his appeal his papers were returned to the social welfare officer for further inquiries. These inquiries will be completed as soon as possible and his case will then be submitted to an appeals officer for determination at the earliest available opportunity. His entitlement to unemployment assistance will be reviewed in the light of the outcome of the appeal. The delay in dealing with the unemployment assistance claim, which is regretted, arose because the social welfare officer had difficulty in contacting him as he changed address subsequent to making the claim.
72.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare when a retirement pension will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Galway.
One of the qualifying conditions for receipt of retirement pension under the Social Welfare Acts requires the claimant to have a yearly average of 24 reckonable contributions over the period from 5 January 1953 to 5 April 1986, i.e. the end of the last complete contribution year before he reached age 65. He does not satisfy this condition on his Irish insurance record. The Department's records show that he had a total of 737 Irish contributions in the required period, equal to a yearly average of only 22.
However, in accordance with EC regulations on social security his British and Irish insurance records may be combined to enable him to satisfy the qualifying conditions. On this basis he qualifies for a pro-rata retirement pension at the rate of £39.75 per week with effect from 19 June 1986 increased to £41.40 per week from 17 July 1986. A retirement pension book containing orders payable from 13 November 1986 has been issued to the designated post office for collection by him. The arrears of pension for the period from 19 June 1986 to 12 November 1986, less the amount of unemployment assistance paid to him for that period, will be issued as quickly as possible. He will qualify for old age contributory pension under the Social Welfare Acts at the current rate of £49.40 per week when he reaches age 66 on 19 June 1987. A yearly average of 20 is required for this latter pension.
73.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she will direct that a rent allowance be paid to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8 who has been seeking inner city local authority reconstruction without success and who took private accommodation on the understanding that she would receive the allowance; since the allowance has apparently been refused because there are old houses available in Tallaght whether it would be very difficult for a single young mother to avail of this, for social reasons; in view of the fact that the child attends local school if she will ensure that the allowance is issued; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Under the provisions of the supplementary welfare allowances scheme the determination as to whether a rent supplement should be paid in any particular case is a matter for the health board. It is understood from the Eastern Health Board that the person concerned applied for a rent supplement under the scheme but that her application was refused after full consideration of all the circumstances. The person concerned has been advised of her right to appeal against the decision in her case.
