asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a large number of women in receipt of unemployment assistance when applying for maternity allowance have recently been refused payment; and if his attention has been drawn to the serious hardship caused by this decision.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
20.
Applicants for maternity benefit under the general maternity benefit scheme are required to satisfy certain contribution conditions in order to qualify for payment. These conditions require a person to have at least 39 paid contributions since entry into insurance and also to have a minimum of 39 paid or credited contributions in the last complete income tax year before the year in which the maternity claim commences. At least 13 of these must be paid contributions. Any person applying for maternity benefit under the general scheme whether in receipt of unemployment payments or otherwise is required to satisfy these conditions.
However, in the case of unemployment benefit or assistance recipients who do not qualify for maternity benefit it is possible for them to continue to receive those payments provided they satisfy the usual conditions for these schemes. In this regard I might add that pregnancy or confinement is not regarded as generally debarring a woman from satisfying the rules in regard to availability, capability or genuinely seeking work which apply in the case of the unemployment schemes.
21.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has any plans to remove the anomaly which exists whereby social welfare recipients on United Kingdom invalidity pensions do not qualify for the free electricity allowance; if he will seek a reciprocal arrangement with the United Kingdom Ministry of Health and Social Security on this matter; the number of people who would qualify and the cost if this change were made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The free electricity allowance scheme is available under certain conditions to persons over 66 in receipt of an Irish social welfare pension or of a UK retirement pension. It is also available to persons under 66 who are in receipt of an Irish invalidity pension or disabled person's maintenance allowance.
Invalidity pension is only payable to persons who have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and are permanently incapacitated. UK invalidity pension is payable after 28 weeks and is not subject to a requirement that the person be permanently incapacitated. No scheme exists in the United Kingdom which is similar to the free electricity allowance scheme in this country and the question of reciprocity does not, therefore, arise.
It is estimated that there are about 3,300 United Kingdom invalidity pensioners in this country and the cost of extending the free electricity allowance to them is estimated at £0.4 million. This figure includes the cost of free television licence, which is automatically given with the free electricity allowance and a similar extension to the telephone rental allowance scheme.
Any extension of the present arrangements for free electricity allowance would have to be considered in a budgetary context. However in view of the differences in the scope of Irish and UK invalidity pension schemes it would not be appropriate to extend the free electricity allowance to all UK invalidity pensioners residing here.