asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary who is a deserted wife with four dependent children in receipt of £74 per week unemployment assistance is not eligible for a free fuel allowance.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
80.
One of the conditions for the receipt by an unemployed assistance applicant of a fuel allowance under the national fuel scheme is that he or she must be in receipt of the long term rate, which becomes payable after an applicant has been in receipt of unemployment payments for a continuous period of 15 months. As the person concerned is in receipt of the short term rate of unemployment assistance, she is not eligible for receipt of a fuel allowance.
81.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare, in view of the obligation on parents to maintain dependent children up to the age of 18, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) dependent child benefit will be payable to recipients of unemployment benefit/assistance in respect of unemployed non-school-going children aged between 16 and 18 years or (b) the qualifying age for unemployment benefit/assistance is reduced from 18 to 16 years.
Child benefit is payable in respect of children up to age of 16 or in the case of children who are in full time education or who are handicapped, 18 years. Increases in unemployment benefit and assistance in respect of child dependants are payable up to the age of 18 years in all cases. The personal rates of unemployment assistance were increased by 11 per cent and the rates for child dependant increases were increased by 6 per cent from July as compared with the 3 per cent increase in rates of payments generally. Further increases in these payments would be a matter for consideration in a budgetary context.
Persons aged 16 years or over who are in employment are covered by the social insurance system. If they become unemployed they may sign on the live register and they would qualify for unemployment benefit if at least 39 contributions have been paid in respect of them. Otherwise they would be eligible to sign for credited contributions.
Persons aged under 18 years are not entitled to claim unemployment assistance. To give entitlement under the scheme to persons under 18 years with no previous attachment to the labour force could have the effect of encouraging young persons to leave the education system prematurely. This was also the view of the Commission on Social Welfare. To give such an entitlement would have very significant financial implications. There are no plans for such an extension in present circumstances.
The Deputy will be aware that the Government has recently introduced the Youth Reach Programme to cater for young people who leave the education system without qualifications. Under the programme an estimated 6,000 young people will be offered up to 24 months education and training selected to suit their particular needs. While on the programme they will be paid a weekly allowance on the same basis as FÁS trainees.
82.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the withdrawal of unemployment assistance from a person (details supplied) in County Waterford in view of the fact that she is available for work and seeking employment; and if he will have payment restored.
Entitlement to unemployment assistance is subject to the condition that an applicant must be available for and genuinely seeking work.
The person concerned claimed unemployment assistance on 29 June 1988, but her claim was disallowed on the grounds that she was not available for employment due to domestic commitments. Following a change in her circumstances her claim was allowed from 23 July 1988 subject to review in two months. On review, her claim was disallowed by a deciding officer from 16 November 1988, on the grounds that she was not genuinely seeking employment as she had made insufficient efforts to obtain employment. She has appealed against the disallowance and arrangements are being made to have her case heard by an appeals officer at the earliest opportunity.
83.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of recipients of free electricity allowance that were disqualified following the recent review of the scheme.
The conditions of the scheme have not been changed recently. Approximately 171,000 allowances are paid at present and some 24,000 new claims are awarded annually.
Reviews of individual entitlements under the scheme are a continuous feature of the administration of the scheme and are conducted on an ongoing basis to ensure that the conditions for entitlement continue to be fulfilled.
In the period from 1 January 1988 to 25 November 1988, payment of approximately 16,000 allowances ceased because of the death of the beneficiary, change of address, termination of qualifying payment, etc. Approximately 7,000 were terminated as a result of the Department's ongoing control and review procedures which revealed that the conditions for receipt of the allowance were no longer satisfied.
84.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of recipients of a deserted wife's allowance for each year from 1986 to 1988 inclusive.
The information requested by the Deputy is as follows:
|
Date |
No. of Recipients of Deserted Wife's Allowance |
|
31 December 1986* |
4,445 |
|
31 December 1987* |
4,870 |
|
31 October 1988 |
5,073 |
*Source: Statistical Information on Social Welfare Services 1987.