asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether a person (details supplied) in County Cork was refused a free fuel allowance because this person and his wife are looking after a retarded relative, who is a total invalid.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
80.
A person in receipt of long-term unemployment assistance can qualify for a fuel allowance under the national fuel scheme, provided he is living either alone or only with dependants. The person concerned lives with his sister-in-law who is in receipt of a disabled person's maintenance allowance in her own right and is not therefore his dependant.
I extended the national fuel scheme to some 30,000 recipients of unemployment assistance living alone or with dependants for the first time in October 1987. This category was excluded from the scope of the scheme before then and its extension in this way was a major achievement in present circumstances. Any further extension would be a matter for consideration in a budgetary context.
Apart from the national fuel scheme there is provision under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme whereby assistance can be given where a family has exceptional heating needs by reason of ill health or infirmity and it would be open to the family in this case to apply for assistance under that scheme.
81.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork was refused an invalidity pension, even though he is in receipt of disability benefit for the past ten years for severe spinal injury and he has furnished medical evidence that he is an invalid.
Invalidity pension is payable to insured persons who satisfy the contribution conditions and who are premanently incapable of work.
The person concerned has been in receipt of disability benefit since 19 May 1981. He was examined on 18 November 1988 by a medical referee who did not consider him to be incapable of work. A deciding officer decided that the person concerned was not therefore entitled to either disability benefit or invalidity pension and notified him of this decision on 12 December 1988.
It is open to the person concerned to appeal against this decision.
82.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if an invalidity benefit will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford who has been in receipt of disability benefit for eight years, whose condition has deteriorated during that period and whose doctors say that he will never work again.
Invalidity pension is payable to insured persons who satisfy the contribution conditions and who are permanently incapable of work.
The person concerned has been in receipt of disability benefit since 5 August 1981. He was examined on 20 October 1988 by a medical referee who did not consider him to be permanently incapable of work and asked to have him referred for a further examination in four months. A deciding officer decided that he was not therefore entitled to invalidity pension.
As the person concerned was dissatisfied with this decision arrangements are being made to have him examined by a different medical referee. The person concerned will be notified of the time and place set for examination as soon as the necessary arrangements have been completed. His entitlement to invalidity pension will be reviewed in the light of the report of that examination.