asked the Minister for Social Welfare if dependant's payments for a person (details supplied) in County Wexford who is in receipt of an invalidity pension will continue, in view of the fact that the person's daughter is in full time education.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
117.
The terms of the scheme of invalidity pension provide that child dependant allowances are payable to invalidity pensioners only in respect of children aged under 18 years of age.
As the daughter of the person concerned reached 18 years of 1 December 1988, the pensioner is no longer entitled to be paid an allowance for her from that date.
118.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the extent, if any, by which each major social welfare payment has exceeded inflation in the past ten year period; and the way in which this compares with the performance of other EC states such as Britain.
The information requested by the Deputy in relation to Ireland is contained in the following table.
Comparison with other EC States is not possible given the diversity of coverage, entitlement conditions, duration and method of calculation of benefit and in some cases major changes in the structure and operation of schemes over the period in question.
Increases in Social Welfare Personal Rates of Payment in Ireland since 1978.
|
Scheme |
Real Increase in Rates |
|
% |
|
|
Disability Benefit/Unemployment Benefit |
16 |
|
Old Age Contributory Pension |
36 |
|
Unemployment Assistance (Long Term Urban) |
37 |
119.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason for the delay in the payment of a disability benefit to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary.
Where a person has less than 260 contributions paid since entry into insurable employment, entitlement to disability benefit is limited to 52 weeks.
According to the records of the Department, the person concerned had only 103 contributions paid on her behalf since entry into insurance. She was paid disability benefit up to 10 December 1988, after which date her 52 week entitlement to benefit became exhausted.
It was subsequently established that the person concerned had 260 contributions paid. As a result, disability benefit was restored from 5 January 1989. Arrears of benefit payable for the period 10 December 1988 to 4 January 1989 are being held to offset against adult dependant and child dependant increases paid on her husband's unemployment benefit claim for this period.