asked the Minister for Social Welfare if his attention has been drawn to the hardship being suffered by some AIDS and HIV positive patients who are on low rates of social welfare payment, and who are attending drug treatment units without any assistance towards their travel expenses; if he will make supplementary welfare payments available for all such cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - AIDS and HIV Positive Patients.
143.
Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme payments can be made to a person at the discretion of the health boards to cover exceptional needs which cannot be met otherwise. Payments are not normally made however for the purposes outlined by the Deputy.
There are separate provisions in the Health Acts whereby a health board may make arrangements for providing ambulances or other means of transport for the conveyance of patients to and from hospitals. I understand that the Minister for Health has asked all health agencies to examine their procedures in this regard so as to avoid hardship to patients. Where there is hardship in any particular case the matter should be referred to the chief executive officer of the appropriate health board for consideration.
AIDS patients who qualify for long term payments in respect of permanent incapacity for work are, of course, entitled to free travel under the scheme operated by my Department. The qualifying payments for the purposes of this scheme are invalidity pension, which is payable by my Department to those who were insurably employed and received disability benefit for at least 12 months and disabled person's maintenance allowance which is payable by the health boards in cases where there is no entitlement to insurance based payments.
In the circumstances the question of providing payments for this purpose under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme should not arise.