Vol. 413 No. 5
123 Mr. Lowry asked the Minister for Social Welfare if the terms of the carer's allowance provides for health boards to withdraw payment of disabled person's maintenance allowance on sanction of carer's allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary.
The carer's allowance, which was introduced in 1990, provides an allowance for the first time direct to people caring for elderly and incapacitated pensioners. Carer's allowance cannot be paid in addition to another social welfare or health board weekly payment.
It has always been my Department's practice to advise recipients of a social welfare payment to claim an alternative qualifying social welfare payment where there is a possibility that they may be better off as a result. Similarly, recipients will be advised to retain their existing social welfare payment where an alternative payment for which they have applied would put them in a worse off position financially. The information leaflet on the carer's allowance clearly states that the new allowance may be received instead of an existing payment provided the conditions are satisfied.
The case of the person in question is being reviewed. Investigations are continuing and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible.
124 Mr. Dennehy asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork who was declared unfit for employment in the civilian sector of the Defence Forces and thereby had to leave the post where he had been employed for many years, has now been refused disability benefit.
The person concerned retired on the grounds of ill health from the Department of Defence in 1987. He suffered from vertigo which rendered him unfit to pursue his occupation as a shipwright. He refused an offer of alternative employment by that Department.
He made a claim for disability benefit in January 1990. This claim was disallowed in October 1990 following an examination by a medical referee who expressed the opinion that he was capable of work.
