Tony Gregory
Question:10 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 7 was refused a free fuel allowance, despite having been taken off disability benefit; and if any arrears are due to her.
Ceisteanna — Questions Written Answers. - Social Welfare Payments.
The person concerned has been awarded the free fuel allowance at the weekly rate of £8.00 from 18 October 1991. An allowance book has been issued to her local post office for collection by her and all arrears due will be issued to her shortly.
Gay Mitchell
Question:11 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12, who was on disability benefit between 1984 and 1989 will be entitled to arrears on equality grounds, following the recent budget announcement; and if so, if he will give details of the amount that will be paid to this person.
Michael Bell
Question:12 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Social Welfare when arrears of disability benefit for women under the EC Directive will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Louth.
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 11 and 12 together.
The deadline for implementation of EC Directive 79/7 which provided for equal treatment between men and women in matters of social security was 23 December 1984. The necessary measures, which are provided for by way of the Social Welfare (No. 2) Act, 1985, were subsequently brought into force in two phases in May and November 1986.
As I announced in the House on 4 February last, the Government have decided to provide the equality of treatment in respect of the period of delay in implementing the Directive. The retrospective payments involved would be made on a phased basis over the period 1992 to 1994.
Under the first phase, all married women who received a reduced rate of benefit during the period of delay will receive the higher amount in 1992. At the same time married women who exhausted their entitlement of 12 months to unemployment benefit during this period will be paid for the additional three months subject to appropriate evidence of unemployment in respect of any such period. The cost of this first phase is estimated at £22 million and the necessary provision has been made by the Government in the 1992 budget.
Details of the payments to be made under the second and third phases will be announced within the next few weeks as soon as the overall proposals are finalised. I intend to make the necessary legal provisions immediately thereafter.
Until such time as the overall proposals are finalised, it will not be possible to quantify the full entitlements of any individual claimant. At that stage my Department will make the necessary arrangements to ensure that potential beneficiaries are made aware of the provision for retrospective payments.