Vol. 420 No. 3
124 Mr. McCartan asked the Minister for Health the steps he intends to take on applications for disabled person's maintenance allowance from spouses of social welfare recipients, following on the Healy judgment of March 1988 and consequent to the issue of the DPMA regulations of July 1991 issued by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Disabled Person's (Maintenance Allowance Regulations, 1991, provided for a change in the method of payment of the allowance to couples, married or co-habiting, where both partners are in receipt of DPMA or where one is in receipt of DPMA and the other in receipt of a Social Welfare payment. The effect of the change, which brought DPMA into line with Social Welfare legislation, was that couples in such cases receive the equivalent of one full personal rate and one adult dependent rate.
I am curently reviewing the situation of couples who were in receipt of DPMA at a high rate prior to the introduction of the 1991 Regulations.
In the meantime health boards have been requested that there be no reduction in the amount of DPMA paid to such couples.
