Vol. 421 No. 8
239 Mrs. Fennell asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he intends to amend the current rules requiring pregnant women receiving unemployment assistance to attend for signing-on each week immediately prior to, and after, the birth of their baby; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Flexible signing arrangements were recently introduced for pregnant women signing the unemployed register. Under these arrangements they are excused from weekly signing for a 12 week period, six weeks before and six weeks after the expected date of confinement. They will be paid by means of cheque or postal/money order during that 12 week period.
240 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Social Welfare the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork has not yet received a decision on his application for occupational injury benefit, even though the application was submitted in January 1992, and especially in view of the fact that he was promised a decision when the medical report was obtained from the South Infirmary in Cork.
The person concerned claimed disablement benefit under the occupational injuries benefit scheme on 31 January 1992 in respect of occupational deafness.
Deafness is one of the occupational diseases prescribed under the occupational injuries scheme. However, one of the qualifying conditions for benefit requires the claimant to have been working in one of the employment categories prescribed in respect of the disease and to have made a claim within five years from the date last employed in that employment.
The claimant was employed with a firm of tool makers from 1972 to 1987. Inquiries made from his employer indicated that he was last employed in 1978 in an occupation prescribed in respect of the disease and that after that time he was employed in a different occupation which would not come within the prescribed categories. On that basis he failed to satisfy the conditions for disablement benefit. The claimant is now being asked whether he agrees with his employer's statement regarding his employment from 1978 onwards and, if not, to furnish evidence to show his employment came within the prescribed categories.
241 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Social Welfare his views on whether it is reasonable that applicants applying for unemployment assistance living in their parents' home are judged to have weekly means of approximately £16 per week despite the fact that the very same parents are not allowed any allowance for maintaining the applicants when they are applying for either medical card or other State benefits; and if he will outline the steps, if any, he proposes to take to rectify the situation.
The requirement to take account of board and lodging has been a feature of the unemployment assistance scheme since its inception. Its purpose is to achieve a degree of equity as between applicants in different family circumstances, between applicants whose parents are well-to-do and those whose parents are in poor circumstances. Otherwise persons living in affluent circumstances would become entitled to the same level of assistance as those whose circumstances are poor.
The value of the benefit of free board and lodging is assessed by reference to the net income of the persons providing the free board and lodging divided by the number of non-earning members of the household.
The Deputy has not provided details of any specific cases he has in mind. However, I am satisfied that the underlying principle of relating the value of board and lodging in any case to the income level of the household in which an applicant resides is essentially a good one and that it should remain a feature of the social welfare system.
242 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will give details of (1) the amount of income a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10 will lose due to the loss of alleviation payment and (2) the increase which is due to him in July.
The person concerned is currently in receipt of invalidity pension at the personal rate of £56.40 plus an alleviation payment of £12 per week, giving a total of £68.40. The cessation of the alleviation payment from 30 July 1992 will result in the loss of £12 per week to the person concerned. However, this loss will be offset to the extent of the budgetary increase of £2.30 per week. In addition, his wife may be entitled to arrears payments under the retrospective legislation referred to above. A claim form for this purpose is being issued to her for completion. On receipt of the completed form the entitlement will be determined and any payment due to her will be made in accordance with the phased arrangements.
The background to the equal treatment measures is outlined in my reply to Questions Nos. 245 and 246.
